Reinforcement of natural rubber with silica/carbon black hybrid filler

Carbon black (CB) and silica have been used as the main reinforcing fillers that increase the usefulness of rubbers. As each filler possesses its own advantages, the use of silica/CB blends should enhance the mechanical and dynamic properties of natural rubber (NR) vulcanizates. However, the optimum silica/CB ratio giving rise to the optimum properties needs to be clarified. In this research, reinforcement of NR with silica/CB hybrid filler at various ratios was studied in order to determine the optimum silica/CB ratio. The total hybrid filler content was 50 phr. The mechanical properties indicating the reinforcement of NR vulcanizates, such as tensile strength, tear strength, abrasion resistance, crack growth resistance, heat buildup resistance and rolling resistance, were determined. The results reveal that the vulcanizates containing 20 and 30 phr of silica in hybrid filler exhibit the better overall mechanical properties. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.