THE EFFECT OF FILLERS ON RELAXATION PHENOMENA OF VULCANIZED STYRENE-BUTADIENE ELASTOMERS

Standard recipe mixtures, based on styrene/butadiene rubber SBR 1500 and oil-extended SBR 1712, with varying amounts of carbon black, silica, or kaoline fillers were prepared and the stress relaxation curves of vulcanized samples were determined. The measurements were restricted to slow relaxation phenomena, observed after 50% initial elongation. Three lambda-processes and a fourth phi-process, existing only in filled rubbers, were observed. The relaxation times and activation energies, determined graphically, reflect the amount and activity of the fillers. All relaxation times are lower for filled vulcanizates and decrease with increasing temperature; however, the type of filler does not affect the activation energy. The higher parameters observed for the phi-processes are discussed in terms of filler particle mobilities and rearrangements and of filler/rubber contact layer phenomena. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.