Fracture behavior of crumb rubber‐filled elastomers

The fracture behavior of a crumb rubber‐filled elastomer was observed in optical micrographs. It was found that the failure started from the surface of the unfilled samples. The failure, however, started from a cavity around a crumb in the crumb‐filled samples. This paper suggests that the failure mechanism in the crumb‐filled elastomers (NR, NBR) was based on the microscopic observation of highly strained samples. This paper also considers the failure behavior of two‐component systems: NR/NBR, SBR/NR, and NR/SBR. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 3137–3144, 1999     

Melt‐processable rubber: Chlorinated waste tire rubber‐filled polyvinyl chloride

Chlorinated ground rubber tire (Cl‐GRT) particles were used as filler in a plasticized polyvinylchloride (PVC) to develop a melt‐processable rubber composition. Physical properties of the Cl‐GRT‐filled PVC compound showed improvement compared to the nonchlorinated counterpart. Interaction between Cl‐GRT and PVC was examined on the basis of results of stress relaxation, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, and solvent swelling studies. The Cl‐GRT could be loaded upto 40 parts per hundred parts of PVC, and the composition still retains the elastomeric characteristics. The Cl‐GRT‐filled composite was found to be reprocessable like the unfilled PVC compound. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 622–631, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10352     

特高强复合胶凝材料的稳定性及改性研究

有机硅烷偶联剂能显著改善高强复合胶凝材料的湿敏性.不掺硅烷偶联剂的高强复合胶凝材料在水中浸泡1个月,抗弯强度损失达37.3%,而掺加1.5%的硅烷偶联剂,同样条件下强度损失只有7.8%.这主要是由于硅烷偶联剂能在水泥颗粒表面形成缩合的硅氧烷分子层,并在有机聚合物基体中相互扩散、聚合及耦合成憎水的、相互贯穿的聚合物网状结构所致.     

Mechanical properties of mica‐filled PBT/ABAS composites

Tensile properties and Izod impact strength of mica‐filled composites of poly(butylene terephthlate) (PBT)/polyacrylonitrile‐butyl acrylate‐styrene (ABAS) were studied at mica concentration range 0 to 0.14 volume fraction, (?_f). Tensile properties such as tensile modulus, strength, and breaking strain were normalized by dividing the data with the crystallinity (%) of the major component PBT in the composites and the matrix blends. The normalized relative tensile properties were compared with simple models to evaluate the interphase interactions between the matrix (i.e. PBT/ABAS blend) and the dispersed phase mica. Mica reinforced the blend increasing the tensile modulus and strength with mica concentration while the strain‐at‐break was increased marginally up to ?_f = 0.04 and decreased beyond this ?_f. The impact strength, however, decreased with increase in ?_f due to enhanced matrix stiffening and lack of plastic deformation of the matrix. Scanning electron microscopic studies revealed good dispersion of mica in the composites. The effect of surface treatment with a zirconate coupling agent, NZ‐97, on the above properties has also been examined. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Curing characteristics and mechanical properties of rattan‐powder‐filled natural rubber composites as a function of filler loading and silane coupling agent

Curing characteristics, tensile properties, morphological studies of tensile fractured surfaces using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the extent of rubber filler interactions of rattan‐powder‐filled natural rubber (NR) composites were investigated as a function of filler loading and silane coupling agent (CA). NR composites were prepared by the incorporation of rattan powder at filler loading range of 0–30 phr into a NR matrix with a laboratory size two roll mill. The results indicate that in the presence of silane CA, scorch time (t_s2), and cure time (t₉₀) of rattan‐powder‐filled NR composites were shorten, while, maximum torque (M_H) increased compared with NR composites without silane CA. Tensile strength and tensile modulus of composites were enhanced whereas elongation at break reduced in the presence of silane CA mainly due to increase in rubber‐filler interaction. It is proven by SEM studies that the bonding between the filler and rubber matrix has improved. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

镍铁渣—水泥复合胶凝材料化学活化的研究

研究了单组份激发剂氧化钙、水玻璃、硫酸钠对镍铁渣—水泥复合胶凝材料强度及镍铁渣活性的影响,在此基础上,制备了一种高效复合激发剂-HY,并利用XRD、SEM等方法对试样进行分析。研究表明:激发剂能激发镍铁渣的潜在活性,使镍铁渣—水泥复合胶凝材料体系水化硬化后的结构更加致密,其中复合激发剂-HY的激发效果最好,使复合胶凝材料7d、28d抗压强度分别提升了6.0MPa和6.2MPa。     

Fractal analysis of worn surfaces of ZnO whisker/natural rubber‐styrene butadiene rubber‐butyl rubber composites

The wear resistance of zinc oxide whisker (ZnOw)/natural rubber‐styrene butadiene rubber‐butyl rubber (NR‐SBR‐BR) composites showed that a tetra‐needle like ZnOw, which is treated by a coupling agent, improved the wear resistance of the rubber composites. The topography of the worn surfaces of the ZnOw/NR‐SBR‐BR composites was fractal, and the fractal dimension and abrasion loss decreased synchronously as the ZnOw content increased in the composites. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 667–670, 2003     

The influence of montmorillonite on the anti‐reversion in the rubber–clay composites

The influence of organically modified montmorillonate (OMMT) on the curing reversion of natural rubber (NR) and polychloroprene rubber (CR) blend has been demonstrated in this article. Characteristics of the NR/CR/OMMT hybrid composite were undertaken by combining the cure kinetics, thermal stability, and the detection of phase morphology. Compared to the neat rubber blend, thermal gravity analysis has shown improved thermal stability results during degradation for the nanofiller filled ones. Differential scanning calorimetry study has offered cure kinetic results; among which blending with NR has lifted the cure activation temperature of CR low toward. Meanwhile, transmission electron microscopy has shown the intercalation and immobilization of OMMT in the CR phase formed a barrier to NR phase. In addition, to discover the reversion source, infrared spectroscopy has been applied to trace the oxygenic function units in the neat NR vulcanizate. All of the experimental results and related analysis has offered us the base to explain the improvement of the anti‐reversion of the rubber blends. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

基于临界钙矾石膨胀破坏的磷石膏基复合胶凝材料的配料计算研究

为制备大掺量磷石膏基复合胶凝材料,在确定主要水化产物类型的基础上,通过计算临界钙矾石膨胀破坏的边界条件,确定各组分最佳掺量范围,研究其对复合胶凝材料力学性能、干缩性能的影响,并通过X射线衍射（XRD）、扫描电镜（SEM）等测试方法研究水化产物的组成及发展规律。研究结果表明：通过理论配料计算,矿粉掺量为50%（质量分数）时,最大磷石膏掺量为26.3%（质量分数）,最小熟料掺量为23.6%（质量分数）。最佳配比组28 d胶砂抗压强度为45.2 MPa,线膨胀率小于0.04%;对比组28 d抗压强度仅有36.4 MPa,线膨胀率远大于0.04%。XRD、SEM表征结果表明,磷石膏基复合胶凝材料的水化产物主要是钙矾石（AFt）和水化硅酸钙（C-S-H）凝胶,氢氧化钙几乎反应完全;对比组钙矾石生成量远大于最佳配料组,微观结构存在大量裂缝。这说明理论配料计算可以有效用于磷石膏基复合胶凝材料的配比优化。     

Fibre-reinforced lightweight engineered cementitious composites for 3D concrete printing

While the 3D printing technology for cementitious composites has developed rapidly, a combination of 3DP technology and lightweight engineered cementitious composites (LWECCs) could improve many aspects of the construction industry. In this study, a fibre-reinforced high-performance LWECC for extrusion-based printing was proposed. First, six LWECCs were prepared, incorporating two kinds of hollow glass microspheres (HGMs) in varying replacement ratios of fly ash (FA) at 60 wt%, 80 wt%, and 100 wt%. In addition, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibre was introduced given its shrinkage resistance and improvement in printability performance. Thereafter, fresh property (slump loss and setting time), unconfined compression strength (UCS), and flexural strength experiments thoroughly investigated the optimised LWECC design, which was later calibrated for the printing procedure via a printability assessment, including extrudability and buildability. The UCS, flexural strength, and densities of the printed and cast specimens were compared. Lastly, a microstructural investigation using a scanning electron microscope described the reinforcement mechanism of PVA fibre upon the performance of the printed structures and HGMs. The addition of HGMs significantly improve the lightweight property that reaches a value at 1384 kg/m³ but inevitably negates mechanical properties. The printed LWECC obtains 33.6 MPa for UCS and 9.29 MPa for flexural strength. When the printed filament was perpendicular to loading direction, superior toughness was observed, creating a 63% and 40% increase for UCS and flexural strength, respectively.     

The behavior of natural rubber–epoxidized natural rubber–silica composites based on wet masterbatch technique

Natural rubber–epoxidized natural rubber–silica composites were prepared by the wet masterbatch technique and the traditional dry mixing method. Performances of the composites based on different preparation methods were investigated with a moving die rheometer, an electronic universal testing machine, a dynamic mechanical analyzer, a nuclear magnetic resonance crosslink density analyzer, a rubber processing analyzer (RPA), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The RPA, SEM, and TEM analyses indicated that silica has better dispersion, lower filler–filler interaction, and better filler–rubber interaction in compounds based on the wet masterbatch technique, leading to improvements in mechanical strength and the dynamic mechanical and compression properties of the composites. It also indicates that composites prepared by the wet masterbatch technique have shorter scorch time, faster curing velocity, and higher crosslink density. The composites prepared by the wet materbatch technique also have lower rolling resistance, which is an important property for their use as a green material for the tire industry. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43571.     

Thermooxidative aging mechanism of crumb‐rubber‐modified asphalt

We investigated the thermooxidative aging mechanism of crumb‐rubber‐modified asphalts (CRMAs) by tracing the evolution of the chemical structure and physical properties of CRMA during aging. The chemical structural evolution of crumb rubber (CR) in various aged CRMAs was characterized by measurement of the crosslink structure and composition of extracted CR. The residual asphalt of the aged CRMA was investigated by IR spectroscopy. The physical properties of CRMA were characterized by conventional testing before and after aging. We found that the change in the physical properties of CRMA correlated well with both the evolution of the rubber network and the oxidation of asphalt. The thermooxidative aging resistance of CRMA was improved with increasing CR dosage; this further illustrated that aging promoted the dissolution of CR into asphalt. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43323.     

Mechanical properties and processibilty of glass‐fiber‐, wollastonite‐, and fluoro‐rubber‐reinforced silicone rubber composites

The reinforcement of silicone rubber (SR) imparted by different types of fillers was investigated. Glass fiber (GF), wollastonite and fluoro rubber (FR) as nontraditional filler for rubber were compounded SR and mechanical properties of the prepared composites were evaluated. The addition of silane pretreated GF and wollastonite into SR, tensile strength, abrasion resistance and tear strength of the composites improved considerably. The improvement in the properties was assigned to an increased interaction between the filler and the polymer matrix. For the SR/FR composites system, the elongation at break was increase with increasing concentrations of FR due to sponge like structure resulting from poor compatibility between the two components. To investigate the production potential of extrusion processing method, prepared composites were extruded in a rod type sample. During the curing stage, GF, wollastonite and FR lead to the formation of void in the matrix resin. When GF and wollastonite were treated with silane, the void formations were reduced significantly. The silane treatment process improves not only mechanical strength but also processibility of SR composites in dry conditions. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

利用工业废渣生产多微孔胶凝材料的研究

以粉煤灰、电石渣和脱硫石膏为主要原料,掺加少量矿化剂、黏结剂和造孔剂,采用一次低温烧成工艺,制备出具有多微孔结构的新型无机胶凝材料,并对产品性能进行了研究。采用优化配方,在预热温度为400 ℃、焙烧温度为1 220 ℃、保温时间为25 min条件下制备的多微孔胶凝材料,其吸水率为2.10%、表观密度为1.32 g/cm³,3 d抗压强度为8.56 MPa。通过XRD分析可知,合成材料的主要矿物相为硅酸钙和钙铝黄长石。材料采用工业废渣制备,集多孔性和胶凝性,可部分代替水泥和陶粒制成保温砂浆,达到环保节能的目的。     

Steam‐exploded residual softwood‐filled polypropylene composites

Residual softwood sawdust was pretreated by a steam‐explosion technique. It was used as a natural filler in polypropylene (PP)‐based composites. Dynamic mechanical analysis and tensile properties of these materials were studied. The influence of filler loading, steam‐explosion severity, and coating the fiber with a functionalized compatibilizer, such as maleic anhydryde polypropylene (MAPP), on the mechanical behavior of the composite was evaluated. The results were analyzed in relation with scanning electron microscopy observations, and surface energy (dispersive and polar components) and apparent specific area measurements. Experimental data indicate a better compatibility between MAPP‐coated fiber and PP with respect to the untreated one. The coating treatment of the softwood fiber was found to promote interfacial adhesion between both components, and to enhance the tensile properties of the resulting composite. This reinforcing effect was well predicted from theoretical calculations based on a mean field approach (Halpin‐Kardos model). The steam‐explosion pretreatment severity increased the surface energy and apparent specific surface, and resulted in a loss of the fiber entirety. The sorption behavior of these composite materials was also performed. It was found that the composites absorb more water, as the filler content is higher. MAPP coating provided protection from water uptake in the interphase region. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 1962–1977, 1999     

Quantitative characterization of interfaces in rubber–rubber blends by means of modulated‐temperature DSC

Rubber–rubber blends are used widely in industry, for example, in tire manufacture. It is often difficult to characterize interfaces in such rubber–rubber blends quantitatively because of the similarity in the chemical structure of the component rubbers. Here, a new method was suggested for the measurement of the weight fraction of the interface in rubber–rubber blends using modulated‐temperature differential scanning calorimetry (M‐TDSC). Quantitative analysis using the differential of the heat capacity, dCp/dT, versus the temperature signal from M‐TDSC allows the weight fraction of the interface to be calculated. As examples, polybutadiene rubber (BR)–natural rubber (NR), BR–styrene‐co‐butadiene rubber (SBR), SBR–NR, and nitrile rubber (NBR)–NR blend systems were analyzed. The interfacial content in these blends was obtained. SBR is partially miscible with BR. The cis‐structure content in BR has an obvious effect on the extent of mixing in the SBR–BR blends. With increasing styrene content in the SBR in the SBR–BR blends, the interface content decreases. NR is partially miscible with both BR and SBR. The NBR used in this research is essentially immiscible with NR. The maximum amount of interface was found to be at the 50:50 blend composition in BR–NR, SBR–BR, and SBR–NR systems. Quantitative analysis of interfaces in these blend systems is reported for the first time. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 1791–1798, 2000     

偶联剂对淀粉/丁苯橡胶复合材料性能的影响

采用乳液共混法制备了淀粉/丁苯橡胶(SBR)以及间苯二酚甲醛树脂(RF)改性淀粉/SBR复合材料,考察了偶联剂对2种复合材料硫化特性、力学性能的影响,并用扫描电镜观察了其相态结构。结果表明,各种偶联剂都能在一定程度上提高淀粉/SBR复合材料的拉伸强度和撕裂强度,其中γ-氨基丙基三乙氧基硅烷(KH-550)和N-β(氨基乙基)-γ-氨丙基三甲氧基硅烷(KH-792)的增强效果最为显著;采用RF对淀粉进行改性,RF改性淀粉/SBR复合材料的力学性能较之淀粉/SBR复合材料的力学性能有了进一步提高。橡胶相与淀粉相界面结合的改善是RF改性淀粉/SBR复合材料力学性能提高的主要原因。     

Thermal aging of bentonite‐filled ethylene propylene diene monomer composites

Bentonite‐filled ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM/Bt) composites were prepared using two roll mill compounding method and the effect of Bt loading on the thermal aging, swelling resistance and crosslink density of EPDM/Bt composites were studied. The effect of in situ addition of different silane coupling agents (SCAs) on the above properties at optimum Bt loading of EPDM/Bt composite was also investigated. Thermal aging test results show that the tensile strength and tensile modulus at 100% elongation (M100) increase initially for 2 days aged composites and decrease slightly after 4 days of aging, meanwhile the elongation at break (E_b) decrease gradually with aging period as compared to the unaged composites. Upon aging, swelling resistance increase initially indicating increased crosslink density of EPDM/Bt composite due to post‐curing and reduced after 4 days of aging due to crosslink destruction and EPDM chain scissioning. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 4419–4427, 2013     

Effect of nanoclay on the mechanical and damping properties of aramid short fibre‐filled styrene butadiene rubber composites

The effect of nanoclay loading on the alteration of tensile and dynamic mechanical properties of aramid short fibre‐filled styrene butadiene rubber composites was investigated. In all the composites, 20 phr of N330 black was used. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis was used to investigate the viscoelastic damping at lower dynamic strains. Compressive hysteresis was evaluated to characterize higher strain static damping properties. Matrix–fibre interaction and filler distribution were investigated using morphological analyses. Matrix–filler interface, estimated by the half height width of the tan δ peak, plays a major role in energy dissipation. The matrix–fibre interaction parameter shows a similar trend with low strain tensile stress values. Nanoclay addition to the composites leads to improved elongation at break and frequency damping properties. Compressive hysteresis reflects no improvement of hysteresis with nanoclay loading. Dynamic storage moduli, matrix–fibre interaction parameter and energy dissipation properties of the short fibre‐filled composites are negatively affected by nanoclay addition. However, ultimate elongation is improved markedly on nanoclay addition. In respect of tensile strength and elongation at break values, two composite samples (KF5NC10 and KF10NC10) offer optimum properties. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Vulcanization characteristics and mechanical properties of natural rubber–scrap rubber compositions filled with leather particles

Scrap rubber recycling combined with waste leather particles in natural rubber compounds has been studied. The effect of leather and scrap rubber loading on vulcanization characteristics of natural rubber compounds has been evaluated. The presence of leather was found to reduce the scorch time and increase the maximum and minimum torque. While reversion was not observed in the absence of leather at 150 °C, it was more prominent when leather was incorporated. Mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elongation at break, tear strength, modulus and hardness were found to increase on increasing the scrap rubber loading in the absence of leather. Compounds containing leather exhibited higher tensile strength, modulus, hardness and tear strength values but the modulus and hardness values were found to decrease as the scrap rubber loading increased. All the vulcanizates exhibited only limited swelling in different media as the swelling of one phase of the composite was found to be restricted by the other phase. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry