Effect of filler loading on cure time and swelling behaviour of SMR L/ENR 25 and SMR L/SBR blends

The effect of filler loading on the cure time (t₉₀) and swelling behaviour of SMR L/ENR 25 and SMR L/SBR blends has been studied. Carbon black (N330), silica (Vulcasil C) and calcium carbonate were used as fillers and the loading range was from 0 to 40 phr. Results show that for SMR L/ENR 25 blends the cure time decreases with increasing carbon black loading, whereas silica shows an increasing trend, and calcium carbonate does not show significant changes. For SMR L/SBR blends, the cure time of carbon black, silica and calcium carbonate generally decreases with increasing filler loading. The percentage swelling in toluene and ASTM oil no 3 decreases for both blends with increasing filler loading, with calcium carbonate giving the highest value, followed by silica‐ and carbon black‐filled blends. At a fixed filler loading, SMR L/ENR 25 blend shows a lower percentage swelling than SMR L/SBR blends. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry