Rice husk silica as a sustainable filler in the tire industry

In this paper, we studied commercially available precipitated rice husk silica (RHS) with conventional precipitated silica, which has nearly the same surface area, and replaced part of the carbon black with RHS and conventional silica in a basic tread formulation. All formulations were mixed with the same amount of filler during the study. Silica was used at 15, 30 and 50 phr loading, and part of the carbon black was replaced by silica. Compound curing characteristics, physical properties, rebound resilience, heat generation, abrasion loss, dynamic properties and morphology were analyzed. The results indicated that RHS demonstrated compound properties comparable to those of conventional silica. As part of the carbon black was replaced with conventional silica, a slower cure rate, higher rebound resilience, lower heat generation, lower abrasion loss, and lower tan delta were observed with no significant change in physical properties, but some changes in physical properties were observed using one way ANOVA analysis. We found the same trend when replacing part of the carbon black with RHS, such as a slower cure rate, higher rebound resilience, lower heat generation, lower abrasion loss, and lower tan delta with no significant change in physical properties, but some changes in physical properties were observed using one way ANOVA. This sustainable material could be used to replace conventional silica in tire compounding, as well as to replace a portion of carbon black with RHS for improved heat build-up, rolling resistance, and abrasion loss.     

The deformation and fracture of balloons

Inflation of balloons provides a straightforward way of achieving large biaxial deformations. Previous studies have shown that when a balloon bursts, crack propagation occurs at very high speed – much higher than would be expected from the low strain modulus and elastic wave velocity of the rubber. The present paper is concerned with studies of the deformation and fracture of cylindrical balloons. On inflation, the deformations of such a balloon pass through an unstable region but subsequently increase monotonically with pressure. In this relatively high pressure region, the ratio of the longitudinal and circumferential extension ratios is broadly in accord with expectations from high-strain elasticity theory when the ratio of the corresponding stresses is taken into account. On bursting, crack speeds up to around 300 m/s in this region. It is shown that these speeds are in accord with large increase in incremental moduli for the highly-strained rubber. Marked changes in crack tip profile observed at very high crack speeds are consistent with control of the rate of growth by inertia rather than by the viscoelastic properties of the rubber (as is believed to be the case at lower speeds). Consistent with this, various elastomers having different glass transition temperatures show similar crack growth behaviour in the very high speed region.     

A novel specimen for investigating the mechanical behavior of elastomers under multiaxial loading conditions

In this paper we describe the design and manufacture of an axial-torsion test specimen, and provide relationships needed when conducting stress-strain characterization experiments with the specimen. The specimen is a short hollow cylinder of rubber bonded between two steel mounting rings, in which simultaneous axial and shear strains are produced via independently controlled axial and twist displacements. We present calculations for the strain-displacement and stress-load relationships, and strain energy density. These relationships have been established and validated via a combination of analytical and experimental techniques, and finite element analysis. We have investigated the extent and effects of strain and stress field non-uniformity in the test specimen. The specimen design is sufficiently simple that a closed-form expression for the strain-displacement relationship has been successfully developed.     

On the dynamic electromechanical loading of dielectric elastomer membranes

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) have received considerable attention recently due to large voltage-induced strains, which can be over 100%. Previously, a large deformation quasi-static model that describes the out-of-plane deformations of clamped diaphragms was derived. The numerical model results compare well with quasi-static experimental results for the same configuration. With relevance to dynamic applications, the time-varying response of initially planar dielectric elastomer membranes configured for out-of-plane deformations has not been reported until now. In this paper, an experimental investigation and analysis of the dynamic response of a dielectric elastomer membrane is reported. The experiments were conducted with prestretched DEAs fabricated from 0.5 mm thick polyacrylate films and carbon grease electrodes. The experiments covered the electromechanical spectrum by investigating membrane response due to (i) a time-varying voltage input and (ii) a time-varying pressure input, resulting in a combined electromechanical loading state in both cases. For the time-varying voltage experiments, the membrane had a prestretch of three and was passively inflated to various predetermined states, and then actuated. The pole strains incurred during the inflation were as high as 25.6%, corresponding to slightly less than a hemispherical state. On actuation, the membrane would inflate further, causing a maximum additional strain of 9.5%. For the time-varying pressure experiments, the prestretched membrane was inflated and deflated mechanically while a constant voltage was applied. The membrane was cycled between various predetermined inflation states, the largest of which was nearly hemispherical, which with an applied constant voltage of 3 kV corresponded to a maximum polar strain of 28%. The results from these experiments reveal that the response of the membrane is a departure from the classical dynamic response of continuum membrane structures. The dynamic response of the membrane is that of a damped system with specific deformation shapes reminiscent of the classical membrane mode shapes but without same-phase oscillation, that is to say all parts of the system do not pass through the equilibrium configuration at the same time. Of particular interest is the ability to excite these deformations through a varying electrical load at constant mechanical pressure.     

橡胶高弹性大形变的唯象理论

通过简单的假定,由纯粹的数学论证推导出橡胶高弹性的储能函数公式,在橡胶大形变时,公式比统计理论的更能反映客观实际。     

橡胶增韧环氧树脂机理的研究

本文研究了固化剂种类、环氧基体平均网链长度和分散相与基体间键合情况对体系韧性等的影响.结果说明,基体平均网链长度是一个更为重要的影响因素.分散相与基体间的化学键合也是重要的.文中对橡胶增韧环氧树脂的机理提出了见解.在交联密度较低的材料中,在橡胶颗粒附近叠加的应力场诱发下发生纵深度较大的断裂过程.分散相与基体间的化学键合增大该应力场强度有利于加大断裂过程区.     

Mechanical properties of SBR-networks: I. Determination of crosslink densities by stress-strain-measurements

The tube model is applied for the treatment of stress-strain measurements on SBR networks. It is shown that this theory allows the separation of crosslink and constraint contributions to the stress-strain behavior and, also, a reliable determination of crosslink densities. The consideration of dynamical contributions is discussed and a special numerical method is developed.     

Phase separation behavior of epoxy resin modified with crosslinked rubber

Low molecular weight liquid rubber (ATBN = amine terminated butadiene acrylonitrile copolymer or CTBN = carboxyl terminated butadiene acrylonitrile copolymer)–DGEBA (diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A) blends indicated upper critical solution temperature (UCST) behavior. The phase separation behavior of the neat and crosslinked rubber (ATBN, CTBN)–epoxy blends was analyzed by a laser light scattering experiment. Lauryl peroxide (LPO) was employed to crosslink the rubber during the initial annealing stage. The onset point of the phase separation in the crosslinked ATBN–epoxy system occurred later than in the case of the neat ATBN–epoxy system. However, the onset point of the phase separation process started earlier in the case of the crosslinked CTBN–epoxy system. The domain correlation length of the crosslinked rubber-added system was smaller than that of the neat rubber-added system.     

Finite extensibility and orientational effects in rubbers. A physical interpretation of the ‘van der Waals equation’ for the elastic force

We propose a physical interpretation of the so-called van der Waals equation of state for rubbers, which gives a relation between the force and the deformation. On a phenomenological basis this equation takes the finite extensibility and a non-defined interaction into account. Here the fininte extensibility is discussed for the dilute case (no entanglements) and the highly entangled limit. The intramolecular interactions are described by orientational effects. The resulting equation of state for the force shows the same features as the van der Waals equation.Dedicated to Prof. H.-G. Kilian on the occasion of his 60th birthday.     

橡胶中简单剪切与纯剪切的关系

研究了简单剪切与纯剪切的关系，得出了：（１）简单剪切可看成纯剪切加转动，转动角θ有；（２）若简单剪切椭圆的长轴与坐标轴Ｘ的夹角为φ，相应的纯剪椭圆长袖与坐标轴ｙ的夹角为β０，则φ＝β０；（３）橡胶在双向拉伸时剪应变γ的一般表达式为，对简单剪切而言即为