Investigation of Physical and Mechanical Properties of Rubbers Reinforced by Carbon Nanostructured Components

Abstract

The work presents investigation results of physical and mechanical properties of rubber mixtures based on SKI-3 and SKS-30-ARKM-15 rubbers reinforced with hybrid filler carbon black/carbon nanotubes (CB/CNT). Elasticity, hardness and strength were measured according to standard procedures presented in GOST. The content of the carbon nanotubes in rubber mixtures was 0,5 wt. %. parts per 100 wt. parts of rubber. According to experiments, it was found that the introduction of CB/CNT masterbatches into the structure of both investigated rubbers reduces their elasticity and increases Shore A hardness. During uniaxial tension of the tested rubbers, it was found that the presence of the nanostructured CB/CNT filler in the rubber structure leads to an increase in the nominal strength for SKI-3-based rubber by 19,6 %, and on SKS-30-ARKM-15 by 22,5 %. Therefore, the use of CB/CNT nanostructures as a rubber filler is a promising method of improving rubber performance characteristics.