Rigid Polyurethane Foams Modified with Ground Tire Rubber - Mechanical, Morphological and Thermal Studies

Abstract

Rigid polyurethane foams, prepared by a single step method, were modified with the two types of ground tire rubber particles, i.e. untreated and thermo-mechanically reclaimed using a co-rotating twin screw extruder. The foaming process as well as the structure and the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of the resulting foams were investigated. The presence of ground tire rubber decreased the rate of polymerization. The incorporation of ground tire rubber decreased the total crosslink density of the produced material, as confirmed by a decrease in glass transition temperature measured by dynamic mechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The temperatures associated with a 10% and 50% mass loss of foam, determined by thermogravimetric analysis, increased due to the addition of ground tire rubber particles.