A simple theory of filler reinforcement in elastomers subjected to shear

Abstract

Abstract The effects of a filler in an elastomer can be described by means of a theory based on a simple model in which the filler particles are assumed to be of uniform size, of cubic shape, and dispersed in such a manner as to occupy the points of a cubic space lattice. For the case of shear deformation, simple relations can be derived for the increase in the storage modulus G ' and the loss modulus, G ″ of the bulk material with an increase in filler content. Furthermore, the theory predicts the temperature shift of two points which can be easily determined experimentally: the inflection point of G ' and the maximum of G ″.