Rubber Chemistry and Technology · 1995 · 52 citations · 0 references
Natural SciencesMaterials EngineeringMaterials SciencePolymer EngineeringPolymer MaterialsRheologyComposite MaterialsElastomeric PolymersFiber-reinforced CompositesPolymer AdhesionPolymer CompositesPolymer-matrix CompositesAdhesion PropertiesFiber Volume FractionFiber-matrix InteractionNatural RubberRubber SwellingShort Fiber CompositesSisal FibersSwelling
Abstract Solvent swelling of natural rubber composites, containing both untreated and acetylated short sisal fiber, has been investigated in a series of normal alkanes such as pentane, hexane, heptane and octane. The restriction on elastomer swelling exerted by sisal fiber as well as the anisotropy of swelling of the composite have been confirmed by this study. The results showed that increased fiber content and the addition of bonding agent reduced the swelling considerably. It has been demonstrated that with improved adhesion between short fiber and rubber, the factor, (V I −V F )/V I , decreases, where V I and V F are the volume fraction of rubber in dry and swollen samples, respectively.