Influence of highly dispersible silica filler on the physical properties, tearing energy, and abrasion resistance of tire tread compound

Abstract

ABSTRACT Rubber industry is facing a stiff challenge in the years to come. There are rising price for fossil fuel and shortage of resources. There is more stringent legislation to protect the environment and reduce the emission. Filler plays an important role in imparting useful properties to rubber products. In this article, the effects of new generation filler, on the physical properties, tearing energy, and abrasion resistance were investigated. The new generation filler, highly dispersible silica, has a dibutyl phthalate (DBP) absorption value of more than 180cc 100 g −1 , more branched structure and relatively higher amount of small aggregates. Four different loadings of silica (up to 45 phr) were investigated. With increasing filler loading, the tensile strength and modulus at 300% elongation increased and the elongation‐at‐break decreased. The rebound resilience decreased and tan delta value improved with increasing silica content. The abradability continuously decreased with concomitant increase in the side coefficient force. The fatigue resistance was found to be better at higher silica loading. The silica particles due to its surface structure helps in crack arresting. The abradibility was related to tearing energy, loss modulus, and breaking energy. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136 , 47560.