The cure and tensile properties of montmorillonite-natural rubber composites in the incorporation of alkanolamide

Effects of alkanolamide incorporation on cure and tensile properties of montmorillonite (MMT)-natural rubber (NR) composites were studied. The material of alkanolamide was synthesized from the waste of cooking oil production which was used as a rubber additive and incorporated into the NR compounds at 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 parts per hundred rubber (phr.). From the results, the alkanolamide decreased the times to scorch and cure but increased elongation at break. It was also found that the alkanolamide improved difference in torque, tensile strength and tensile moduli up to a five phr. of alkanolamide and decreased those properties with further increasing the alkanolamide loading. From the swelling test; the five phr. of alkanolamide loading was the optimum loading which causing the highest density of crosslink of the MMT composite of NR.