An Investigation on Rheological Behavior of the PVC/NBR/Nanoclay Nanocomposites by Torque Rheometry: The Effects of Formulation Variables Using Response Surface Approach

In this work, torque rheometry was employed to evaluate rheological properties of the PVC/NBR blends containing nanoclay. In this way, the individual and interactive effects of formulation parameters including type and content of nanoclay (NC) and also NBR content were studied using response surface approach. Furthermore, the experimental data were analyzed using ANOVA and consequently, models were presented to predict the rheological characteristics. There are good agreement between predicted responses and experimental data. The results of individual effects revealed that NBR and NC contents are the most and less important parameters, respectively. Also, interactive effects of NC type and rubber content were the most important one among others. Since processability of the PVC/NBR/nanoclay compounds was comprehensively investigated, the findings of this research could be useful from industrial point of view.