Influence of Filler System on the Cure Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Butyl Reclaimed Rubber

This research aimed to elucidate the effect of black and non-black filler systems on the cure characteristics and mechanical properties of butyl reclaimed rubber (BRR). In this study, BRR800 was the BRR investigated. Since reclaimed rubber is not entirely 100% rubber, actually being a mixture of rubber, carbon black, oil, zinc oxide, stearic acid and other compounding ingredients used in the original compounds, the reclaimed rubber content in each system was fixed at 161 parts per hundred (pphr). Each mixture was mixed using a two-roll mill. The fillers used in this study were carbon black and calcium carbonate. The Mooney viscosity, cure characteristics, crosslink density, and mechanical properties, such as hardness, abrasion resistance, compression set, tear strength, rebound resilience, and the tensile properties of the vulcanizates were investigated. The results showed that the Mooney viscosity of BRR800 filled with carbon black was increased effectively and had a faster curing time and higher crosslink density than BRR filled with calcium carbonate. In addition, except for compression set and elongation at break, the mechanical properties of BRR800 with a black filler system were higher than those of BRR800 with a non-black filler system.