Effect of carbon black content on the swelling of elastomers in solvent in the presence of static mechanical loading

Abstract

The effect of carbon black on the mechanical properties of elastomers is of great interest because filler is one of the necessity items for manufacturing of rubber products. While fillers can be used to enhance the properties of elastomers, it is known that filler yields to significant inelastic responses such as stress-softening, hysteresis and permanent set. Moreover, under tensile loading, the filler acts as a strain amplifier in the rubber matrix resulting in a higher local strain state in the matrix as compared to the applied macroscopic strain. The study of the effect of carbon black content on the swelling characteristics of elastomeric components undergoing mechanical loading and simultaneously exposed to aggressive solvent is a prerequisite for durability analysis. The present study investigates the effect of carbon black content on the swelling of elastomers in solvent in the absence and in the presence of static tensile loadings.

Keywords:

• Elastomers
• Swelling
• Carbon black
• Mechanical loading

Acknowledgements

The authors greatly appreciate the financial support of the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia through High Impact Research Grant MOHE-HIR D000008-16001 and by the Institute of Research Management and Consultancy, University of Malaya (UM) under the IPPP Fund Project No.: PV028/2011A.