Wood flour as a secondary filler in carbon black filled of styrene butadiene/chlorosulphonated polyethylene rubber blend

Abstract A study is reported which aims to identify the optimum contents of wood flour (WF) to be introduced into styrene butadiene/chlorosulphonated polyethylene (SBR/CSM) rubber blend compounded with carbon black. A range of composite properties are considered including cure characteristics and mechanical properties, as well as the adhesion strength (rubber‐to‐metal bonding) behavior. Processing characteristic such as maximum torque increases with increasing of the concentration of WF up to 40 phr in SBR/CSM blend, whereas the scorch time and optimum cure time decreases. Results indicated that the tensile strength and tensile modulus, as well as shore hardness of the SBR/CSM composite in which SBR is predominant, increase in a compliance with the increase of WF. Adhesion strength value on peel between metal and WF filled SBR/CSM rubber blend increases when the filling level increases and the maximum value were observed at 40 phr of WF. The enhancement in mechanical properties was supported by data of crosslink density in these samples obtained from swelling measurement. Addition of WF was recommended as an economical and ecological benefit to industries as the properties of the rubber/carbon black composites remained unchanged with increasing WF content. POLYM. COMPOS., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers.