Properties of Natural Rubber Filled Separately With Carbon, Black Silica Gel and Spent Plastics

B. F. Adeosun and P. A. Oyewusi

Science Technology Department Federal Polytechnic, P.M.B. - 535, Ado-Ekiti (Nigeria)

The mechanical, rheological, thermal and eletrical properties of natural rubber filled separately with (5, 10, 15, 20, 25) pphr of carbon black, silica gel and spent plastics have been examined. Results show that the tensile strength and modulus of vulcanizates follow the increased trend silica gel, dpent plastics and carbon black while thermal and electrical conductivities follow the increasing trend carbon black, silica gel and spent plastics. Results suggest that though spent plasticss and silica gel vulcanizates are inferior to carbon black vulcanizates in mechanical (tensile strength and modulus) and rheological (cure time and crosslink density) properties they (spent plastics and silica gel vulcanizates) are better conductive polymers thant the carbon black vulcanizates used in this work.

Carbon black; silica gel; spent plastics; thermal and conductivity; mechanical properties; rheological properties