Property enhancement of natural rubber by blending with rice husk ash and PET powder

Abstract

Rubber industry is a well-established industry with a growing demand in modern world. Rice husk ash and PET (Poly Ethylene Terephthalate) powders are gaining interest as fillers in rubber compounding. RHA filler results in improved hardness but decreased tensile strength and tear strength, lower Mooney viscosity, shorter cure time. Use of PET powder as a filler results in decrease of cross link density, tensile strength and reduced curing time. This study is conducted to analyze the property enhancement of natural rubber by introducing rice husk ash and PET powder as alternatives for carbon black. Mechanical properties, Thermal stability and morphology of the resulting samples were investigated.