Carbon black and high performance silica have been widely employed as binary system filler in tire tread formulations. This study evaluated the total and partial substitution of silica by metakaolin (MK) on the properties of tread rubber composites. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and abrasion tests were conducted as typical assessments of tire tread performance: rolling resistance (fuel consumption), wet traction (safety), and abrasion (durability). Further the energy spent by the equipment during the processing of formulations was also analyzed, as well as rheological and mechanical properties. A significant reduction of rolling resistance was obtained with 75% and 100% of silica substitution by MK, which could lead to lower heat buildup in tire tread applications, without showing negative effects on wet traction, although abrasion showed undesired results. The substitution of silica by MK also lowered energy demanded for processing. No major changes were observed in vulcanization parameters and mechanical properties, which is interesting considering the fact that MK is nonreinforce filler.
Biodiesel has been considered a suitable substitute for petroleum diesel, but their chemical composition differs greatly. For this reason, biodiesel interacts differently than petroleum diesel with various materials, including rubbers. Therefore, the resistance of some elastomers should be thoroughly evaluated, specifically those which are commonly used in automotive industry. Nitrile rubber (NBR) is widely used to produce vehicular parts that are constantly in contact with fuels. This paper aimed to assess the resistance of carboxylated nitrile rubber (XNBR) with 28% of acrylonitrile content to soybean biodiesel in comparison with non-carboxylated nitrile rubber samples, with high and medium acrylonitrile content (33 and 45%). NBR with medium acrylonitrile content showed little resistance to biodiesel. However, carboxylated nitrile rubber even with low acrylonitrile content had similar performance to NBR with high acrylonitrile content.
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