Tailoring of performance characteristics of green tyre tread formulation using thermally exfoliated graphite/ carbon black binary filler system via scalable and competent method

Abstract

The present study is proposing an eco-friendly, green tyre tread formulation possessing excellent output properties in terms of abrasion resistance, mechanical, rolling resistance and heat buildup properties. A standard formulation was prepared with a nominal amount of carbon black (CB) filler and tried to reduce the filler loading to a minimum value without compromising the performance characteristics. The simultaneous reduction in aromatic oil content also tried to make the formulation eco-friendly. To compensate for the effect of changes in the formulation a binary hybrid filler system was prepared by the partial replacement of CB using graphite. To ensure the maximum dispersion, a filler masterbatch of graphite was prepared within natural rubber matrix (NR) as (50/50) composition and incorporated into the compound master batch. The effect of thermal exfoliation of graphite on the dispersion thereby the performance of the composite was also analyzed. The graphite was thermally treated for a sudden thermal shock for 15 minutes at various temperatures ranging from 400–550 ˚C. Rolling resistance and heat build-up were recorded 45% and 53% reduction respectively for the formulations with thermally exfoliated graphite in comparison with the standard formulation. Abrasion resistance showed 18% improvement and significant improvement in mechanical and thermal properties are also reported.