Comparative study of engineering properties using natural rubber (NR) and specialty rubber reinforced biocomposite material

Abstract

ENR-25, ENR-50, deproteinized natural rubber (DPNR) and NR rubber compounds were developed in this research. A comparative study was carried out to determine the rheological properties, mechanical and dynamic behaviour of the compounds. Oil palm fibre (OPF) and eggshell powder (ESP) were incorporated as hybrid biofillers with a ratio of 10/30 due to its superior findings[1]. The ENR and DPNR compounds showed lower curing time and scorch time than NR indicating their improved processibility performance. NR resulted in the highest hardness, tensile strength and compression set as expected. The performance of ENR is found to deteriorate as the mol% expoxide increases. However, DPNR obtained some comparable mechanical properties with NR. A double shear test was also conducted to study the dynamic behaviour of the compounds. The vibration profile, dynamic stiffness, loss angle and damping ratio are reported. It was observed that ENR-25, DPNR and NR presented similar dynamic behaviour trends as opposed to ENR-50. In addition, ENR-25 and DPNR tend to perform well when subjected to high frequencies. Thermogravimetric analysis observed in OPF suggested that modifications can be done to improve its thermal stability that affects the OPF and rubber adhesion. The experimental results showed promising potential for ENR-25 and DPNR to be utilized in future developments along with the current NR.