Optimization of properties in a rubber compound containing a ternary polymer blend using response surface methodology

SALVATORI, PABLO E.; SÁNCHEZ, GASTÓN; LOMBARDI, ALDO; NICOCIA, ESTEBAN; BORTOLATO, SANTIAGO A.; BOSCHETTI, CARLOS E.

JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE

JOHN WILEY & SONS INC

Año: 2018 vol. 135

0021-8995

In order to find the best combination of three synthetic rubbers, i.e., styrene-butadiene rubber grade 1712, styrene-butadiene rubber grade 1721 and high-1,4-cis polybutadiene, that produce a compound with specific end-use properties, a statistical experimental design is proposed in this work. The design consists of ten mixtures containing specific amounts of total styrene and polybutadiene rubber content. A number of properties are tested in each mixture, selecting those related to requirements for the tread of a high performance tire: glass transition temperature (Tg), the ratio between the viscous modulus and the elastic modulus (tanδ@60°C), Mooney Viscosity and the tensile properties. The values obtained for each property are fit to statistically significant models, obtaining the respective response surfaces. These are next used to define a desirable formulation with the optimal ratio of each rubber, and finally the optimized formulation is validated by comparing the experimental and predicted values for each modeled property.