• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.179-190
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• 2023

The effect of the particle size and silica structure on the wear behavior of Silica/Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR) compounds was investigated using a blade-type abrader and the findings were compared with those obtained with an Akron abrader. The compensated characteristic parameter (Ψ_c), which was the contributory factor of the combined effect of the particle size and filler structure, was introduced. This parameter was found to exhibit a linear relationship with the Young's modulus. The Young's modulus correlated more with Ψ_c than the uncompensated characteristic parameter (Ψ) modeled for carbon black. The wear rate and volume loss measured using a blade-type abrader and Akron abrader were respectively observed to be inversely proportional to Ψ_c, that is, the wear resistance of Silica/SBR compound improved as the particle size became smaller and the silica structure became intricate. The coefficient of determination (R²) obtained from the linear relationship between Ψ_c and wear rate was higher than those between Ψ_c and volume loss for the Silica/SBR compound. Thus, the blade-type abrader exhibited high potential to be used for accurately evaluating the effect of particle size and structural properties of silica on the wear behavior of SBR compounds.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.51-63
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• 2024

Polypropylene (PP) is a commodity plastic that is widely used owing to its cost-effectiveness, lightweight nature, easy processability, and outstanding chemical and thermomechanical characteristics. However, the imperative to address energy and environmental crises has spurred global initiatives toward a circular economy, necessitating sustainable alternatives to traditional fossil-fuel-derived plastics. In this study, we conducted a series of comparative investigations of bio-based polypropylene (bio-PP) blends with current PP of the same and different grades. An extrusion-based processing methodology was employed for the bio-PP composites. Talc was used as an active filler for the preparation of the composites. A comparative analysis with the current petroleum-based PP indicated that the thermal properties and tensile characteristics of the bio-PP blends and composites remained largely unaltered, signifying the feasibility of bio-PP as a potential substitute for the current PP. To achieve a higher Young's modulus, elongation at break (EAB), and melt flow index (MFI), we prepared different composites of PP of different grades and bio-PP with varying talc contents. Interestingly, at higher biomass contents, the composites exhibited higher MFI and EAB values with comparable Young's moduli. Notably, the impact strengths of the composites with various biomass and talc contents remained unaltered. In-depth investigations through surface analysis confirmed the uniform dispersion of talc within the composite matrix. Furthermore, the moldability of the bio-PP composites was substantiated by comprehensive rheological property assessments encompassing shear rate and shear viscosity. Thus, from these outcomes, the fabricated bio-PP-based composites could be an alternative to petroleum-based PP composites for sustainable automobile applications.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.73-81
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• 2024

In the field of electronic components, the potting material, which is a part of the electronic circuit package, plays a significant role in protecting circuits from the external environment and reducing signal interference among electronic devices during operation. This significantly affects the reliability of the components. Therefore, the accurate prediction and assessment of the lifespan of a material are of paramount importance in the electronics industry. We conducted an accelerated thermal aging evaluation using the Arrhenius technique on elastic potting material developed in-house, focusing on its insulation, waterproofing, and contraction properties. Through a comprehensive analysis of these properties and their interrelations, we confirmed the primary factors influencing molding material failure, as increased hardness is related to aggregation, adhesion, and post-hardening or thermal-aging-induced contraction. Furthermore, when plotting failure times against temperature, we observed that the hardness, adhesive strength, and water absorption rate were the predominant factors up to 120 ℃. Beyond this temperature, the tensile properties were the primary contributing factors. In contrast, the dielectric constant and loss tangent, which are vital for reducing signal interference in electric devices, exhibited positive changes(decreases) with aging and could be excluded as failure factors. Our findings establish valuable correlations between physical properties and techniques for the accurate prediction of failure time, with broad implications for future product lifespans. This study is particularly advantageous for advancing elastic potting materials to satisfy the stringent requirements of reliable environments.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.64-72
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• 2024

As air pollution continues to increase owing to increasing traffic centered in urban areas, the tire industry is researching methods to reduce particulate matter. In this study, functionalized lithium butadiene rubber (F-LiBR) was applied to a natural rubber (NR)/butadiene rubber (BR) blend compound often used in truck bus radial (TBR) tire treads. The effect of the functional group that can react with carbon black (CB) in BR was investigated in terms of the dispersion of CB and the compound performance, including the generation of particulate matter. Compounds that were substituted with F-LiBR exhibited enhanced interaction with CB, resulting in excellent filler dispersion. Although F-LiBR exhibited lower crosslinking density and inferior abrasion resistance due to its high vinyl content, the compound with 30 phr of F-LiBR was advantageous in terms of its rolling resistance due to the excellent filler dispersion, which was also effective in reducing the amount of generated particulate matter (up to 56% reduction for PM_2.5, and 67% reduction for PM₁₀). The results confirmed the benefits of the introduction of functional groups into TBR tire tread compounds, which can aid in improving the fuel efficiency and reducing particulate matter generation.

• Composites Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.192-198
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• 2021

Due to enormous market growing of electric vehicles without combustion engine, reducing unwanted BSR (buzz, squeak, and rattle) noise is highly demanded for vehicle quality and performance. Particularly, innerbelt weatherstrips which not only block wind noise, rain, and dust from outside, but also reduce noise and vibration of door glass and vehicle are required to exhibit high damping properties for improved BSR performance of the vehicle. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs), which can be recycled and have lighter weight than thermoset elastomers, are receiving much attention for weatherstrip material, but TPEs exhibit low material damping and compression set causing frictional noise and vibration between the door glass and the weatherstrip. In this study, high damping EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene monomer)/PP (polypropylene) thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV) were investigated by varying EPDM/PP ratio and ENB (ethylidene norbornene) fraction in EPDM. Viscoelastic properties of TPV materials were characterized by assuming that the material damping is directly related to the viscoelasticity. The optimum material damping factor (tanδ peak 0.611) was achieved with low PP ratio (14 wt%) and high ENB fraction (8.9 wt%), which was increased by 140% compared to the reference (tanδ 0.254). The improved damping is believed due to high fraction of flexible EPDM chains and higher interfacial slippage area of EPDM particles generated by increasing ENB fraction in EPDM. The stick-slip test was conducted to characterize frictional noise and vibration of the TPV weatherstrip. With improved TPV material damping, the acceleration peak of frictional vibration decreased by about 57.9%. This finding can not only improve BSR performance of electric vehicles by designing material damping of weatherstrips but also contribute to various structural applications such as urban air mobility or aircrafts, which require lightweight and high damping properties.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.46-52
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• 2000

Miscibility improvement between polypropylene(PP) and ethylene-propylene-diene-terpolymer (EPDM) was studied by introducing specific interaction into both polymers. PP was modified by grafting maleic anhydride(MAH) onto backbone, leading to MAH-grafted PP(PP-g-MAH). Sulfonated EPDM ionomer neutralized with bivalent zinc cation(ZnSEPDM) was used as one component. The blends of PP-g-MAH and ZnSEPDM were prepared at $200^{\circ}C$ in Brabender Roller Mixer. Fourier transform-infrared(FT-IR) spectroscopic and dynamic mechanical studies have been performed to investigate the miscibility. FT-IR spectral peak corresponding to carbonyl group in PP-g-MAH and that to sulfonate group in ZnSEPDM were shifted to lower and higher frequency with increasing ZnSEPDM content, respectively, in the blends. Glass transition temperature of ZnSEPDM was increased up to 70wt.% of ZnSEPDM, and again decreased above 70wt.%. It can be concluded from the shift of FT-IR characteristic peaks and the changes of glass transition temperatures that the miscibility between PP and EPDM was improved via introducing specific interaction, i.e., dipole-ion interaction.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.117-123
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• 2015

In order to develop stretchable substrate technology for stretchable devices, locally stiffness-variant stretchable substrates were processed with two polydimethylsiloxane elastomers of different stiffnesses and their deformation behavior was characterized. Low-stiffness substrate matrix and embedded high-stiffness island of the stretchable substrate were formed by using Dragon Skin 10 of the elastic modulus of 0.09 MPa and Sylgard 184 of the elastic modulus of 2.15 MPa, respectively. A stretchable substrate was fabricated to a configuration of 6.5 cm length, 0.4 cm thickness, and 2.5 cm width. The elastic modulus of a stretchable substrate was increased from 0.09 MPa to 0.13~0.33 MPa by embedding a Sylgard 184 island of 1 cm width and 1~6 cm length into the center part of the Dragon Skin 10 substrate matrix. The elastic modulus of a stretchable substrate was improved to 0.16~0.2 MPa by embedding a Sylgard 184 island of 4 cm length and 0.5~1.5 cm width and to 0.1421~0.154 MPa by embedding a Sylgard 184 island of 2 cm length and 0.5~1.5 cm width. With increasing the tensile strain of a stretchable substrate, deformation restriction of the locally stiffness-variant Sylgard 184 island was further enhanced due to substantial increase in the strength difference between Sylgard 184 and Dragon 10 at large strain.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.91-98
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• 2015

In order to apply to stretchable electronics packaging, locally stiffness-variant stretchable substrates consisting of island structure were fabricated by combining two polydimethylsiloxane elastomers of different stiffnesses and their elastic moduli were characterized as a function of the width of the high-stiffness island. The low-stiffness substrate matrix and the embedded high-stiffness island of the stretchable substrate were formed by using Dragon Skin 10 of the elastic modulus of 0.09 MPa and Sylgard 184 of the elastic modulus of 2.15 MPa, respectively. A stretchable substrate was fabricated to be a configuration of 6.5-cm length, 0.4-cm thickness, and 2.5-cm width, in which a high-stiffness Sylgard 184 island, of 4-cm length, 0.2-cm thickness, and 0.5~1.5-cm width, was embedded. The elastic modulus of a stretchable substrate was increased from 0.09 MPa to 0.16 MPa by incorporating the Sylgard 184 island of 0.5-cm width to Dragon Skin 10 substrate matrix. The elastic modulus was further improved to 0.18 MPa and 0.2 MPa with increasing the Sylgard 184 island width to 1.0 cm and 1.5 cm, which were in good agreement with values estimated by combining the Voigt structure of isostrain and the Reuss structure of isostress.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.670-675
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• 2016

Both melting temperature and enthalpy of MBCA/DMTDA mixtures were measured as a function of DMTDA compositions using DSC. The thermal properties of polyurethane elastomer samples prepared with MBCA, DMTDA, and 40/60 MBCA/DMTDA mixture as curing agents were also observed using TGA. MBCA and DMTDA showed good miscibility over the entire composition range, exhibiting individual DSC melting peaks. Peak temperatures were non-linearly reduced as DMTDA concentrations increased, being approximately $60^{\circ}C$ in the case of the 40/60 MBCA/DMTDA mixture. Furthermore, melting enthalpy of the mixture was calculated as 3.8 J/g, which was only 4.3% compared to 87.3 J/g of MBCA. Based on these results, crystallization of the mixture was considered to occur very slowly, and the fluidic gel-state of the mixture was visually confirmed to be maintained over 5 days at room temperature. Thermal decomposition of polyurethane elastomer prepared with 40/60 MBCA/DMTDA curative started at about $190^{\circ}C$, which is similar to that observed for DMTDA, only except decomposition behavior over higher temperature of $400^{\circ}C$.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.271-280
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• 2008

Aromatic polyhydroxyamides (PHAs) having bulky groups and ether linkages in the polymer main chain were synthesized by the low temperature solution polycondensation reaction. FT-IR, $^{1}H-NMR$, DSC, and TGA were used to study the properties of these polymers. The PHAs were converted into polybenzoxazoles (PBOs) by a thermal cyclization reaction, and endothermic peaks were observed in the range of $220{\sim}400^{\circ}C$. The introduction of the ether and bulky groups in the main chain improved the solubility of the PHAs in aprotic solvents such as DMSO and DMF, but the PBOs were nearly insoluble in common solvents. All the PBOs, except for PBO 5 with 2,6-dimethylphenoxy pendant and 2,3-dihydroxyquinoxaline ring, and PBO 6 with 2,6-dimethylphenoxy pendant and 2,3-dihydroxyquinoxaline ring, exhibited $T_g's$ in the range from 149 to $217^{\circ}C$ by DSC. The thermogravimetric analyses indicated that most of the PBOs were thermally stable up to $400^{\circ}C$ in nitrogen. Maximum weight loss temperatures of PHA 5 and PBO 5 with 2,6-dimethylphenoxy pendant and 2,3-dihydroxyquinoxaline ring were $707^{\circ}C$ and $683^{\circ}C$, respectively, which were the hightest temperatures among the corresponding copolymers. The PBOs in nitrogen exhibited relatively high char yields in the range of $63{\sim}70%$ at $900^{\circ}C$.