Synergistic Effects of Expanded Nanoclay and Carbon Black on Natural Rubber Compounds

This paper demonstrates the successful use of nanoclay in a model truck tire formulation and reports the comparison of mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties for a number of natural rubber composites based on carbon black and organoclay. We find that stearic acid modified organoclay seems to dominate reinforcing capabilities as compared with unmodified organoclay. It is also found that the model truck tire compounds can be formulated with 40% less fossil fuel resources without sacrificing various properties. It is also shown that the truck tire formulation made with hybrid fillers offers better rolling resistance performance as compared with a conventional standard compound.