Optimal Parameter Design by Taguchi Method for Mechanical Properties of NBR/PVC Nanocomposites

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)/organoclay(Cloisite 30B) nanocomposites have been prepared via direct melt mixing in aninternal mixer. The application of Taguchi method for reducing cost andimproving properties in NBR/PVC nanocomposites is reported. Processing parameterssuch as temperature, rotor speed and mixing time have been verified in relation to themechanical properties of nanocomposites. The relative magnitude of each specificfactor, interactions between all possible combinations of two factors and theperformance estimation at any arbitary condition are also determinded. Theexperimental data are compared with the estimated data obtained by Taguchi methodto examine the accurancy of the predicted values. The structures of nanocompositeshave been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and smallamplitude oscillatory shear rheometry. X-Ray diffraction results show that theinterlayer spacing is significantly influenced by processing conditions. The study oflinear viscoelastic properties shows that storage modulus (G') and complex viscosity,|η*|, are very sensitive to the microstructure of the nanocomposite. Dynamicalmechanical analysis of NBR/PVC nanocomposite samples has been investigated aswell. The results confirm that the Taguchi method is a useful tool for estimating themechanical properties of NBR/PVC nanocomposites.