Physico-Mechanical Properties of Natural Rubber Vulcanizates Filled With Carbonised Agricultural Residues

Abstract

The reinforcement of rubber by fillers is of great practical and technical importance. Carbonised agricultural residues from cocoa pod husk, rubber seed shell, coconut fibre, rice husk, melon seed shell and palm kernel husk were evaluated as reinforcing fillers for natural rubber. The physico-mechanical properties such as tensile strength, stress at 100% strain, and elongation at break were measured and compared with those obtained for a vulcanizate filled with carbon black. It was found that carbonised agricultural residue  filled vulcanizate compared favourably with carbon black filled vulcanizate in terms of hardness and abrasion resistance. Consequently  the carbonised agricultural wastes can be a substitute for investigated and can replace carbon black for articles exposed only to compression.