Dynamic mechanical analysis of nylon 6 fiber-reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene rubber composites

Dynamic mechanical properties of polymeric materials are of direct relevance to a range of unique polymer applications. The aim of the study is to investigate the dynamic mechanical properties of composites of short nylon 6 fiber with acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR). The storage modulus (G′), loss modulus (G″), and the damping factor (tan δ) have been analyzed with reference to the effects of fiber loading, curing systems, and bonding agents over a range of temperature and at varying frequencies. The storage modulus increases with increment in fiber loading, whereas loss modulus and damping factor decrease. The glass transition temperature shifts to higher temperature upon increment in fiber loading. Dicumyl peroxide (DCP)–cured composites show higher storage modulus and lower damping than the corresponding sulfur-cured one. The addition of hexa-resorcinol and phthalic anhydride as bonding agents enhances the dynamic mechanical properties of the composites. The experimental results have been evaluated by comparing with Einstein, Guth, and Nielsen models.

Effect of a Natural Processing Aid on the Properties of Acrylonitrile-Butadiene Rubber: Study on Soybean Oil Fatty Acid from Seed Crop

For the industrial production of rubber, one of the key ingredients is a processing aid. It not only facilitates the processability but also tunes the final properties of the resultant rubber. In general, for a polar rubber like acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR), the processing aids earning the most attention are synthesized from petroleum, such as dioctyl phthalate (DOP). However, due to their toxicity, many rubber chemists have tried to find alternative chemicals that are environmentally friendly and derived from a renewable resource. In this research, we investigated the effects of the soybean oil fatty acid (SBOFA), synthesized in house via hydrolysis of SBO, on the properties of NBR in comparison with DOP. Initially, it was found that the addition of SBOFA improved the flowability of the NBR compound, as indicated by the progressive decrease in the Mooney viscosity with increasing levels of SBOFA. The results from various techniques indicated that the crosslink density of the NBR vulcanizates passed through the maximum at the SBOFA loading of 4 phr. Upon loading SBOFA up to 4 phr, there was no significant deterioration in the mechanical strength of the SBOFA-plasticized NBR vulcanizates. Typically, the presence of SBOFA at 4 phr enhanced the thermal resistance of the NBR vulcanizate by shifting the thermal decomposition to a higher temperature. At a given loading, it was found that the SBOFA-plasticized NBR vulcanizate showed a comparable plasticizing efficiency and mechanical strength with the DOP-plasticized one. The result from this study shows that SBOFA is a good alternative sustainable eco-friendly processing aid to use for NBR.

On the Influence of Viscoelastic Modeling in Fluid Flow Simulations of Gum Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is an important tool as it enables engineers to study different design options without a time-consuming experimental workload. However, the prediction accuracy of any CFD simulation depends upon the set boundary conditions and upon the applied rheological constitutive equation. In the present study the viscoelastic nature of an unfilled gum acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) is considered by applying the integral and time-dependent Kaye–Bernstein–Kearsley–Zapas (K-BKZ) rheological model. First, exhaustive testing is carried out in the linear viscoelastic (LVE) and non-LVE deformation range including small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) as well as high pressure capillary rheometer (HPCR) tests. Next, three abrupt capillary dies and one tapered orifice die are modeled in Ansys POLYFLOW. The pressure prediction accuracy of the K-BKZ/Wagner model was found to be excellent and insensitive to the applied normal force in SAOS testing as well as to the relation of first and second normal stress differences, provided that damping parameters are fitted to steady-state rheological data. Moreover, the crucial importance of viscoelastic modeling is proven for rubber materials, as two generalized Newtonian fluid (GNF) flow models severely underestimate measured pressure data, especially in contraction flow-dominated geometries.