Heat diffusivity and mechanical properties of a tire bladder composite in the presence of ceramic fillers

The development of a heat conductive formulation for rubber composites is essential for technical applications such as tire-curing bladders. The present study addresses the effects of three potential ceramic fillers, namely titanium carbide (TiC), silicon carbide (SiC), and alumina, on the mechanical and thermal properties of carbon black (CB)-filled butyl rubber composites. The composites were prepared using the melt compounding method. The curing, mechanical, and thermal conductivity properties of the composites were determined. The tensile strength and modulus of composites decreased slightly in the presence of ceramic fillers in lower amounts of filler loading (10 Phr). Further they reduced in a higher amount of filler loading (20 Phr). In addition, the thermal diffusivity coefficient of the composites increased in the presence of ceramic fillers with different values depending on the type and the amount of the filler with the rank of Al₂O₃ > SiC > TiC at 10 Phr of filler loading and SiC > TiC > Al₂O₃ at 20 Phr of filler loading. These different behaviors were discussed according to the state of filler dispersion in the rubber matrix and rubber–filler interactions according to the FeSEM visualization and the mechanical properties.