Abstract:
Tire tread is the outer part of the tire that contacts the road or the ground. To improve its
performance, effectiveness of different types of additives has been studied in various researches.
Graphene which is considered as the basic structural element of carbon allotropes shows unique
properties like excellent thermal conductivity, high strength, and relatively lower density.
Therefore, it can be used as an additive in tire tread formulations because enhancing mechanical
and thermal properties of tire is an important factor in modern tire industry. In this research, the
possibility of synthesizing graphene and/or exfoliated graphite from a ball milling technique has
been studied. Also, the properties of the composites of Natural rubber and Exfoliated graphite
have been studied. This research is aimed to improve mechanical and thermal properties of tire
treads using modified graphene-based materials. Optical microscopy, SEM analysis and Raman
spectroscopy were used to characterize exfoliated graphite. Rubber compounds were mixed in a
two-roll mill according to a predetermined formulation and were vulcanized using a compression
molding machine. Rheological properties of the compounds were characterized by Moving Die
Rheography and physical and thermal properties of vulcanizates were obtained using tensile test
and Lee’s disk method respectively. Final results show that the exfoliated graphite has enhanced
the thermal conductivity and physical properties of tire tread compounds.
Citation:
Kumarasiri, P.G.A., Madhusanka, J.D.I., & Liyanage, N.M.V.K. (2021). Evaluation of performance of modified graphene based materials in tire tread formulations. [Abstract]. In A.A.G.A. Abeygunawardane (Ed.), Innovative materials through mathematical modeling and simulations (p. 8). Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Moratuwa.