(207c) Characterization of Compressive Mechanical Properties of Hydrogenated Nitrile Butadiene Elastomers Reinforced with Three Different Types of Carbon Filler

A compression testing procedure, to understand the effect of filler morphology, concentration and surface chemistry, on the compressive strength, energy dissipation, and elastic recovery of elastomer nanocomposites, is developed.¹ Peroxide-cured hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) composites, consisting of carbon based fillers of different aspect ratios, were studied at temperatures in the range of 25 to 180 °C, and compressive stresses in the range of 500 to 1500 psi. Three different carbon based fillers, namely, polyacrylonitrile derived carbon nanofibers, graphite nanoplatelets, and carbon black, were investigated. A four-step force/compression profile allowed the determination of stiffness, stress relaxation, strain recovery, and permanent set in these elastomer composites. The three fillers differed greatly in terms of determining the modulus, fracture strength, and compression at break of the elastomer composite. A comparison with dynamic mechanical properties, and the tensile properties previously presented²will also be discussed.

1) Sankarasubramanian, M., â??Filler shape and surface chemistry effects on compressive strength, energy dissipation, and elastic recovery of HNBR elastomer nanocomposites,â? Ph.D. Dissertation, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY (May 2016).

2) Krishnan, S., Sankarasubramanian, M., Putnam, Z. A., and J. C. Moosbrugger, â??Characterization of viscoelastic hysteresis and stress softening of filled-elastomers using cyclic loading experiments,â? presented at the 2015 AIChE Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT (Nov. 8â??13, 2015).