Thermal diffusivity of rubber compounds

Abstract

During the vulcanisation process, rubber compounds are heated to temperatures of ∼200°C and then cooled. An increase in temperature occurs in rubber tyres during use as a result of heat produced by repeated deformation. This temperature increase can be so high that it can cause tyre destruction. From this point of view, knowledge of thermal diffusivity data of rubber compounds and reinforced rubber is very important. Despite thermal diffusivity being a crucial value, which determines the rate of heating or cooling of solid bodies, only limited data of this kind are available in the literature for elastomers. A new method, developed especially for determining the thermal diffusivity of thick fibre composite materials and reinforced rubber, has been used to measure the thermal diffusivity of rubber compounds. Both the content and the type of rubber and carbon black determine the thermal diffusivity. The content of other components, however, has a very limited influence on this parameter.