Insights into the cavitation morphology of rubber reinforced with a nano-filler

Ryo Mashita; Yasumasa Bito; Kentaro Uesugi; Masato Hoshino; Ikuo Kageyuki; Hiroyuki Kishimoto; Wataru Yashiro; Toshiji Kanaya

doi:10.1038/s41598-023-33137-8

Insights into the cavitation morphology of rubber reinforced with a nano-filler

Sci Rep. 2023 Apr 10;13(1):5805. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-33137-8.

Authors

Ryo Mashita¹, Yasumasa Bito², Kentaro Uesugi³, Masato Hoshino³, Ikuo Kageyuki², Hiroyuki Kishimoto², Wataru Yashiro⁴, Toshiji Kanaya⁵

Affiliations

¹ Chemical Analysis Center, Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd, Kobe, Japan. r-mashita.az@srigroup.co.jp.
² Chemical Analysis Center, Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd, Kobe, Japan.
³ Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, Hyogo, Japan.
⁴ International Center for Synchrotron Radiation Innovation Smart, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁵ Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

Abstract

Notwithstanding the various uses of rubber, the fracture mechanism of filler-reinforced rubber remains unclear. This study used four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) involving monochromatic synchrotron X-rays to examine the cavitation within silica-reinforced rubber quantitatively and systematically. The results suggested a threshold value of silica content for the cavitation morphology. Macroscopic fractures, such as those developed by void formation, occurred below the threshold value of silica content. Above this threshold, the density of rubber decreased but macroscopic voids rarely occurred. The lower-density rubber area in the high-silica-content rubber was reversible at the effective pixel size for 4D-CT. These results suggest that the growth of the damage points to macrosized voids could be stopped by the formation of a network of rigid polymer layers. This study allows the elucidation of the reinforcing mechanism and the cavitation morphology of filler-reinforced rubber.