The Assessment of Exhaust Pipe Suspender Produced from Blend of NR and SBR Reinforced with Rice Husk Ash and Periwinkle Shell

Abstract

The assessment of an exhaust pipe suspender made of a blend of natural rubber (NR) and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) filled with rice husk ash (RHA) and periwinkle shell (PS) was investigated. The samples were compounded using a two-roll mill at various filler loadings of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 phr with an 80/20 NR/SBR blend ratio. The mechanical characteristics of the compounded samples, including tensile strength, tensile modulus, elongation at break, hardness, abrasion resistance, compression set, and flex fatigue, were determined and compared.  The results showed that the incorporation of rice husk ash (RHA) and periwinkle shell (PS) into the NR/SBR blend increased the tensile strength (13.0562 N/mm²–27.5106 N/mm² for RHA-filled NR/SBR blend composites and 13.0562 N/mm²–23.0007 N/mm² for PS-filled NR/SBR blend composites), tensile modulus (4.2435 N/mm²–12.5200 N/mm² for RHA-filled NR/SBR blend composites and 4.2435 N/mm²–9.5845 N/mm² for PS-filled NR/SBR blend composites), hardness (28.1668 IRHD–68.4603 IRHD for RHA-filled NR/SBR blend composites and 28.1668 IRHD–64.3209 IRHD for PS-filled NR/SBR blend composites) and abrasion resistance (20.0043 Mm³/rev.–35.007 Mm³/rev. for RHA-filled NR/SBR blend composites and 20.0043 Mm³/rev–29.3068 Mm³/rev for PS-filled NR/SBR blend composites) whereas the elongation at break, compression set and flex fatigue of composites decreased. The NR/SBR blend's tensile strength and tensile modulus appear to have improved with the addition of either RHA or PS, but they appeared to have degraded at 50 phr. Additionally, the hardness, elongation at break, compression set, and flex fatigue (0-50 phr) all improved.