Effect of silane coupling agent on the fatigue crack propagation of silica-filled natural rubber

摘要

Based on the real-time crack tip morphology monitoring, the influence of silane coupling agent (SCA) on the crack-growth behavior of silica-filled natural rubber (NR) was analyzed. By using SCA, silica particles can be well dispersed and a filler-matrix network can be formed, which leads to lower crack-growth rate. Results indicate that a dosage of 5 wt % (with respect to silica loading) is the optimal content. The real-time observation and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis proved that thin ligaments and dimples with homogeneous distribution appear on the crack tip. These crack tip morphologies reflect the low crack-growth rate. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41980.