Effect of thermo-oxidative aging on the Payne effect and hysteresis loss of carbon-black filled rubber vulcanizates

In the tire industry, the Payne effect and hysteresis loss of carbon-black (CB) filled rubber vulcanizates are the most concerning issues. CB filled rubber vulcanizates are susceptible to thermo-oxidative aging in the applications. In this paper, the effects of thermo-oxidative aging are investigated from experimental and theoretical aspects. The specimens are subjected to thermo-oxidative aging at 80, 100 and 120 °C for various periods of time ranging from 1 to 6 days and then the dynamic mechanical tests are conducted. The results show that both the storage modulus and the loss modulus increase with increasing aging time. The hysteresis loss of the material shows an increasing tendency with the increase of dynamic strain amplitude, aging time and aging temperature. The Kraus model is used to describe the Payne effect and a viscoelastic model consisting of dynamic strain amplitude and loss modulus is used to calculate the energy dissipation.