DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF RUBBER TYRE COMPOSITES BY USING

INJECTION MOULDING MACHINE

1

Pramod kumar panday,2Dr. R.K diwedi,3Jitendra bhaskar

1,2
Mechanical Engineering Department, MANIT, Bhopal
3
Mechanical Engineering Department HBTI, Kanpur (U.P.) INDIA
ABSTRACT
Waste tyres are hazardous for environment. Utilization of waste tyres into useful material is a solution. Rubber
particles are obtained as a waste material while retreading of tyres. For this experimentation, tyre particles of 100200m in size and 10%, 20% and 30% reinforcement by weight were used to make epoxy matrix composites.
Structural properties such as tensile, compressive, flexural and damping properties such as damping propertiesLogarithmic decrement, damping ratio and loss factor were investigated. Tensile, compressive, and flexural
properties decreased with increasing the weight percentage of rubber particles. For damping characteristic, single
point laser sensor setup was used. Logarithmic decrement, damping ratio and loss factor was increasing with
increasing weight percentages of recycled tyre rubber particulate in the composite. Figure of merit (FOM) was
prepared to compare the tyre composite with other similar composites for used for isolation of structure-borne-noise
in buildings, foundations and industrial floors. Tyre particulate reinforced epoxy composite would be good options
as structural material with same time having good vibration isolation properties.
Keywords
Structural properties, damping ratio, logarithmic decrement, damping ratio & loss factor .

INTRODUCTION
The waste tyre rubbers are becoming a major environmental problem. A huge volume of waste tyres is
generated every year. These tyres are thermoset and are virtually resistant to biological degradation. The world
generates about 13.5 million tonnes of waste tyres annually. Analysis indicates that about 1 million ton of tyres scrap
is stockpiled in India [1]. These stockpiles are dangerous from environmental threats, fire hazards and provide
breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The drawbacks underlying the disposal of waste tyres by methods such as landfill,
pyrolysis, and incineration encouraged further researches on the recycling technology of waste tyres [2]. Recycling
the waste tyre is thus a great challenge for both environmental and economic reasons. Raghavan D., et al. [3]
reported the tyre rubber-filled cementitious composite. Compressive and flexural strength of concrete decreased
with increasing amount of tyres rubber waste. The amount of rubber waste has more noticeable effect on concrete
damping properties than particles size distribution [5]. The use of tyre rubber as toughening additive for resins has
also been reported. Nvoa Paulo J. R. O., et al. [6] reported mechanical performance of polyester resins modified
with powder from scrap tyre rubber. They also reported that toughness can be improved if rubber is purified prior to
utilization. Mishra A. [7] reported about dry sliding wear behavior of epoxy-rubber dust composites.
The distinguishing features of a polymer, which make it useful for controlling the vibration, are its
enormous resilience and high energy dissipation capacity. Its loss-factor can be as high as 2. The damping capacity
of a polymer is attributed to its long-chain molecules since it can deformed only after its large internal friction has
been overcome. A disadvantage in using a viscoelastic material for vibration control is that its properties (e.g., the
elastic modulus and the damping capacity) are highly sensitive to a change in frequency(i.e., the loading rate) and
temperature. However, the recent advances in technology can impart almost tailor-made mechanical properties to a
polymer, making it suitable for a wide range of operating conditions [ ** ].
The values of Young Modulus of composites made by PVC reinforced with ground tyre rubber (GTR)
increase when the percentage of GTR increased [8,9].Structural materials that exhibit high damping capacities are
desirable for mechanical vibration suppression and acoustic noise attenuation [10, 11]. One of the earliest studies to
attempt to quantify the damping of rubberized concrete was performed by Hernandez-Olivares, et al. [12].
Measured specific damping ranged from 0.23 to 0.30 with higher damping measured for the concrete with the 5%
volumetric replacement with rubber. Measured damping was highest at 20 C at a loading frequency of
20Hz.Zheng, Huo, and Luan [13] investigated the use of ground rubber (3.0 mm particle size) and chipped rubber
(15-40 mm particle size) to enhance the damping capacity of concrete. The damping ratios were found to increase by
as much as a factor of two for the ground rubber, and by a factor of 2.5 for the chipped rubber. Xiang W., Hanxing
L., Shixi O. [14] reported the damping properties of flexible epoxy resin. Amino-terminated polyethers and aminoterminated polyurethane were used as curing agent to cure the epoxy resin together and get a series of cured
products. The dynamic mechanical behaviour of uncrosslinked and crosslinked styrene butadiene rubber/poly
(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (SBR/EVA) blends was studied with reference to the effects of blend ratio, cross linking
systems, a compatibilizer, frequency and temperature [15].
EXPERIMENTAL
Materials
Recycled tyre rubber particles are collected from nearby tyre retreading centre in Kanpur, U.P., India. The particles
size between 100-200m is obtained using two sieves of 100 m and 200 m successively. Recycled tyre rubber
particles are used as reinforcing agent.Epoxy resin of general purpose used was supplied by M/s Parikh Resins
Limited, Kanpur, U.P., India. It is a colorless, odorless and non-toxic. Its trade name is PG 100. This epoxy is
fluorine based epoxy resin and has a hard fluorine structure. In the present investigation, it has been used as matrix
material. Hardener SY31(B) is a white liquid. Hardener SY31(B) is also supplied from M/s Parikh Resins Limited,
Kanpur, U.P., India. It has been used as curing agent. In the present investigation 10% wt/wt has been used in all
material developed.

The composition of a tyre

Ingredients
% Composition

Figure 1.1: Used waste tyres

Source: The Waste & Resources Action
Programme, 2006 [3]

Rubber
Carbon Black
Metal
Textile
Zinc Oxide
Sulphur
Additives
Carbon-based
materials,

45-47
21.5-22
12-25
0-10
1-2
1
5-7.5
67-76

Fabrication
The specimens are fabricated using the open mould casting technique. The inner surface of the moulds is coated
with petroleum jelly for easy removal of the cast composite. Epoxy PG100 and Hardener SY31(B) are mixed in the
ratio of 10:1. A homogenous mixture is prepared to cast the specimen plates. Different composite specimens are
prepared by mixing different weight percentage (10%, 20%, and 30%) of recycled tyre rubber particles of size 100
to 200m in the epoxy and hardener mixture and by casting the same into the prepared moulds. Curing of composite
is done for 24 hours at room temperature (about 300C).

i)

Evaluation of structural properties:

a)

b)

c)

Tensile Property:
Type-I tensile bar specimens with dimensions of 165mm 19mm 6mm were cut and machined from the
composite plate. The tensile tests were performed on Universal Testing Machine, in accordance with ASTM
D3039. Load and corresponding displacement (elongation) resulted in the specimens are recorded. The tensile
strength was calculated by dividing the maximum load in Newton by the original minimum cross sectional area
of the specimen in square meters.
Compressive property:
These were measured in accordance with ASTM D695. Two 50 mm diameter hardened-steel compression
plates mounted on a universal testing machine. The specimen is placed between the compression plates parallel
to the surface. The specimen size for compressive test is 25.4mm25.4mm63.5mm. The maximum load at
fracture is recorded. This load is divided by original cross sectional area to find compressive strength of the
composite.
Flexural properties:
These were measured in three-point bending test in accordance with ASTM D790. The flexural test
specimens are also cut from the composite plate with dimensions of 100mm 13mm 6mm. Three replicates
of each composite formulation are tested. The flexural strength, S, is calculated by the following equation:

S=

3 FL
2 b t 2

(1)

where F is Flexural Load at break and L, b and t are length breadth and thickness of the specimen
respectively.

d) Density, stiffness and natural frequencies:

Density ( ) of all samples were calculated using mass and volume.

volume
mass

( )

Stiffness of the cantilever beam member can be given by

k=

48 EI
3
L

( )
where E is modulus of elasticity,
I = moment of inertia=

b t /12

for all specimen dimension

L b t =

280mm30mm4mm.

n of the cantilever beam member can be given by

Natural frequencies

n=

k
m

where m is mass,
( )

ii) Evaluation of damping properties:

For a structural member subjected to dynamic loading the response is governed by various properties of the
material. It has three parameters: inertia, stiffness and damping. Inertia is regulated by density; stiffness is
modulus of elasticity, geometry of construction and the mode of loading (bending or tension). The damping or
energy dissipation within material takes place due to large number of physically different mechanisms.
Even at very low stress level, a structural material does not exhibit a perfect elastic behavior. The stressstrain plot during a cycle generates a mechanical hysteresis loop. The energy per unit volume per unit cycle
(Dm) dissipated is expressed as area of this loop.

D m=J n
Where, J is damping constant and n the damping index of the material and lies as 2<n<3. When n=2 loop
becomes elliptic and known as linear hysteretic damping, is comparable with viscous damping. Only difference
with viscous damping is that energy dissipation increases linearly with the frequency in case of viscous
damping. Moreover the, in the frequency range of normal interest, the mechanical hysteresis loop does not alter
with the frequency, i.e., Dm is independent of the frequency. For linear hysteretic material (under a
predominantly uniaxial loading), the loss factor is independent of the stress field and can be treated as a material
constant. For such material, Kelvin-voigt model can be constructed with equivalent viscous damping
a)

Damping ratio:
Single point laser sensor was used for analyzing damping characteristics of the different weight percentages
of tyre rubber particulate reinforcement epoxy matrix composite. Laser sensors consist of a solid-state laser
light source and a detector. The specimen size for the damping test was taken as 280mm30mm4mm. The
signal from the detector is used to determine the relative distance to the specimen. The prepared specimen was
mounted as a cantilever beam on the fixture. For impact damping method of testing, an impact or some
displacement is given to the specimen from its middle position. The single laser records the transverse
displacement of a particular point focused by the laser on the specimen. Graph between displacement and time
can be plotted to analyze the logarithmic decrement. The two displacements xi and xi+N separated by any N
number of complete cycles are measured and logarithmic decrement, , can be determined by

x
1
ln i
N x i +N . (2)

Damping ratio is calculated by

2 .... (3)

Figure : single laser vibration test setup

b) Loss factor:
It is a common expression for the damping capacity of a system. It gives a measure of the fraction of the
total Vibrational energy lost in a cycle. The actual relationship between loss factor tan() and is given by

tan =2 12 is applicable only within 5% of cases when 0.3 . For ranging from 0 to 0.3 the
relationship between them is given by

tan ( )=2
c)

(4)
Resonance Magnification Factor (RMF):
It is defined as the ratio of the amplitude at resonance to the static deflection under the force F i.e.

RMF=X at = /( F/k )=1/(2 )

(5)

At resonance the amplitude

|X|

is given by

|X|=|F|/(2 k )
(

This is also known as the quality factor (Q). It is obvious that it is an inverse measure of the damping capacity.
d) Figure of Merit (FOM) for selecting the material for maximum displacement, velocity and acceleration
amplitude to be of minimum when

(loss factor )2 1 :

For choosing best material, the quantity (a function of material properties) which is to be
maximized is called FOM. Following simplified expressions for the maximum amplitudes (in the entire
frequency range) of all three as above of the mass m:

Dispacement=|F|/(k ) .()
1

Velocity=|F|/(k m) 2 .( )
Acceleration=|F|/ ( m ) . ..()
where

= loss factor, tan

For given width, for bending vibration, the stiffness

k E h , where h is the height of the beam and E

is youngs modulus. For specified mass and with h a sthe only variable,
So,

kE/

, where is the density.

For maximum displacement amplitude to be minimum all

FOM disc .=

( E )

FOM

should be maximum
(6)

For maximum velocity amplitude to be minimum

1

FOM velo . =(

E 2
)
3

()
For maximum acceleration amplitude to be minimum

FOM acc .=

()

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Tensile Properties
A tensile property was obtained according to the methodology explained above. Here the tensile stress is decreasing
on increasing the particulate weight %.

Table 4.3: Experimental values of Strength and

Youngs modulus in tensile test
Sr.
No.
1
2
3
4

Composite
with
Rubber(wt%)
0
10
20
30

Tensile
Strength at
Break (MPa)
17.038
12.219
11.961
8.4332

Youngs
Modulus,
E (MPa)
705.41
142.07
284.46
564.26

Figure 1: Stress/Strain curves for tensile test with

variation of tyre rubber particles wt %.
According to obtained data, tensile stress for 10 wt% rubber particulate composite decreases by 28.3% of the neat
epoxy. The decrease in 20% and 30% rubber particulate composite is recorded as 29.8% and 50.5%. This decrease
might occur due to lack of good compatibility between matrix and tyre rubber particulate, mainly due to highly
cross-linked rubber structure and the lack of strong chemical interaction matrix-reinforcement.
Compressive Properties
Table 1 shows the experimental values of load and strength in compressive test with variation of tyre rubber
particulate wt. percentage in the composite. Compressive strength is also decreasing on increasing the reinforcement
of rubber particulates. It has been seen that 37.3%, 40.8% and 59.6% decrease in compressive strength are occurred
for 10%, 20% and 30% (by weight) rubber particulate composites respectively as compared to that of neat epoxy.
Table 1: Experimental values of Load and Strength in compressive test with variation of tyre rubber particles
percentage
Sr. Composite with
Compressive Load
Compressive
No. Rubber(wt%)
at Break (N)
Strength (MPa)

1
2
3
4

0
10
20
30

49030.4
30685.7
29069.7
19629.4

76.0
47.6
45.0
30.7

Flexural Properties
Table 2 shows experimental values of load and strength in flexural test with variation of tyre rubber particulate wt.
percentage. Flexural strength is decreasing on increase in the tyre rubber particulate reinforcement in the composite.
A decrease of 43.9%, 54% and 69.3% in flexural strength is noted as compared to that of neat epoxy. The decrease
may occur due to the weak bonding between rubber particles and epoxy resin.
Table 2: Experimental values of Load and Strength in flexural test with variation of tyre rubber particles
percentage
Sr.
Composite with
Flexural Load
Flexural Strength
No. Rubber(wt%)
at Break (N)
(MPa)
1
0
196.2
62.9
2
10
107.8
35.3
3
20
88.2
28.9
4
30
58.8
19.3
Density, stiffness and Natural Frequencies
Sr.
No
.
1
2
3
4

Composite with
Rubber(wt%)

0
10
20
30

Density,

,
Kg/m3
1.28103
1.19103
1.1103
1.01103

stiffness

Natural Frequency,
n (rad/s)

75.76
35.25
51.86
76.19

Damping Properties
The experiment carried out by the Impact Damping method on different specimens of composite beam with varying
weight percentages of recycled tyre rubber particulate in the composite. The time domain responses for different
weight percentages tyre rubber particulate in the composite specimens are shown in Figures 4 to 7.

Figure 4: Time domain response of the Neat Epoxy beam

in Impact damping method

Figure 5: Time domain response of Epoxy + 10% (by wt.)

Tyre Rubber particulate beam

Figure 6: Time domain response of Epoxy + 20% (by

wt.) Tyre Rubber particulate beam

Figure 7: Time domain response of Epoxy + 30% (by

wt.) Tyre Rubber particulate beam

The values of peak amplitude x i and xi+N separated by N number of cycles are obtained from the plots. Using
equation (2), the logarithmic decrement, , is obtained for different weight percentages of tyre rubber particulate
reinforcement composite specimens. The corresponding damping ratio, , is obtained using equation (3). These
values are tabulated in Table 4. The damping ratio, , in present cases is in the range of 0 to 0.3, so the loss factor,
tan is equal to 2. The values of and loss factor, tan are tabulated in Table 4.
Table 3: Peak amplitude values for N number of cycles
Sr.
Composite with
xi (mm)
xi+N (mm)
No. Rubber(wt%)
1
0
0.34
0.09
2
10
0.2
0.06
3
20
0.624
0.073
4
30
0.3
0.03

Number of
Cycles, N
51
38
52
53

Table 4: Loss Factor obtained from time domain response (Logarithmic Decrement)
Sr.
Composite with
Logarithmic
Damping Ratio,
Loss Factor,
RMF
No. Rubber(wt%)
Decrement,

tan
1
0
0.0261
0.0041
0.0082
121.95
2
10
0.0316
0.0050
0.0100
100.00
3
20
0.0383
0.0061
0.0122
81.96
4
30
0.0434
0.0069
0.0138
72.46
Here Loss factor is increasing on increase in reinforcement. 22%, 48.8% and 68.3% increase are noted in 10, 20 and
30 wt% tyre rubber particulate reinforcement composite as compared to that of neat epoxy. The loss factor
calculated in this study for tyre rubber particulate composite is more than that of alumina particulate filled epoxy
nano composite for the same wt% reinforcement [16]. The comparison of loss factor for these composites is given in
Table 5.
Table 4.8: Comparison of loss factor

Sr. No.

Composite

with

Loss Factor
(for tyre rubber particulate filled

Loss Factor
(for alumina particulate filled

1
2
3

Rubber(wt%)
10wt%
20 wt%
30 wt%

epoxy composite)
0.0100
0.0122
0.0138

epoxy nano-composite) [16]

0.0120
0.0094
0.0105

Table 6 consists of a comparison of density, youngs modulus, loss factor and figure of merit (FOM) of fabricated
tyre rubber particulate composites with other materials. FOMvelo. is given by
Table 6: Comparison of Figure of merit (FOM)
Sr. Material
FOMdisc.
No
(choose max.)
.
Neat Epoxy
1
2.75x10-3
2

10wt% rubber+epoxy

0.8x10-3

20
rubber+epoxy
30
rubber+epoxy

wt%

2.6x10-3

wt%

7.55x10-3

FOMvelo

FOMacc.

(choose max.)

(choose max.)

4.7510-3
0.15x10-3
2.910-3
0.8910-3
5.6410-3
0.17x10-3
1.0210-2
0.10x10-2

0.0082
0.0100
0.0122
0.0138

From Table 6, it can be said that 30 wt% tyre rubber particulate composite
better material for damping than above materials given in the table.
Table 6: Comparison of density, youngs modulus, loss factor and FOM
Youngs
Sr. Material
Density,
Loss Factor
Modulus,
E
(Pa)
No
,
,
.
Kg/m3
Aluminium
1
2.8103
72.5109
10-5
3
9
Cu-Mn Alloy
5
7.2510
8410
10-2
Natural Rubber
6
0.1
Filled Silicon Rubber
7
0.13
Polymer
Max 2

has maximum FOM, and hence is the

FOMdisc.

FOMvelo

FOMacc.

(choose max.)

(choose max.)

(choose max.)

3.2x10-5
0.22x10-2

1.8110-5
4.6910-3

10-5
10-2
0.1
0.13
Max 2

CONCLUSIONS
Structural properties such as tensile, compressive & flexural, and dynamic property such as damping characteristics
were determined. Weight percentage of particulate reinforcement in the composite played a vital role in influencing
these properties. Tensile, compressive, and flexural strength were decreasing in nature with increase in the
reinforcement of tyre rubber particulate in the composite. The decrease in tensile strength in 10%, 20% and 30%
rubber particulate composite was recorded as 28.3%, 29.8% and 50.5% respectively of that of neat epoxy. In
compressive test, the decrease of 37.3%, 40.8% and 59.6% were noted for the above wt% reinforcement. Flexural
test shows that 43.9%, 54% and 69.3% decrease in flexural strength have been noted for 10%, 20% and 30% rubber
particulate composite as compared to that of neat epoxy.
Logarithmic decrement, damping ratio, ramification factor, loss factor and figure of merit were determined for
various weight percentages of tyre rubber particulate reinforcement in the composite for impact damping test. Loss
factor is maximum for 30% (by weight) tyre rubber reinforcement composite. An increase of 22%, 48.8% and
68.3% is noted in 10, 20 and 30 wt% tyre rubber particulate reinforcement composite as compared to that of neat
epoxy. Tyre rubber particulate composite with 30 wt% reinforcement had maximum FOM, and hence it is the better
material for damping than other metals and alloys.
The prepared composite material can be used in many applications such as flooring, playground surfacing, isolation
etc. Fabrication of brake pad in automotive field is an ongoing process [7].

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