Influence of Filler Dispersion on Processability of Rubber

Dispersion of filler such as carbon black into the rubber greatly affects the durability of the rubber products. The necessity of determination of the filler dispersion, especially, has been frequently discussed. On the other hand, in comparison with the evaluation method of the vulcanized rubber for the CB dispersion, evaluation methods of the unvulcanized rubber is very limited. The evaluation methods of the filler dispersibility are prescribed in standards of ISO and ASTM, but standards of JIS does not include them. In this paper, I comment on test methods about the processability of unvulcanized rubber and describe the influence of filler dispersion on rubber processability.