Influence of Wood Husk and CaCO3 on the Mechanical Properties of Nitrile Butadiene Rubber

Natural fiber reinforced composites have sparked a lot of research and engineering interest in recent decades because of their low density, high specific strength, low cost, lightweight, recyclability, and biodegradability, earning them the title of green composite. Nitrite rubber-based composites are generally used as elastomers in many industries due to their applications such as O-rings, gaskets, oil seals, synthetic leather, automotive transition belts, etc. In the present work, in order to enhance the mechanical properties of nitrile rubber, the fillers like CaCO3 and wood husk in five different proportions are added to the NBR matrix. The curing studies, mechanical measurements, and SEM (scanning electron microscopy) analysis are conducted and it is found that the tensile and tear strength of the mixture with the proportion of CaCO3 with 10% and wood husk with 50% is the best combination compared to nitrile rubber gum sample. The tensile strength of the matrix with proportion CaCO3 10% and wood husk 50% has increased around 86.15% and where the tear strength increased around 80.59% compared to the matrix without fillers. SEM analysis reveals the uniform distribution of fillers in the rubber matrix, which is in accordance with mechanical properties. This is a cost-effective method that consumes less time and is non-pollutant as if this study uses natural products such as wood husk as the fillers.