Thermoplastic elastomers based on ground tire rubber: study of particle size effect and presence of adhesion components

Abstract

Consulta en la Biblioteca ETSI Industriales (Riunet)

[EN] The goal of this project is to prepare a chemical product based on waste tire rubber in order to find a second life use for this discarded material. Particularly, the main objective is blending ground tire rubber (GTR) powder with a thermoplastic matrix for generating an interesting product called thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). The benefit of this type of chemical compounds is that they show common characteristics of elastomers, keeping also interested thermoplastic properties during its processing and recycling. After accomplishing a deep literature research in this scientific area, a specific research is done to conclude the effect of some factors on the mechanical properties of the final product. Taking as a starting point the research done by Hrdlicka et al [1] in the Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague, this project represents the continuation of that research. Analyzing the influence of the GTR particle size on the final properties is the most important study to be done. As a result of a sieving process, up to six different particle sizes are studied with equivalent diameters from 120 to 500 ¿m. Moreover, knowing the benefits of the presence of an adhesion component in the TPEs, two of the most commonly used are compared. They are the ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM) and the styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene copolymer (SEBS). Both factors are studied through a statistic methodology and the results and conclusions obtained can be qualified as interesting for finding industrial applications to this kind of materials.