Towards An Effective Modeling of Filled Rubbers Via An Understanding of the Relationships Between Filler Dispersion and Viscoelastic Properties. Part II : Nonlinear Viscoelastic Properties and Compounds Morphology

When probed in the nonlinear regime, complex polymer systems such as carbon black filled rubber compounds exhibit a behavior that requires advanced rheological techniques to be correctly documented. One such technique is the so-called Fourier Transform (FT) rheometry that is best used when submitting test materials to large amplitude oscillatory strain (LAOS) conditions. Specific rubber-filler interactions and the associated self-structuring lead to a rich nonlinear response that require specific result handling and modeling to be appropriately captured. Using an ideal standard SBR1500 formulation with carbon black fractions in the 0 to 0.184 volume fraction range, a series of experiments were performed in order to document not only the nonlinear viscoelastic behavior but also to concomitantly assess the reproducibility and repeatability of the experiments, as well as the storage stability of the materials and the (lack of) strain history effects. Morphological modeling can then receive an overall validity. The microscopic characterization of dispersion and the linear viscoelastic properties are described in a companion presentation so that the present one is dealing with the nonlinear viscoelastic characterization, the appropriate data handling of modeling of the results and the relationships that can be considered between all reported results in order to consider an appropriate morphological model.