Study on the dynamic mechanical properties of aged rubbers

In this work, dynamic properties of aged rubber with various ageing times, temperatures and pre-strains are investigated. Several kinds of filled rubber specimens relevant to a heavy-duty radial tire are prepared to be prestrained in an in-house rig. The prestrained specimens are then put into an ageing oven to accelerate ageing. The ageing times are chosen to be 24 to 240 hours. After ageing, static and dynamic mechanical tests are performed for these specimens. Some experimental results are presented and discussed to demonstrate the importance of rubber age for its time-dependent properties, especially, Payne Effect.