The effect of carbon black grades in tyre tread compounds

In this study carbon black filler was added to the various formulations of tyre tread compounds. The carbon black grades chosen were N339/N375 and N550/N660. The compounds were characterised with respect to their rheological and physical properties. It was found that the carbon black grades of N375 and N339 could be substituted readily with minimal effects to the hardness, rebound resilience, tensile and tear strength. On the other hand, the carbon black of N550 could not be directly substituted with N660 as it affects the hardness and resilience of the vulcanizate