Effect of adhesive‐coated glass fiber in natural rubber (NR), acrylonitrile rubber (NBR), and ethylene–propylene–diene rubber (EPDM) formulations. II. Effect of cyclic loading,abrasion, and accelerated aging

Treated glass fibers (RICS, 3 and 6 mm in length) were added at a concentrations of 10, 20, and 30 phr in natural rubber (NR), nitrile rubber (NBR), and ethylene–propylene–diene comonomer (EPDM) formulations, in both plain and carbon black mixes. The compounds were mixed in two‐roll mill and were evaluated for their resistance to hot‐air aging, abrasion, compression set, Goodrich heat buildup, De Mattia fatigue, and for NR mixes, adhesion in the tensile mode. The vulcanizates of the three rubbers showed resistance to hot‐air aging. Abrasion resistance was poor for NR, and it improved with carbon black addition in the presence of treated glass fiber in NBR. In carbon‐black‐added EPDM vulcanizates, the abrasion resistance and fatigue resistance were better. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1124–1135, 2004