Preparing Eco-friendly Composite from End-life Tires and Epoxy Resin and Examining Its Mechanical, and Acoustic Insulation Properties

Abstract

The recycling of the enormous number of used tires that are discarded annually after the end of their service is a high-priority issue in order to conserve the environment and reduce the raw material costs of products, particularly in cases where high strength requirements are not necessary. In this study, crumbed tire rubber (CTR) was used as a filler with different weight fractions (10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%) to prepare CTR/epoxy composites. Mechanical, thermal, and acoustic insulation properties were tested to gather sufficient data on the development of these properties with increasing CTR content. The results indicate a decline in mechanical properties with increasing CTR content. The composite with 40 wt. % CTR showed a decrease in hardness, tensile strength, and flexural strength compared to neat epoxy by 75%, 70%, and 75% respectively. Additionally, the thermal conductivity of this composite was 36.3% higher than that of epoxy. Finally, the acoustic insulation test for the composite with a 40% CTR weight fraction showed improved sound insulation over a wide range of applied frequencies (0-10000) Hz.