Silica Agglomerates Research Articles

The effect of filler shape on the mechanical properties of a reinforced vulcanizate: The SBR‐ground asbestos system

AbstractGrinding chrysotile under controlled conditions results in microfibers with the dimensions of carbon black or silica agglomerates used in the reinforcement of rubber. The mechanical properties of SBR reinforced with ground asbestos are similar to those of SBR filled with a silica of equivalent surface area.

Morphology and structure of silica agglomerates in silica‐reinforced silicone rubber

AbstractLight‐scattering and optical microscope observations of silica‐reinforced silicone rubber have shown that the filler is dispersed in a complex manner. Much of the original material appears agglomerated into particles several microns in size. These particles apparently further cluster to form agglomerates of about 20 μ in diameter. In an earlier paper in this series it was shown that the thermodynamic function fe/f (the fraction of the retractive force due to internal energy changes) was a measure of the reinforcement level. It is now proposed that the corresponding physical mechanism of reinforcement may have its origin in the large amounts of energy required to deform the filler particle agglomerates.

The catalytic effect of water on the chemical reaction between oxides at high temperatures

1. The catalytic effect of water vapor on the reactions of the oxides MgO, CaO, BaO, and ZnO with A12O3, on the reactions of CaO with quartz and with amorphous silica, and also on the crystallization of alumina and on the agglomeration of silica and of magnesium oxide, was established. 2. A transitional active state theory is described, explaning the increase in reactivity of oxides during dissociation processes and during the course of polymorphic changes. 3. The catalytic effect of chemically adsorbed water on physico-chemical processes in oxides (chemical reactions, agglomeration, and agglomerating recrystallization) is explained by the emergence of a transitional active state of the surface chemical compounds.