Solid Rubber Research Articles

Understanding Test Modalities of Tire Grip and Laboratory-Road Correlations with Modeling

The present study is meant to obtain tribological insight into the interface of a rolling rubber wheel on a counter-surface disk based on the work of the previous study Salehi et al. (Tribol Lett 68(1):37, 2020), in which a new test method was developed to rapidly predict tire grip in a laboratory environment. A Laboratory Abrasion Tester (LAT100) was used and exploited as a tribometer. This opened a new cost- and time-effective horizon for tire material development in a laboratory environment rather than having to test tread compounds by building full-scale tires. The method was validated by a comprehensive study for six different tire tread compositions, by correlating the laboratory data for solid rubber wheels as LAT100 specimens with real tire results in two test modalities: lateral (α) and longitudinal (κ) sweep tests on a dry road. It was demonstrated that the LAT100 can be exploited to simulate the alpha-sweep tire tests, but not the kappa-sweep. The dynamics and physics of a rolling rubber wheel on a counter-surface disk of the LAT100 test step-up are investigated utilizing the renowned physical “brush model” in comparison to full-scale tire tests. The type of test modality leads to different friction mechanisms in the contact patch even at similar test conditions. This is substantiated by recognizing the two regions: stationary and non-stationary, in the contact area which results in different friction components and mechanisms. The behavior of the rolling wheel in lateral and longitudinal movements at the same test conditions is comparable if the contributions of the mentioned regions in the contact area are similar.

Comparative study of the microstructure of solid rubber from Ficus carica and Hevea brasiliensis

AbstractNatural rubber from Hevea brasiliensis (Hb) is known to have a characteristic network structure, with branch points formed by minor nonrubber components such as proteins and phospholipids that connect the major rubber component, cis‐1,4‐polyisoprene chains. However, the structure of solid rubber from Ficus carica (Fc) is not well known. In this study, we examined the microstructure and protein composition of solid rubber from Fc. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of Fc solid rubber revealed that the nonrubber components formed a nonuniform framework in the rubber matrix, and that many rubber particles were fused together. We determined that ficin, a cysteine endoproteolytic protease, was a major protein in the Fc rubber. It appears that ficin degrades the proteins associated with rubber particles rather than acting as a protein connecting the cis‐1,4‐polyisoprene chains in Fc rubber. We also found that a macrogel fraction, which separated after the dissolution of Hb solid rubber in toluene, was absent in the Fc solid rubber. These results suggest that there are no proteinous branch points in Fc rubber. Furthermore, size exclusion chromatography with multiangle light scattering (SEC‐MALS) analysis of the transesterified rubber demonstrated that no branch points composed of phospholipids were involved in Fc rubber. On the basis of our results, we propose a microstructure for the rubber particles in Fc solid rubber and discuss the relationship between the microstructure and the structure of the rubber chains within it.

Cardboard and rubber objects as means of environmental enrichment for rabbits

Environmental enrichment improves rabbit welfare in rabbitries. Various toys for cats and dogs are commercially available, which are made of materials that could be safely used for rabbits as well. The objectives of this study were to evaluate whether cardboard and rubber materials could be used for environmental enrichment for rabbits. The study involved 42 adult New Zealand white rabbits (20 females and 22 males), randomly assigned to seven treatment groups: “C”, without object (control); “RB”, a solid rubber ball; “FT”, a fillable teether filled with hay; “CH”, a cardboard hole; “CS”, a piece of a cat scratcher; “CSC”, a piece of a cat scratcher with catnip; “CF”, an articulated cardboard fish. The behaviour of the rabbits and the percentage of destruction of the objects were recorded for 28 d. The normal behaviours of locomotion, rearing, stretching, stereotypies and sitting were not influenced by the treatments. Lying down was observed more frequently than the full stretched out position for resting. The FT-treatment group presented most behaviours of interaction (biting and sniffing) (<em>P</em><0.05) as compared to RB, CSC, and CF-treatment groups. All the objects showed some level of destruction; the mean rates of destruction for CH, CS, CSC and CF were up to 40%, whereas those for FT and RB were under 30%. Taken together, the results suggest that cardboard and rubber materials can be used as means of environmental enrichment for rabbits.

Ability of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria to Utilize Polymer and Rubber Materials

Polymer materials are an integral part of our lives, but their use is a global environmental problem. Despite this, the development of modern approaches to the utilization of used polymer and rubber materials is currently relevant, including the using of anaerobic microbial destruction of polymers by sulfatereducing bacteria. The aim of the work. To study the ability of sulfate-reducing bacteria to utilize rubber and polymer materials such as solid rubber, ethylene vinyl acetate and foamed polyethylene. Methods. Microbiological (cultivation of sulfate-reducing bacteria, method of serial dilutions), biochemical (Lowry method, measurement of enzymatic activity), physical and chemical (gravimetry, iodometry, potentiometry, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). Results. It was shown that in the presence of the studied materials as the sole sources of carbon, the amount of sulfate-reducing bacteria increased by 2–3 orders compared to the control without adding the materials. On the 90th day of the experiment the destruction coefficients of the studied materials were low and reached KD=0.21–2.88%. In the cultivation medium with the introduced studied materials, the metabolic and enzymatic activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria are changed, in particular, the production of hydrogen sulfide in the presence of ethylene vinyl acetate and foamed polyethylene increased by 0.8–3 times, and rubber – decreased by 1.2–3.5 times. The catalase activity of the studied bacterial cultures was decreased by 1.4–3.4 times compared to the control without adding of materials. During the exposure period with adding the materials, the lipase activity of bacterial cultures decreased and in some cases almost disappeared. The introduction of materials led to increasing of the short-chain fatty acids synthesis by Desulfovibrio desulfuricans DSM642 and D. vulgaris DSM644 strains, while, on the contrary, Desulfovibrio sp. 10 strain showed the decreasing in acid production. The introduction of rubber only in D. vulgaris DSM644 culture leads to the increasing of acetic and propanoic acids synthesis by 59% and 49.5%, respectively, compared to the control without the introduction of the studied materials. The synthesis of acetic acid in the presence of foamed polyethylene and ethylene vinyl acetate in the cultural liquid of sulfate-reducing bacteria increased by 46.2–419.5% and 69.8–92.6%, and propane – by 23.1–46.2% and 71.9–159.0%, respectively. Conclusions. The presence in cultivation media of rubber, foamed polyethylene and ethylene vinyl acetate as a sole carbon sources led to the changes in enzymatic activity (catalase and lipase), the intensification of hydrogen sulfide synthesis by bacteria was observed as well as acetic, propanoic and butanoic acids synthesis increased. This indicates the potential of sulfate-reducing bacteria to utilize the studied materials via acid formation.

Current challenges in thermodynamic aspects of rubber foam

Natural rubber (NR) foam can be prepared by the Dunlop method using concentrated natural latex with chemical agents. Most previous studies have focused on the thermodynamic parameters of solid rubber in extension. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the NR matrix concentration on the static and dynamic properties of NR foams, especially the new approach of considering the thermodynamic aspects of NR foam in compression. We found that the density and compression strength of NR foams increased with increasing NR matrix concentration. The mechanical properties of NR foam were in agreement with computational modelling. Moreover, thermodynamic aspects showed that the ratio of internal energy force to the compression force, Fu/F, and the entropy, S, increased with increasing matrix concentration. The activation enthalpy, ∆Ha, also increased with increasing matrix concentration in the NR foam, indicating the greater relaxation time of the backbone of the rubber molecules. New scientific concepts of thermodynamic parameters of the crosslinked NR foam in compression mode are proposed and discussed. Our results will improve both the knowledge and the development of rubber foams based on the structure–properties relationship, especially the new scientific concept of the thermodynamical parameters under compression.

Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Concrete Containing Liquid Silicone Rubber Under Axial Loads

As the experts who have taken for granted the merits of utilizing the concrete as the most common material in the structural industry, there is a need to take affirmative steps to enhance the concrete’s weaknesses such as the low ductility and energy absorption capacity. One possible way to improve the mechanical properties of concrete is to add liquid silicone rubber to the concrete. Silicone rubber is an elastomer (rubber-like material) composed of liquid rubber polymer and its hardener which is widely used in voltage line insulators, automotive applications, and medical devices. In order to increase the ductility and energy absorption of concrete, the liquid silicone rubber replaced a portion of mineral aggregates in concrete. HSRC (hybrid silicone rubber concrete) is a mixture of liquid silicone rubber with fresh concrete that liquid silicone rubber after 24 hours becomes a flexible solid rubber with low strength. In this paper, liquid silicone rubber was used to replace 0%, 2%, 4%, 8%, 12.5%, 25%, and 50% of the total mineral aggregate’s volume in concrete. Standard specimens were fabricated and tested. The fresh HSRC exhibited acceptable workability and lower unit weight compared to ordinary plain concrete. The uniaxial compressive strain-control test was conducted on the hardened HSRC specimens to obtain the complete stress-strain curve. The results showed that, with the increase of liquid silicone rubber in concrete, the amount of compressive strength, splitting tensile stress, and elastic modulus decreased. It was also observed that the percentage of reduction in compressive strength was greater than the percentage of reduction in tensile strength. Increasing silicone rubber concentration in HSRC changes the brittle mode of failure to ductile that demonstrated using nonlinearity indices. Unlike plain concrete, the failure state in HSRC occurs gently and uniformly and does not cause so much separation in the specimens. Larger deformation and higher toughness indices were obtained, when the silicone rubber concentration was increased.

Incidence of Clinically Significant Aniseikonia Following Encircling Scleral Buckle Surgery: An Evaluation of Refractive and Axial Length Changes Requiring Intervention

To evaluate the incidence of symptomatic anisometropia and aniseikonia requiring intervention following surgery with combined pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and broad 276 style encircling scleral buckle (ESB) for the repair of rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (RRD) and to report axial length (AL) and keratometry changes, a retrospective review of consecutive RRD patients treated with combined PPV and ESB between June 2016 until September 2019 was performed. All patients with symptomatic optically induced aniseikonia requiring additional interventions or surgical procedures including clear lens exchanges, secondary intraocular lens implants or contact lenses were documented. Keratometry and AL measurements were recorded for each eye and changes calculated. In total, 100 patients underwent combined PPV, ESB and endotamponade with mean age of 59.47 years (SD 11.49). AL was significantly increased (25.39 mm [SD 1.27] to 26.54 mm [SD 1.16], p = 0.0001), with a mean change of 1.15 mm (SD 0.67). Mean corneal astigmatism increased by –0.95 D (SD 0.51) in control eyes preoperatively and –1.33 (SD 0.87) postoperatively (p = 0.03). Over half of phakic patients (39/61; 64%) developed a visually significant cataract, subsequently undergoing surgery. Six of 100 patients developed symptomatic anisometropia with aniseikonia postoperatively (6%). Four proceeded with clear lens exchange despite absence of visually significant cataract (4%). Two of these initially trialled contact lenses (2%). One was intolerant, while the other decided to proceed with clear lens exchange for convenience. Only one patient (1%), being pseudophakic in both eyes, had persistent anisometropia/aniseikonia. AL and keratometry changes induced by encirclement with broad solid silicone rubber buckles are acceptable and similar to those reported previously using narrow encircling components, being unlikely to induce troublesome symptomatic anisometropia/aniseikonia. Many patients are phakic and develop visually significant cataracts, allowing correction of changes induced with the aim of visual restoration. A minority require more prolonged methods of visual rehabilitation, such as contact lens wear or clear lens exchanges. Caution and appropriate consent should be made in patients that are pseudophakic in both eyes at presentation.

Validation and optimization of a compact push-pull rubber actuator energized by an outer coil of shape memory wire

The authors have formerly published the analytical model and finite element validation of a push-pull actuator made by winding a thin shape memory wire on a solid rubber cylinder. The cylinder provides elastic backup for the wire upon cooling down and transforms its circumferential contraction into a magnified axial elongation upon heating up. Building on that study, this paper accomplishes three tasks: (1) build prototype actuators and perform simple tests to validate the theory; (2) develop simple procedures for the optimal design of the actuator starting from high-level engineering specifications; (3) envision how the present concept could be improved by replacing the rubber block with a compliant lattice-like or shell-like scaffold with designed properties to further enhance the axial stroke.

Correcting of Calf Atrophy With a Custom-Made Silicone Implant: Contribution of Three-Dimensional Computer-Aided Design Reconstruction: A Pilot Study.

Calf shape is an essential aesthetic parameter of the leg, and calf atrophy can lead to complex problems. The functional consequences of calf atrophy are generally moderate. Prefilled silicone gel implants represent the vast majority of currently placed prostheses, but this technique does not ensure optimal adaptation of the implant shape due to loss of volume. The aim of this study was to describe an innovative procedure for correcting acquired calf atrophy based on 3-dimensional (3D) modeling. The study involved 22 patients treated for calf atrophy caused by illness. Implants were made with solid rubber silicone, and 3D reconstructions were created by computer-aided design based on computed tomography scans. The implants were introduced through a horizontal popliteal incision. Forty-one implants were placed. No cases of infection, hematoma, or compartment syndrome were encountered. We experienced 1 case of skin necrosis and 1 case of periprosthetic seroma. In addition, lipofilling was performed in 5 cases. Two patients sought to benefit from a surgical reduction in implant size. Our innovative procedure to correct calf atrophy with custom solid rubber silicone implants produces a calf shape that better adapts to volume loss than prefilled silicone gel implants. The material maintains its shape and facilitates retrofitting of the prosthesis. There is no risk of hull formation or breakage, and the life span of the implants is limitless. This 3D computer-aided design approach has optimized our reconstructions.

Development of Rubberized Asphalt Technology Based on Asphalt Cement (AC Pen 60) and Fresh Natural Rubber in Indonesia

AbstractTechnology of rubberized asphalt is significantly increased for the last five years among three highest natural rubber producing countries. Fresh natural rubber which is used as asphalt cement additive, consists of pre‐vulcanized natural rubber latex (NRL), solid rubber compound, and master‐batch. Selection of fresh natural rubber types are strongly influenced by process‐ability, while dosage of fresh natural rubber determine rubberized asphalt properties. Mixing of pre‐vulcanized NRL with hot melted asphalt is run at stirred mixer, while addition of solid rubber compound and master‐batch into asphalt is conducted by using high shear mixer at 150 °C. Observation during rubberized asphalt production shows that mixing of solid rubber based asphalt additive was longer (12 h) than pre‐vulcanized NRL (4 h). Longer mixing time due to solid rubber tend to swell in the hot melted asphalt since there is polarity difference between rubber particles and asphalt. Analysis of rubberized asphalt physical property shows that pre‐vulcanized NRL produces highest elastic recovery value (40–70%) compared to rubberized asphalt based on solid rubber (25.8%). High elastic recovery indicates better resistance of rubberized asphalt against high traffic load and harsh environment. It can be concluded that during field trial test, usage of pre‐vulcanized NRL is more beneficial.

Reducing and stabilizing the viscosity of natural rubber by using sugars: Interference of the Maillard reaction between proteins and sugars

AbstractThis work is an extension of previous work elucidating the reduction and stabilization of solid natural rubber (NR) viscosity by using sugars. Various amounts of glucose, fructose, sucrose, and maltose were incorporated into fresh NR (FNR), deproteinized NR (DPNR), and synthetic polyisoprene (IR) latexes. The results revealed that all sugars cannot decrease the Mooney viscosity of FNR, while only monosaccharides, that is, glucose and fructose, can significantly decrease the Mooney viscosity of both DPNR and IR by way of a lubrication mechanism. The proteins in FNR can diminish the capability of glucose and fructose to decrease the Mooney viscosity. Furthermore, glucose was found to reduce the occurrence of storage hardening in DPNR by interacting with polar groups of phospholipids at the rubber chain ends. Measurements of browning intensity as well as analysis of Maillard reaction products together with the NR protein–glucose model compound were utilized to confirm that the reduction and stabilization of the viscosity of NR using monosaccharides were interfered by the Maillard reaction between the proteins in NR and the monosaccharides.

Development of powdering method for cellulose nanofibers assisted by zinc oxide for compounding reinforced natural rubber composite

We have developed a unique powdering method for cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) that allows zinc oxide to function as a dusting powder for noodles at the nanoscale. A CNF slurry and zinc oxide as a rubber compounding ingredient were mixed and dried. The resultant CNF–zinc oxide mixture could be pulverized into a fine powder because submicron-order zinc oxide fine particles intercalated between the CNF fibers; that is, they suppressed the aggregation of the CNFs. The obtained CNF powder was almost uniformly dry-blended with solid natural rubber (NR) to obtain an NR/CNF mixture. The tensile strength of the NR/CNF composite prepared by vulcanizing the mixture with sulfur was improved compared with that of the NR (without CNF). In addition, the reinforcing effect of the composites improved with increasing length of the CNFs filled into the NR.

Effect of amine types and temperature of a natural rubber based composite material on the carbon dioxide capture

Solid natural rubber (NR) was chosen to prepare a carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorbent material in order to solve the disadvantage of using NR latex as the adsorbent. The effect of modifier type on the CO2 adsorption capacity of the NR/silica foam composites was investigated under ambient temperature and pressure. The CO2 adsorption capacity of the NR/silica foam composite material increased from 1.81 to 6.71 mg/g after filling with silica particles modified by 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane. The NR/silica foam composite material filled with silica particles modified with a short chain structure (3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane) showed a higher CO2 adsorption capacity than those with a longer modifying chain structure (N-[(3-trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine or N-[(3-trimethoxysilyl)propyl]diethylenetriamine). The increasing of adsorption temperature caused the chains of the long-chain modifier on the silica particle surface to become more flexible, resulting in a high selectivity for capturing CO2. The NR/silica foam composite filled with unmodified or modified silica particles showed a high reusability compared to NR foam.

Unvulcanized Rubber Tape Made from Natural Rubber and Synthetic Polyisoprene Modified with Rosin as a Tackifier

This presented work was to study mechanical and tack properties of unvulcanized rubber tapes made from STR 20 and IR 2200 with various amount of carbon black and rosin as reinforcing agent and tackifier, respectively. Mixing process of solid rubbers and all chemicals was carried out by two roll mill machine. All rubber compounds were subjected to increasing the stickiness by aging under hot air at 150°C for 3 hours. From the experiment, green strength of the sticky rubber tape mixed with carbon black and rosin showed higher than that of the commercial rubber tape. The formulation exhibited the highest tensile stress at 400% strain is STR 20 mixed with 15 and 5 phr of carbon black and rosin, respectively. Mooney viscosity of the rubber tape made from STR 20 and IR 2200 was also reduced with the higher content of rosin. Although Mooney viscosity of the adhesive rubber tape normally decreased after heating under hot air, its tack property investigeted by rolling ball test on the surface predominantly became increased. Moreover, Mooney viscosity of the rubber tape made from IR 2200 would be remarkably enhanced by blending with only 20% of STR 20.

Control of the particle microstructure during the synthesis of bulk‐polymerized transparent methacrylate‐acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene resin

AbstractA series of methacrylate‐acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (MABS) resins was prepared using bulk polymerization. The polarity of the continuous phase and the compatibility of two phases were changed by adjusting the methyl methacrylate (MMA) content, choosing values that were close to styrene‐butadiene rubber solubility value. The possibility of controlling the microstructure of the MABS resin by changing the polarity of the components and the compatibility of two phases was assessed. The dynamic mechanical analysis shows that the compatibility of two phases varies with the MMA content. The morphological analysis shows that increasing MMA contents results in a gradual decrease in the sub‐inclusion structure with a network skeleton of rubber particles, and that all the particles become solid rubber when the MMA content reaches 75%. The sub‐inclusion structure reappears but does not have a network skeleton when the MMA content is 90%. The impact strength and morphological analysis indicate that the solid rubber particles and the sub‐inclusion structure with a network skeleton provide excellent toughness, while the sub‐inclusion structure without a network skeleton does not. In contrast, the transmittance of the ABS resin first increased and then decreased with increasing MMA content.

A New Horizon for Evaluating Tire Grip Within a Laboratory Environment

The evaluation of tire grip on the road is costly and consumes high energy and time, but is essential for safety. Prediction of tire grip on a laboratory scale is therefore always of interest and of utmost importance for research and material developments. It mostly suffers from lack of comparison with actual tire data. To involve all influencing factors on tire grip in a laboratory scale measurement is very complex. Therefore, it has always remained challenging to obtain a strong correlation between laboratory results and road data. In the present study, a new test method is developed for a Laboratory Abrasion Tester, LAT100, which enables to exploit the device as a tribometer. The objective was to develop a technique on a laboratory device to mimic the common test modalities for evaluating tire grip on the road with a trailer tester: lateral (α) and longitudinal (κ) sweep tests. The new method is validated by correlating the laboratory data with the two test modalities of real tire grip on a dry road using a trailer tester for six different tire tread compositions. For the LAT100 tests, solid rubber wheels are characterized at three different normal loads. The effects are comparable with actual tire data. The outcome of the new test method is in good agreement with actual tire trailer α-sweep tests.Graphical abstract

Finite Element Modeling and Critical Plane Analysis of a Cut-and-Chip Experiment for Rubber

ABSTRACT Rubber surfaces exposed to concentrated, sliding impacts carry large normal and shearing stresses that can cause damage and the eventual removal of material from the surface. Understanding this cut-and-chip (CC) effect in rubber is key to developing improved tread compounds for tires used in off-road or poor road conditions. To better understand the mechanics involved in the CC process, an analysis was performed of an experiment conducted on a recently introduced device, the Instrumented Chip and Cut Analyzer (ICCA), which repetitively impacts a rigid indenter against a rotating solid rubber wheel. The impact process is carefully controlled and measured on this lab instrument, so that the contact time, normal force, and shear force are all known. The numerical evaluation includes Abaqus finite element analysis (FEA) to determine the stress and strain fields during impact. The FEA results are combined with rubber fracture mechanics characteristics of the material as inputs to the Endurica CL elastomer fatigue solver, which employs critical plane analysis to determine the fatigue response of the specimen surface. The modeling inputs are experimentally determined hyperelastic stress-strain parameters, crack growth rate laws, and crack precursor sizes for carbon black–filled compounds wherein the type of elastomer is varied in order to compare natural rubber (NR), butadiene rubber (BR), and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR). At the lower impact force, the simulation results were consistent with the relative CC resistances of NR, BR, and SBR measured using the ICCA, which followed the order BR > NR > SBR. Impact-induced temperature increases need to be considered in the fatigue analysis of the higher impact force to provide lifetime predictions that match the experimental CC resistance ranking of NR > SBR > BR.

Influence of conductive and dielectric fillers on the relaxation of solid silicone rubber composites

Flexible dielectrics possessing high permittivity and low loss are desirable for many electromechanical transduction applications. Solid silicone rubber composites are promising materials for electromechanical applications. These composites are fabricated using high-temperature vulcanization process, with various amounts of conductive, dielectric and conductor-dielectric filler and processing parameters. Dielectric and conductivity relaxations of these composites are investigated using dielectric spectroscopy in the 20 Hz–2 MHz frequency range at room temperature. Dielectric relaxations of dielectric filler composites show different behaviour compared to conductive and conductive—dielectric filler composites even with the same filler loading. All composites show increased permittivity at lower frequencies. The maximum permittivity of 46, 5.8 and 46 at 20 Hz was attained for the conductive, dielectric and conductive-dielectric composites respectively at similar filler loadings. The composites follow the AC universality law with exponents in the range of 0.82 to 1.02. The conductive filler is more reinforcing than dielectric filler as seen from the variation of Young’s modulus with filler type. Uniform dispersion of fillers is observed for all the three composites.

Influence of filler and processing parameters on the mechanical properties of dielectric elastomer composites

Dielectric elastomer composites are used as actuators and sensors. They convert electrical energy directly into mechanical energy and vice versa. Conductive and dielectric fillers are added to elastomers in order to improve its permittivity, thereby altering its mechanical properties. This study investigates the effect of conductive filler and processing parameters on the mechanical properties of dielectric elastomer composites fabricated using solid silicone rubber as matrix and ketjenblack as conductive filler using compression moulding process. The processing parameters such as amount of curing agent, mixing time and curing temperature also influence the mechanical properties. Maximum values of Young’s modulus, density and shore A hardness recorded were 25.2 MPa, 1210 kg/m3 and 86 for the present study.

Investigation on Electromechanical Properties of Solid Silicone Rubber Composites with Conductive Carbon Filler

Dielectric elastomers belonging to the class of electroactive polymers are promising materials for electromechanical transduction. They are used as actuators, capacitive sensors and energy harvesters. In the present study solid silicone rubber-super conducting carbon black composites are prepared through compression moulding process and evaluated for their mechanical and dielectric properties. Electromechanical sensitivity is estimated and discussed using Taguchi orthogonal arrays for the factors, such as content of active filler and curing agent, mixing time in roll mill, curing temperature. Permittivity of the composites increased 6 times when compared with the sample without active filler. Electromechanical sensitivity of the composite improved 2 times, thus highlighting that this approach could lead to development of newer dielectric elastomer transducer materials.