A simulation study on the effect of spring-shaped fillers on the viscoelasticity of rubber nanocomposite

Abstract Background/Purpose Rubber nanocomposites have been widely used in many engineering fields due to their unique properties such as high elasticity and viscoelasticity. Much attention has been paid to the viscoelasticity of rubbers because it directly relates to the performance of the rubber products. Methods Based on the micromechanical theory, the finite element method is used to analyze the effect of elastic modulus and volume content of spring-shape nanofillers on the dynamic viscosity of composites. Results The simulation results show that there is an optimal elastic modulus of spring-shape nanofillers to make the loss factor a minimum. There is a threshold value of spring-shape nanofiller content for the dissipation energy density of composite. Conclusion The elastic modulus of spring-shape nanofillers has a large effect on the loss factor of composites. The selection of elastic modulus of spring-shape nanofillers is critical for applications of composites. The efficiency of spring-shape nanofillers in reducing the dynamic viscosity of composites is so high that volume content of spring-shape nanofillers as low as 0.1% can greatly reduce the loss factor of composites with bonding interface.