Abstract

Rubber tracks, which serve essential components in heavy-duty machinery, operate under high loads and in harsh terrains, thereby requiring superior abrasion resistance and enhanced mechanical properties. As the adoption of electrified heavy equipment expands, the battery-induced increase in machine weight has rendered reinforcement performance in rubber track compounds even more critical. Simultaneously, stringent environmental regulations in the rubber industry have made the use of environmentally friendly raw materials imperative. Recycled carbon black (rCB), a representative eco-friendly material, has attracted attention as a sustainable alternative reinforcing filler. However, compared with conventional carbon black, rCB generally exhibits a lower specific surface area and higher impurity and ash content, which reduces its reinforcement efficiency and limits its applicability in high-performance products. In this study, conventional carbon black was partially replaced with rCB, and a carbon black coupling agent was introduced to enhance the interfacial interaction with the rubber matrix. As a result, improved dispersion of carbon black and enhanced filler-rubber interaction (F-R interaction) led to superior abrasion resistance. Furthermore, the 100% modulus increased, and the dynamic viscoelastic properties improved. These results indicate that the reinforcement effect provided by the carbon black coupling agent can compensate for the intrinsic limitations of rCB.

Keywords: rubber track;recycled carbon black;carbon black coupling agent;abrasion resistance;filler-rubber interaction