Mechanical properties of NBR nanocomposites reinforced with graphene, CNTs and carbon black
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Dr. Rajasekar Rathanasamy obtained M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the year 2008 & 2011 at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, in the stream of Materials Science. He gained Post-Doctoral Research experience during 2011–2012 from the Department of Polymer & Nano Engineering at Chonbuk National University, South Korea. From 2012, he is working as a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Kongu Engineering College, India.
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Dr. Mogana Priya Chinnasamy obtained her master’s degree in Engineering Design at Kongu Engineering College, Tamil Nadu, India in 2013. She completed Ph.D. degree from Anna University, Chennai during 2019. Later, she gained Post-Doctoral Research experience during 2021–2023 form the Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Currently, she is working as an Associate Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, India.
Sudarsan Kamaraj is a final-year B.Tech student in Mechanical Engineering at Kongu Engineering College. His academic interests lie in manufacturing processes, materials engineering and design optimization. He has gained exposure to nanomaterials through coursework and project activities, reflecting his keen interest in advanced applications. Sudarsan aspires to pursue a professional career in materials research and product design.
Premkumar Gandhinathan is currently in the final year of his B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering at Kongu Engineering College. His areas of interest include product development, thermal systems and advanced materials. He has also shown enthusiasm for exploring nanomaterials and their role in engineering innovations. Premkumar aims to contribute to innovative solutions in the mechanical and materials engineering sectors.
Naresh Senthilkumar is a final-year Mechanical Engineering student at Kongu Engineering College. His academic focus is on materials engineering, nanomaterials and CAD/CAM-based design methodologies. He has actively contributed to team projects, particularly those involving material characterization and application studies. He looks forward to building a career in research and development in the fields of materials and mechanical design.
Abstract
The work involves formulating nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) having improved mechanical and chemical properties, by incorporating nanomaterials, such as COOH graphene, OH graphene, COOH graphene + CNT and OH graphene + CNT, in addition to carbon black. NBR is widely used in the automotive, aerospace and petroleum industries because it has outstanding resistance to oil, fuel and chemicals. However, to be eligible for higher level applications, NBR must also have good tensile strength, tear resistance, hardness and oil-swelling resistance. The nanocomposite samples were compounded by two-roll mill and vulcanized under optimum conditions. The performance of the composites was tested by using characterization methods such as tensile, elongation, tear, hardness, compression set and oil swelling tests. The FESEM morphological study established nanomaterial uniform dispersion, leading to improved mechanical properties. The results show that the developed nanocomposites possess better strength, durability and deformation resistance, which render them appropriate for high-performance applications.
About the authors
Dr. Rajasekar Rathanasamy obtained M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the year 2008 & 2011 at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, in the stream of Materials Science. He gained Post-Doctoral Research experience during 2011–2012 from the Department of Polymer & Nano Engineering at Chonbuk National University, South Korea. From 2012, he is working as a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Kongu Engineering College, India.
Dr. Mogana Priya Chinnasamy obtained her master’s degree in Engineering Design at Kongu Engineering College, Tamil Nadu, India in 2013. She completed Ph.D. degree from Anna University, Chennai during 2019. Later, she gained Post-Doctoral Research experience during 2021–2023 form the Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Currently, she is working as an Associate Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, India.
Sudarsan Kamaraj is a final-year B.Tech student in Mechanical Engineering at Kongu Engineering College. His academic interests lie in manufacturing processes, materials engineering and design optimization. He has gained exposure to nanomaterials through coursework and project activities, reflecting his keen interest in advanced applications. Sudarsan aspires to pursue a professional career in materials research and product design.
Premkumar Gandhinathan is currently in the final year of his B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering at Kongu Engineering College. His areas of interest include product development, thermal systems and advanced materials. He has also shown enthusiasm for exploring nanomaterials and their role in engineering innovations. Premkumar aims to contribute to innovative solutions in the mechanical and materials engineering sectors.
Naresh Senthilkumar is a final-year Mechanical Engineering student at Kongu Engineering College. His academic focus is on materials engineering, nanomaterials and CAD/CAM-based design methodologies. He has actively contributed to team projects, particularly those involving material characterization and application studies. He looks forward to building a career in research and development in the fields of materials and mechanical design.
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Research ethics: Not applicable.
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Informed consent: Not applicable.
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Author contributions: The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Use of LLM, AI and MLT: The authors used QuillBot only for language editing and grammar check. All scientific content and conclusions are solely those of the authors.
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Conflict of interest: The authors state no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: None declared.
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Data availability: Not applicable.
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