Abstract
This paper presents our experiments on obtaining and characterizing polymeric composites based on wood sawdust and natural rubber. Natural rubber was crosslinked both through a classic method – using benzoyl peroxide at high temperature, and an unconventional method at room temperature – electron beam irradiation. Physico-mechanical properties such as hardness, modulus at 100% elongation and tensile strength indicate a significant improvement as a result of adding wood sawdust to blends. Better results have been obtained using crosslinking by electron beam irradiation. The crosslinking rates of samples, measured using the Flory-Rehner equation increase as the amount of wood sawdust in blends increases and as the electron beam irradiation dose increases. The swelling parameters of samples significantly depend on the amount of wood sawdust in blends, because the latter has hydrophilic characteristics. Key-words: natural rubber, wood sawdust, irradiation, physico–mechanical characteristics, crosslink density, swelling parameters