Comparison of Mechanical and Electrical Characteristics of Various Polymers Blended with Ground Tire Rubber (GTR) and Applications

• Main Authors: Marc Marín-Genescà, Jordi García-Amorós, Ramon Mujal-Rosas, Xavier Salueña Berna, Lluís Massagués Vidal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-04-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: GTR; recycling; electric properties; mechanic properties; insulation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/8/1564

The massive manufacture of tires and the difficulty of reducing the stocks of used tires is a serious environmental problem. There are several methods used for recycling wasted tires, one of which is mechanical crushing, in which vulcanized rubber is separated from steel and fibers, resulting in a ground tire rubber (GTR). This can be used in applications such as insulation for footwear work. The aim of the present investigation is to evaluate the use of the GTR when it is mixed with several types of polymer matrix by means of measuring its dielectric and mechanical properties of the resulting composites (polymer + GTR). The analysis is carried out using seven polymeric matrices mixed with different GTR concentrations. With the present study, it is intended to propose a way to reuse the tires out of use as an industrial work footwear insulation, by demonstrating the feasibility of the properties analyzed.