Improvement of Workability and Integrity for Ambient Ground Rubber as Elastomer Alternative: Direct Incorporation and Functionalization

The main barriers to the wide use of ambient ground tire rubber (GTR) are the absence of breakdown in shear mixing, lack of compatibility, and co-curing with the polymer matrix. The functionalization of the GTR was realized through dispersive shear-induced mixing, with the disintegration of the aggregates due to the swelling gradient, oxidation of a network and to sequence order. The GTR-functionalized macro-composite comprised a co-cured compatible GTR and an unsaturated elastomer at any ratio, retaining the excellent initial properties, unlike a depolymerized reclaim. This blend had an unexpected integrity effect: the enhanced workability of the roll-processed, self-sustained web with regular surface skin topography and verified integrity for an uncured blend. Functionalization appears to be a more significant factor than GTR size, characterized by lower gel content, improved abrasion, and tear resistance compared to the virgin elastomer blend. Workability and integrity control indicators were selected