Effect of gamma radiation on physico-mechanical properties of vulcanized natural rubber/carbon fiber composites

Natural rubber was reinforced with a short carbon fibers (SCFs) at different concentrations (0–20 part per hundred part of rubber (phr)). The composites were vulcanized by sulfur, then subjected to gamma radiation at different doses up to 40 kGy. Physico-mechanical properties of composites were studied. Also, thermogravimetric analysis was used to investigate the influence of the incorporation of SCF on the thermal properties of prepared composites. It was observed that the mechanical properties like tensile strength increases with increasing irradiation dose up to 30 kGy and fiber loading up to 15 phr, meanwhile the hardness and modulus increase with increasing fiber loading, but not affected by irradiation dose. Thermal stability of composites was increased by fiber loading content at constant irradiation dose. The morphological studies were made by means of scanning electron microscopy to investigate the structure change caused by the incorporation of SCF.