Dynamic Mechanical Behaviour of an Elastomeric Hybrid Composite Based on Nanosilica and Short Nylon-6 Fibre

The dynamic mechanical analysis of short nylon-6 fibre/nanosilica-reinforced elastomeric hybrid composites was carried out over the frequency range 1–50 Hz at 70 °C. The storage modulus (E′) and loss modulus (E″) increased linearly with frequency for all the composites, irrespective of the matrix used. With the incorporation of short fibre, E′ improved uniformly over the frequency range studied. The storage modulus of the composite was greatly influenced by the incorporation of nanosilica for all the mixes. In the case of gum compound, E′ and E″ increased marginally up to 30 Hz, and beyond this the rate was high. The samples with higher fibre content showed a two-step increase in E′ and E″ with frequency. The rate of increase in E′ and E″ with silica for different samples showed that the rate was higher for samples containing nanosilica than for samples containing commercial silica. The E″ was also found to increase with increasing silica content.