Optimization of properties in a rubber compound containing a ternary polymer blend using response surface methodology

In order to find the best combination of three synthetic rubbers, that is, styrene‐butadiene rubber (SBR) grade 1712, SBR grade 1721 and high‐1,4‐cis polybutadiene, that produce a compound with specific end‐use properties, a statistical experimental design is proposed in this work. The design consists of ten mixtures containing specific amounts of total styrene and BR content. A number of properties are tested in each mixture, selecting those related to requirements for the tread of a high performance tire: glass transition temperature ( T g ), the ratio between the viscous modulus and the elastic modulus (tanδ@60 °C), Mooney viscosity, and the tensile properties. The values obtained for each property are fit to statistically significant models, obtaining the respective response surfaces. These are next used to define a desirable formulation with the optimal ratio of each rubber, and finally the optimized formulation is validated by comparing the experimental and predicted values for each modeled property. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135 , 46548.