Studies on mechanical and rheological Characteristics of rubber processing oil For manufacturing tyre tread

Abstract

The rubber processing oil incorporated in the process of manufacturing of tyre contains carcinogens (cancer causing agents). The petroleum based high poly cyclic aromatic hydrocarbon oils are widely used in tyre production. It encapsulates aromatic oil (majority in use), naphthenic oil and paraffinic oil which contain 68%, 44% and 15% aromatic content in the respective order. The aromatic substance when exposed to sunlight releases carcinogens into the atmosphere resulting in cancer. It is one of the leading noncommunicable disease which accounts for 63% of deaths in India. The common carcinogens known to all are tobacco, alcohol, ultraviolet rays, asbestos, radon, crispy brown foods, formaldehyde, processed meat etc. The society is not completely aware of the carcinogen released by the scrap tyre that are dumped on road side or on particular locality reserved as dump yard for waste. newlineThe aromatic oil is the major source of rubber processing oil in tyre manufacturing industry attributing to its economical price, availability of resources at remote region, compatibility of oil with rubber matrix satisfying the performance requirements of tyre. Around 169 million units of tyre was produced in India during the financial year 2021 alone which witnessed a decline in consumption by 4% over the preceded financial year due to Covid 19 pandemic. On an average 11.5% growth in production of tyre was carried out from the financial year of 2013 to till 2019. This growth is directly proportional to the consumption rate of aromatic oil in the production process of tyre and its allied parts. The consumption rate increases with the rise in demand for buying the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) tyre rather than going for retreading purpose as in the case of heavy vehicle tyre. newline