Master of Science / Rubber is a widely used material globally and undergoes significant changes as it ages. However, the specific consequences of rubber aging on tires and vehicle dynamics remain a relatively underexplored domain. This study delves into the effects of rubber aging on tires and motorcycle dynamics. A Dynamical Mechanical Analysis (DMA) test was performed to study the effect of rubber aging combined with computer simulation models to predict how much the rubber wears out over time. It was found that as rubber gets older it doesn't wear out much faster. This might be because the changes in the rubber properties as it ages are very small. The rubber material also gets stiffer as it ages, leading to minimal differences in the wear rate. The Magic Formula (MF) model was used in this study to model motorcycle tires. A 3-4% increase in the longitudinal and lateral tire forces was observed as the tire aged. This was followed by simulations to study the motorcycle behavior during straight-line and turning motion. It was found that the front tires of the motorcycle had an approximately 3% change in the forces experienced, while the forces experienced by the rear tires only changed by 1-2% with respect to aging. These results are similar to the results obtained by other researchers on the effects of rubber aging on car performance. Thus, this study stresses the importance of understanding how tires change over time and how that affects how motorcycles perform.

Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR) is a form of rubber compound that is widely used in the tire industry. This is due to some of their unique characteristics such as high strength, high elasticity and resilience, high abrasion resistance, ability to absorb and dissipate shocks and vibrations, low plastic deformation, high deformation at low levels of stresses, and high product life. One of the most important and often overlooked causes of SBR degradation and eventual tire failure is 'rubber aging.' It can be defined as an alteration in the mechanical, chemical, physical, or morphological properties of elastomers under the influence of various environmental factors during processing, storing and use. Some of these environmental factors are humidity, ozone, oxygen, temperature, radiation (UV rays), etc. This study focuses on the effects of two of these factors acting in tandem, oxygen and temperature. In the past, studies have been conducted to observe the effects of rubber aging on the mechanical and wear properties of rubber. Studies have also been conducted to study the reactions taking place in rubber during aging and changes in its chemical structure. These studies use different modelling techniques and experiments to quantify the effects of aging. In this study, a material aging model that can predict the hyperplastic response of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) was mathematically developed using an integrated testing and continuum damage model framework. Coupling between the mechanical changes of SBR to the change in the chemical properties, specifically crosslink density (CLD) was also investigated. SBR dogbone shaped samples were accelerated aged in an aging oven at various temperatures and aging periods. Subsequently, hyperelastic tests were conducted to obtain the high strain response taking the 'Mullin's effect' into consideration. These responses were calibrated to different hyperelastic material models and the Arruda-Boyce model was chosen, due to its stable behavior and optimal fit. An aging evolution function was developed based on the variation in the model coefficients. This damage model is able to predict the hyperelastic response of SBR as it ages. A user material subroutine (UMAT) was also implemented in Abaqus based on the obtained aging evolution function to predict the stress response of SBR for varied applications. Additionally, to couple the chemical variations with the hyperelastic response, the rubber structure and composition was probed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The degradation of additives and SBR polymer chains were analyzed microscopically to explain the impact on the macroscopic properties. This study helps to correlate the change in crosslink density to ameliorate mechanical properties, such as strain at break, modulus, and stiffness. The effects of aging on the viscoelastic properties of SBR were also studied. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) was used to characterize the viscoelastic response. Master curves of storage and loss modulus were generated using the time-temperature superposition principle (TTSP). The friction coefficient was estimated from the storage and loss modulus using a simplified form of the Persson equation [1]. CLD was also estimated from DMA data. Wear experiments were conducted on the Dynamic Friction Tester (DFT) for various aging conditions. The estimated friction coefficient was compared to the one from the experiments. Archard's law was used to correlate the frictional energy to the volume loss during wear experiments. Correlation between the wear and the viscoelastic properties of SBR is also studied. Finally, the lifetime of SBR for various aging temperatures is predicted using various models. [1] M. Ciavarella, "A Simplified Version of Persson's Multiscale Theory for Rubber Friction Due to Viscoelastic Losses," J. Tribol., vol. 140, no. 1, 2018, doi: 10.1115/1.4036917. / Master of Science / Elastomers or rubbers are they are generally referred to are an indispensable part of human life. They are made up of long-chain polymer units linked to one other through crosslinks. This peculiar morphology of rubbers is what gives them their unique characteristics. There are as many as 40,000 known products that use some form of rubber as the primary raw material. Apart, from this, they are also widely used in aviation and aerospace, automobiles, dampers and absorbers, civil engineering, electronics, medical, toys, clothing, sports, footwear, and so on. This is due to some of their unique characteristics such as high strength, high elasticity and resilience, high abrasion resistance, ability to absorb and dissipate shocks and vibrations, low plastic deformation, high deformation at low levels of stresses, and high product life. Over the last couple of years, it has also played a pivotal role in personal protective equipment (PPE) and masks worn by billions of people and frontline workers all over the globe. The fact that rubber is included in the EU's list of critical raw materials highlights its global importance. However, over the past several years, the rubber supply has dwindled. COVID-19 also caused disruptions in the supply chain of rubber. As the effects of COVID-19 are fading, there has been a spike in the demand for rubber; the primary reason being automotive tires! Even though substantial research is being conducted to try and replace rubber as a raw material with synthetic alternatives such as polyurethane, the excellent blend of damping, friction and wear characteristics, heat dissipation provided by natural rubber cannot be replicated by any of these laboratory compounds. Hence, at this time, there is an increased need to conserve and improve the longevity of rubber compounds. Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR) is a form of a rubber compound that is widely used in the tire industry. One of the most important and often overlooked causes of SBR degradation and eventual tire failure is 'rubber aging.' It can be defined as an alteration in the mechanical, chemical, physical, or morphological properties of elastomers under the influence of various environmental factors during processing, storing and use. Some of these environmental factors are humidity, ozone, oxygen, temperature, radiation (UV rays), etc. This study focuses on the effects of two of these factors acting in tandem, oxygen and temperature. In the past, studies have been conducted to observe the effects of rubber aging on the mechanical and wear properties of rubber. Studies have also been conducted to study the reactions taking place in rubber during aging and changes in its chemical structure. These studies use different modelling techniques and experiments to quantify the effects of aging. The present study aims to model changes in the hyperelastic (large stretching) behavior of SBR using a Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM) approach. This mathematical model is translated into ABAQUS, a finite element analysis software to study the mechanical response of components with various geometries and loading conditions. Secondly, the effects of aging on the viscoelastic behavior of SBR is studied. This helps us to estimate the cross-link density (CLD) as well as the friction coefficient of SBR as it is aged. The impact of aging on the wear and friction properties of SBR is studied experimentally. Finally, using various mechanical and chemical models the lifetime of SBR is estimated for various aging temperatures. Thus, the end goal of the study is to drive the development of new rubber compounds that will help improve the service life of rubbers and also have a positive impact on the environment.

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