An investigation of recycled rubber composites reinforced with micro glass bubbles: an experimental and numerical approach

Recycled rubber is widely used for its lightweight and cost-effective properties but often has limited mechanical strength, restricting its applications. This study enhances the mechanical performance of devulcanised recycled rubber by reinforcing it with micro glass bubbles (GBs) featuring a density of 0.65 g/cm³ and an elastic modulus of 3.5 GPa, offering a high strength-to-density ratio. Uniaxial compression tests were conducted on samples with GB volume fractions of 5%, 10%, and 15%. Results were validated through finite element analysis (FEA) in ABAQUS/Standard, incorporating randomised GB distributions. A 2D representative volume element (RVE) with randomly distributed GBs was modelled, applying periodic boundary conditions to simplify the composite into an equivalent homogeneous material. Numerical simulations assessed the effects of GB diameters (30, 40, and 50 µm) and inclusion size ranges (20–50 µm and 10–60 µm), finding minimal impact on results. The RVE, sized at 238 µm, accurately represented macroscale composite behaviour. Stress-strain behaviour was analysed using average stress and strain tensors. The strong agreement between experimental and numerical results validates the proposed method, demonstrating its accuracy in predicting the mechanical behaviour of the reinforced composite material.