Fabian Grunert

Fabian Grunert studied plastics and rubber engineering at the Technical University of Applied Science in Würzburg (Germany). Subsequently, he joined the University of Twente (Netherlands) as a PhD student in cooperation with Evonik Resource Efficiency. In 2018 he successfully defended his PhD thesis, entitled, Analytical method development to predict the in-rubber dispersibility of silica. With the end of the PhD project he joined the elastomer technology and engineering group (head of chair: Anke Blume), and is currently assistant professor. He is strongly involved in different research projects (BSc, MSc, EngD, PhD, PostDoc) as well as educational programs.

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Presentation

'Re-thinking' sulfur curing, part 2

The first part of the paper 'Re-thinking sulfur curing' shows that sulfur curing in a high-vinyl SSBR compound follows a different mechanism than in NR. A direct radical coupling – preferably to vinyl – takes place. In the second part, the impact of the presence of carbon black, silica/silane and DPG on the mechanism of sulfur curing in SSBR is further investigated. Based on these findings, future tire tread compounds don’t require the addition of activators and DPG. This enables the production of cheaper greener tires which release much less harmful substances in the environment.