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Why is butadiene rubber often blended with natural rubber or styrene-butadiene rubber?
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Truck tires being removed from their molds.
Butadiene rubber is frequently blended with natural rubber or styrene-butadiene rubber primarily to enhance its performance characteristics. Specifically, these blends are used to provide improved resilience and lower rolling resistance in the final product.1
While butadiene rubber is noted for its high resistance to abrasion and cracking, it can be weak and brittle without the addition of reinforcing fillers like carbon black. By combining it with other elastomers, manufacturers can optimize the material's properties for specific applications, such as tire treads for automobiles and trucks, where a balance of durability, heat management, and elasticity is required.1