1. Standard load characteristics

Generally speaking, the three main characteristics of fillers that influence elastomer reinforcement are :

• the primary particle size or specific surface area which determines the effective contact between the filler and the polymer matrix;

  The notion of primary particle refers to the object under consideration which interacts with its fellow objects or the polymer matrix via its surface. The size of this particle depends on the state of dispersion of the mixture. For a well-dispersed system, this particle is the aggregate;

• the structure or degree of irregularity of the elementary charge, which plays an essential role in restricting the movement of elastomer chains under stress;

• surface activity, which is the...