Tires for Mars Rovers: Reinforcing BR and BR/VMQ Compounds with Carbon Black, Nano-CaCO3 or Silica for Good Low-Temperature Dynamic­Mechanical Performance

Recently Mars exploration is drawing more and more attention. Not only wealthy countries but also private companies are interested in reaching Mars as a potential human colony and future market. However, Martian weather conditions differ significantly from Earth. The daily temperature range is much higher and minimum temperatures much lower (-120 - 20°C). Mars's surface is exposed to particulate and UV radiation due to a lack of a magnetosphere and ozone layer. Also, the atmospheric pressure is much lower in comparison to Earth. All these factors determine a new, challenging environment requiring tailor-made materials for satisfactory performance. One of the most important engineering materials is rubber that provides high elastic and damping properties. It is an irreplaceable material for manufacturing tires, gaskets, seals, dampers, and many other functional elements.
The aim of this project is to design tailor-made rubber compounds that withstand Martian conditions by using low glass-temperature rubbers - butadiene rubber (BR) or a unique butadiene/silicone rubber blend (BR/VMQ) to provide still good elasticity at the given low temperatures on Mars. The rubbers are reinforced with different grade carbon blacks (CB), silica, or nano-calcium carbonate (CaC03), to improve their dynamic-mechanical properties. The effects will be discussed based on dynamic-mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Payne effect, and mechanical properties measurements. The results show that the application of BR and BR/VMQ blends is a promising route to designing a high-performance rubber for Martian utilization.