Compounds were mixed on a laboratory two-roll mill to produce
mixtures with fibers aligned in the machine direction, as
described previously [3,8]. The sequence of ingredient addition is
shown in Table 1. The formulations of the rubber compound are
shown in Table 2. The amount of PALF was fixed at 10 phr and that
of carbon black (CB) varied from 0 to 30 phr. The abbreviations CB
and F denote carbon black and PALF respectively. The numbers
following letters CB and F in a compound name indicate the
amount of the respective material in phr. The rubber composites
were prepared by vulcanizing the rubber compound while
compression molding in a hydraulic press. This was done under a
pressure of 1500 psi and temperature of 150 C with a 1 mm thick
mold.