| abstract |
Rubber compositions having feather material incorporated therein and products formed from these rubber compositions, an example being a cross-linkable or cross-linked rubber composition having an essentially unsaturated rubber elastomer and a filler that is selected from carbon black, silica or combinations thereof with between 1 and 60 phr of feather material, the feather material having feather barbs with a diameter of about 5 μm and a length of between about 5 and 25 mm. Other embodiments include, with the feather barbs, the feather quills wherein at least a portion of the feather barbs are not separated from the feather quills. The feather material may include a coupling agent comprising a first moiety that is reactant with the rubber elastomer and a second moiety that is reactant with the feather material. |