Development of Sustainable Rubber Composites Reinforced with Silk Fabric for High-Performance Bicycle Tires: Material Characterization and Prototype Testing

Natural rubber (NR) composites reinforced with fabrics were prepared through compression molding by sandwiching a layer of fabric between two layers of NR. A range of composite properties were assessed, including adhesion and mechanical-thermal behavior. Cross-linked NR reinforced with silk fabric had better mechanical properties compared to the same NR reinforced with nylon fabric. Furthermore, silk fabric reinforced NR had a lower dissipation energy. This study combined material characterization with pilot-scale manufacturing of racing bicycle tires. It compared commercial nylon-reinforced tires with tires reinforced using silk fabric. The silk-reinforced tire performed better than the conventional nylon-reinforced tire in durability (129%), puncture resistance (157%), and cord tensile strength (243%). In addition, life cycle assessment (LCA) revealed significant environmental advantages of silk-reinforced tires, with reductions of over 80% in global warming potential (GWP), abiotic depletion of fossil resources, ozone depletion potential (ODP), and photochemical oxidation potential (POP) compared to nylon-reinforced tires. These results highlight silk fabric as a sustainable, high-performance alternative for commercial-scale, energy-saving racing bicycle tire applications.