Why a new book about the science of an apparently old material? This question can be easily posed, when reading the title of this book. Indeed, filled rubbers are well known and well used in daily life. However, it is less known that recipes and the corresponding processing cycles of carbon black or silica filled rubber are extremely complex, which leads to a complex structure of the material in a wide range of length scales. Rubbers are classes of relatively soft materials without which modern technology would be unthinkable, similar to the case of metals, fibres, plastics, glass, etc. No matter where these rubber materials find their application, especially in tires and in a great variety of industrial and consumer products, e.g. motor mounts, fuel hoses, heavy conveyor belts, profiles, etc., the applications make high demands on rubber materials. The requirements are manifold, e.g. high elastic behavior even at large deformation, tailored damping properties during periodic deformations, great toughness under static or dynamic stresses, high abrasion resistance, impermeability to air and water, in many cases a high resistance to swelling in solvents, little damage, and long life.

Their importance for applied sciences and engineering is unquestionable, so why not collect the ideas and facts about these materials in a book? Aren't there many theories and facts around which many could form the basis for a review book? This would be, however, too simple, at least for us and for the completely different backgrounds of the three authors.