A new approach to temperature control in the extrusion process of composite tire products

• Published in: Journal of manufacturing processes Vol. 65; pp. 80 - 96
• Main Authors: Silva, André, Silva, Francisco J.G., Campilho, Raul D.S.G., Neves, Pedro M.P.F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2021
• Subjects: Computational fluid dynamics; Non-Newtonian fluid; Rubber compound; Scorch; Temperature control; Tire; Scorch; Rubber compound; Temperature control; Computational fluid dynamics; Tire; Non-Newtonian fluid
• ISSN: 1526-6125; 2212-4616
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmapro.2021.03.022

[Display omitted] •Conventional control in rubber extrusion can induce in erroneous temperature reading.•CFD simulation can help in seeking the best place to get measurements.•A combination of simulation and temperature controls by Arduino have been used.•A new temperature control system has been developed.•The scrap generated in rubber extrusion for tires was reduced almost in 100% Tires are a highly relevant component in the industry of global mobility. Also, in the automotive industry, they play a key role. They are a composite structure formed by multiple layers of different materials such as rubber compounds, steel wires and polyamide cords. Between the tire tread and steel belts, a cap ply layer is used to restrict the tire’s expansion due to centrifugal forces. The cap ply is manufactured by a process where polyamide cords are impregnated with a rubber compound, which is extruded. When the extrusion phase of the rubber compound is poorly controlled, the cap ply belts show premature vulcanization or lack of impregnation signs. These defects compromise the overall quality of the tire, as well as its safety features to its user. To improve the production process of cap ply, a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis was performed to study the flow of the rubber compound inside the extruder head by using two different temperature controls. The vulcanization and rheological properties of the rubber compound were studied to support numerical analysis data. Through thermographic imaging and data collection with a portable device (Arduino UNO) connected to sensors and modules, experimental data related to the temperature distribution was analyzed together with the numerical analysis. By critically analyzing all the data obtained, a new temperature control was created, which proved to be extremely efficient, reducing the amount of scrap and electric energy consumed.