METHODS OF PREPARING A COMPOSITE HAVING ELASTOMER AND FILLER

• Main Authors: MARTIN C. GREEN, CARLOS ANDRES ECHAVARRIA YEPES
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 13.04.2023
• Subjects: MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BESHAPED; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIALCONTAINING PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

l Disclosed herein are methods of preparing a composite from at least a solid elastomer and a wet filler comprising a filler and a liquid present in an amount of at least 15 % by weight based on total weight of wet filler. In one or more mixing steps, the method comprises mixing the at least the solid elastomer and the wet filler to form a mixture and removing at least a portion of the liquid from the mixture by evaporation, and in at least one of said mixing steps conducting said mixing wherein (i) the mixer has at least one temperature-control means that is set to a temperature, Tz, of 65 °C or higher and/or (ii) the one or more rotors operate, for at least 50 % the mixing time, at a tip speed of at least 0.6 m/s. The method further comprises discharging, from the mixer, the composite. One or more rotors is mechanically coupled to a mixer motor and at least a portion of the mixing in step (b) is performed under power control in which the rotational speed of the one or more rotors is controlled by a controller that (i) calculates a difference between a measured mixer motor power and a power set point and (ii) adjusts the rotational speed of the one or more rotors if the measured mixer motor power deviates from the power set point.