Fillers quality control system

Advances in quality control requirements for rubber compounds have demanded that special care is exercised in the weighing of the various fillers and critical small volume powders necessary for the formulation. Ingredient weighing systems are available which can be tailored to the specific requirements of individual factories. Additional components can include conveyors, bagging units and pneumatic conveyance systems. 

Automation by fast, stable and accurate control loops for consistency, flow, pressure and level is elementary for providing the necessary constancy in the approach flow system. Variations in pressure for example will mainly directly influence the MD profile whilst stock consistency deviations will affect both CD and MD basis weight profiles. In addition the retention on the paper machine and the chemical conditions of the water systems must be kept constant. Here a retention control loop is standard in many appHcations keeping the white water consistency constant by adapting the quantity of retention agent added. Controls for filler, color, air content, cationic demand or zeta potential are also available today. Combining the different controls to a total control concept will lead from purely functional controls to control systems which also address quality and production issues. 

Fillers are often useful in epoxy-polyamide adhesives (41). Fillers aid flow control—particularly at elevated temperatures. Other properties contributed by fillers are exhibited in the cured system. For example, they can increase the modulus of elasticity, modify the coefficient of thermal expansion, increase heat resistance, and even affect bond strength. Of course, the excellent wetting properties of polyamides Increase the dispersion efficiency of these fillers. The type of filler selected and the amount used also have a pronounced effect on adhesive quality. A few of these effects are illustrated in Tables VI and VII (37). (See also Table VIII.)... 

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