STEEL BELTED

Fig. 10. Schematic of casting machine used to make microporous membranes by watervapor imbibition. A casting solution is deposited as a thin film on a moving stainless steel belt. The film passes through a series of humid and dry chambers, where the solvent evaporates from the solution, and water vapor is absorbed from the air. This precipitates the polymer, forming a microporous membrane that is taken up on a collection roU (25).

Synthetic Marble. Synthetic marble-like resin products are prepared by casting or molding a highly filled monomer mixture or monomer—polymer symp. When only one smooth surface is required, a continuous casting process using only one endless stainless steel belt can be used (52,53). Typically on the order of 60 wt % inorganic filler is used. The inorganic fillers, such as aluminum hydroxide, calcium carbonate, etc, are selected on the basis of cost, and such properties as the translucence, chemical and water resistance, and ease of subsequent fabrication (54,55). 

Tire Cord. Melamine resins are also used to improve the adhesion of mbber to reinforcing cord in tires. Textile cord is normally coated with a latex dip solution composed of a vinylpyridine—styrene—butadiene latex mbber containing resorcinol—formaldehyde resin.. The dip coat is cured prior to use. The dip coat improves the adhesion of the textile cord to mbber. Further improvement in adhesion is provided by adding resorcinol and hexa(methoxymethyl) melamine [3089-11 -0] (HMMM) to the mbber compound which is in contact with the textile cord. The HMMM resin and resorcinol cross-link during mbber vulcanization and cure to form an interpenetrating polymer within the mbber matrix which strengthens or reinforces the mbber and increases adhesion to the textile cord. Brass-coated steel cord is also widely used in tires for reinforcement. Steel belts and bead wire are common apphcations. Again, HMMM resins and resorcinol [108-46-3] are used in the mbber compound which is in contact with the steel cord to reinforce the mbber and increase the adhesion of the mbber to the steel cord. This use of melamine resins is described in the patent Hterature (49). 

Whole tires have been pyrolyzed in an experimental semifluidized-bed reactor (27). The tires are pyrolyzed on a grate that tilts to discharge the steel belt and bead wire. The pyrolysis of whole tires eliminates shredding and grinding costs. 

Insoluble Sulfur. In natural mbber compounds, insoluble sulfur is used for adhesion to brass-coated wire, a necessary component in steel-belted radial tires. The adhesion of mbber to the brass-plated steel cord during vulcanization improves with high sulfur levels ( 3.5%). Ordinary rhombic sulfur blooms at this dose level. Crystals of sulfur on the surface to be bonded destroy building tack and lead to premature failure of the tire. Rubber mixtures containing insoluble sulfur must be kept cool (<100°C) or the amorphous polymeric form converts to rhombic crystals. 

The role of the mbber compounds which are used ia these basic components is threefold (/) to provide the coatact area betweea the vehicle and the surface (2) to provide the cohesive material that holds the tire together such that it acts as an iategral unit and (J) to provide protection for the ultimate strengthbeating components, ie, the textiles, steel beads, and steel breakers ia steel belted radial tires. 

Component Parts. Desired properties ia the components of a radial steel belted passeager car tire (PCT) are as follows. 

The steel belt, which provides strength and protection for the ply or pHes, is encased ia a compouad that must possess adhesioa to the steel which provides stress transfer from the very rigid steel to the many times more flexible tread, sidewall, and textile carcass components. The wedge compound is formulated to reduce belt-edge sheer stresses while tying the belt to the carcass and reduciag hysteresis. 

The carcass ply/pHes coat compouad fuactioas are basically the same as the steel breaker compouad. Normally ia the steel belted PCT the ply is textile cord of polyester or rayoa fabrics which are soft and flexible. The tmck radial steel tire normally uses a steel cord ply. Earthmover tires are of two basic constmctions, ie, radial usiag steel and bias usiag textiles (see Tire cords). 

Several plants employ cooled-belt flakers. These consist of flexible steel belts, ca 1-m wide and up to 50-m long, that have short mbber skirting at the edges. Molten pitch flows from a thermostatically controlled tank over a weir to give a flat thin sheet on the belt, which is cooled from below by water sprays. At the end of the belt, the solid pitch is broken up by rotating tines. The pitch flakes are drained and transported to a covered storage silo by belt conveyor, during which time the surface moisture evaporates. 

Introduced successfully for tires in 1967, glass fibers had properties that made them very attractive for use in tires (5,8). The britdeness of glass fibers, however, imposed some limitations on the final tine cord properties because of the requirement that each fiber be individually coated with a mbbery adhesive to avoid interfilament damage during fabrication and use. This additional treatment step is introduced at the fiber manufacturing stage. For several years fiber glass was used extensively in bias-belted and radial tires, but was ultimately replaced by steel belts in radial tires. 

An example that shows that the cohesive strength of a material is less than that of the adhesional strength of the interface is that of the nominal 50,000 mile steel belted radial tire. It is a simple calculation to show that, on average, a tire leaves a monolayer of rubber particles on the road every time it makes a rotation. In essence, the strength of the adhesional bonding between the road and the tire is greater than that of the rubber within the tire. 

The effect can be seen in Figure 26.75 which shows the results obtained with the two-wheeled trailer discussed above. Tire group A was a re-treaded bias tire group B a commercial steel-belted radial ply tire. When one tire of each group was mounted on the axle of the trailer for equal set slip angles, the direction of the tow bar adjusted itself in such a way that the tires run under the same... 

While a new tire may have excellent resistance to crack initiation and propagation between the steel belts, an aged tire of the exact same construction can exhibit dramatically reduced crack growth resistance, which in some cases may contribute to tire failure. To further underscore the point, the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determined that tire aging was a main contributor to the Firestone Wilderness AT tire recall [1]. Figure 34.1 shows the failure rate of Wilderness AT tires as a function of tire age (determined from date of tire manufacture). 

FIGURE 34.2 Diagram of steel belt portions of a tire. 

Steel belts are used to transport rubber profiles through the liquid salt medium in the LCM (liquid cure medium) baths. These belts, either used singly or in multiples are often used in conjunction with chain driven roller systems. Steel belts, in the high temperatures of a LCM medium expand considerably, and the multiple belt system helps to overcome this problem to some degree, by allowing easy adjustment for overall length. The belts used in these systems are customised to the particular equipment and normally can only be sourced from the original equipment manufacturer. 

Continuous vulcanisation of rubber based products such as thin conveyor belting, flooring and similar can be achieved using a large rotating heated drum. Pressure is exerted to the product by means of a continuous stainless steel belt which presses the sheet to the surface of the drum. The belt is also heated from its reverse side to give optimum heat transfer to the vulcanising rubber. 

The pressure exerted by the steel belt is less than for other methods of vulcanisation, but is usually sufficient to ensure full compaction, zero porosity and a good surface finish. For flooring products a mesh belt can be used to give a rough surface to the underside of the flooring, to facilitate adhesion to the floor substrate by applied adhesive. 

For the freezing of food, stainless steel belt conveyors are used, which are cooled with a spray of cold brine. The design of such conveyors is somewhat difficult, since sealing of the moving belt between the brine and food can cause leaks and abrasion. 

Casting, continuous sheet casting between stainless-steel belts, pouring and several methods in the molten state are usable extrusion, injection, compression, thermoforming, co-injection, machining, welding. Specific grades of PMI can be foamed. 

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