STEEL FIBRE-REINFORCED RUBBER

A major area of negotiation in the development of the specification concerned the Drum Friction Test. This is a test which simulates a stalled belt. The NCB test in force had evolved after the Creswell Colliery disaster of 1953. A stalled rubber belt had remained in contact with its drive drum which continued to run for several hours. The frictional heat caused a fire which resulted in several fatalities. The drum friction test to emerge afterwards stipulated that the belt shall break, in addition to drum temperature and belt flow limitations. In effect this meant a textile-reinforced PVC belt in which the frictional heat melts the PVC and then melt-breaks the synthetic-fibre fabric as it makes contact with the drum. Such a belt meets the drum friction requirements and the NCB used this type of belt for many years. The steel-cable reinforced rubber-belt needed for the single-belt installation, first at Cadley Hill, and then at... 

K.T. Iyengar, TS. Nagaraj and B.K. Rao, Superplasticized natural rubber latex modified steel fibre reinforced concretes , Paper 3.3 in R.N. Swamy, R.E. Wagstaffe and D.R. Oakley (eds) Developments in Fibre Reinforced Cement and Concrete, Proc. RILEM Symp., Sheffield, RILEM Technical Committee 49-ETR, 1986. 

Tank material A mild-steel (MS) tank, with a wall thickness of 4-6 mm, and having an acid-proof lining of FRP (fibre-reinforced plastic), rubber or PVC will be suitable for this purpose. A healing arrangement, even if a cold process is adopted, will be ideal for... 

The various corrosion challenges which the industries are facing undoubtedly and frustratingly make them look for materials to protect their plant and equipment from the attacks due to corrosive media. While they search, rubber comes in to the forefront offering to face their corrosion challenges, in preference to costly metallic alternatives like titanium, manganese, stainless steel, etc. Non-metallics, such as fibre-reinforced plastics and specialty plastics, have limited application in critical areas. 

Rubber consumption is dominated by tyre production. In these, conveyor belts, and pressure hoses, thin layers of either steel wire or polymeric fibre reinforcement take the main mechanical loads. These layers, with rubber interlayers, allow flexibility in bending, whereas the reinforcement limits the in-plane stretching of the product. The applications are dominated by natural rubber and styrene butadiene copolymer rubber (SBR). Other rubbers have specialised properties butyl rubbers have low air permeability, nitrile rubbers have good oil resistance, while silicone rubbers have high and low temperature resistance. Rubbers play a relatively small role in this book, but the rubbery behaviour of the amorphous phase in semi-crystalline thermoplastics is important. 

Reinforcements, such as natural or synthetic fibres or fabrics and steel wires also play a key role in manufacturing of rubber products, but it is normal to mix the compound first and then lay it up in the green state together with the reinforcement, before moulding and curing the whole in a press or by passing it through an extruder. 

Ethylene-carbon monoxide polymers offer superior performance as high-strength fibres for aramide tyre cord, but at a significantly lower cost. Their structure is more compatible with rubber than steel, polyester, or PA tyre reinforcements. 

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