Method and apparatus for estimating the physical properties of composite materials

Abstract

To provide a method and apparatus for estimating a physical property of a composite material, which are capable of easily estimating a physical property of a composite material.SOLUTION: There is provided a method for estimating a physical property of a composite material that is formed by kneading at least a polymer, a filler, and a crosslinking aid, molding a kneaded mixture, and then crosslinking a resulting material, comprising: a relationship deriving step for determining a relationship between a physical property of the composite material to be estimated and a predetermined physical property of the kneaded material before crosslinking; and a property estimating step for estimating a physical property of the composite material from the predetermined physical property of the kneaded material by using the relationship obtained in the relationship deriving step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for estimating physical properties of a composite material. [Background Art]

[0002] Composite materials (such as rubber compounds) having desired properties are manufactured by mixing (kneading) a viscous polymer such as unvulcanized rubber or plastic and a filler together with various additives and compounding agents using a kneader such as a kneader, for example. For example, in terms of physical properties of rubber-based composite materials, tensile properties, such as tensile strength, are considered important.

[0003] Incidentally, as prior art document information related to the invention of this application, there is Non-Patent Document 1. [Prior Art Documents] [Non-Patent Documents]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Masakazu Mana, 1 other author, "Study on a New Evaluation Method for Rubber Kneading State Based on Dynamic Viscoelastic Properties", Journal of the Society of Rubber Science and Technology, Japan, 2012, Vol. 85, No. 1, pp.13-19 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0005] By the way, the physical properties of the kneaded material after kneading vary, and most of the causes are uncontrollable factors such as seasonal factors including temperature and humidity and variations in physical properties among different material lots. Therefore, due to the variation in the physical properties of the kneaded material, the physical properties of the composite material after crosslinking also vary, and there have been cases where a composite material having desired physical properties cannot be obtained. For this reason, it is desired to grasp whether desired physical properties can be obtained in the composite material after crosslinking at the end of kneading.

[0006] Traditionally, a portion of the composite material after mixing was taken, formed into a sheet using press processing, crosslinked using electron beam irradiation, and then subjected to tensile tests and other tests to confirm the properties of the composite material. However, this method had the drawback of requiring many steps and being time-consuming and laborious before the target properties could be measured.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a method and apparatus for estimating the physical properties of composite materials that can be easily estimated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention aims to solve the above problems and provides a method for estimating the physical properties of a composite material, which is formed by kneading at least a polymer, a filler, and a crosslinking aid, molding the kneaded mixture, and then crosslinking it, comprising: a relationship derivation step of determining the relationship between the physical properties of the composite material to be estimated and predetermined physical properties of the kneaded mixture before crosslinking; and a physical property estimation step of using the relationship obtained in the relationship derivation step to estimate the physical properties of the composite material from the predetermined physical properties of the kneaded mixture.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention aims to solve the above problems and provides a composite material property estimation device for estimating the physical properties of a composite material formed by kneading at least a polymer, a filler, and a crosslinking aid, molding the kneaded mixture, and then crosslinking it, comprising: a relationship derivation processing unit that determines the relationship between the physical properties of the composite material to be estimated and predetermined physical properties of the kneaded mixture before crosslinking; and a property estimation processing unit that uses the relationship determined by the relationship derivation processing unit to estimate the physical properties of the composite material from the predetermined physical properties of the kneaded mixture. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, a method and apparatus for estimating the physical properties of composite materials can be provided, which allows for easy estimation of the physical properties of composite materials. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a composite material property estimation device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] (a) is a diagram illustrating the relationship derivation process, and (b) is a diagram illustrating the material property estimation process. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the temperature characteristics of the loss tangent tanδ. [Figure 4] This figure shows the correlation coefficient between the loss tangent tanδ and tensile strength, calculated and plotted for each temperature. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the loss tangent tanδ and tensile strength at approximately 20°C. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart showing the procedure for test manufacturing. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows the control flow of a method for estimating the physical properties of a composite material according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart of the relationship derivation process. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart of the material property estimation process. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the composite material property estimation apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. In addition to the composite material property estimation apparatus 1, Figure 1 also shows the composite material manufacturing apparatus 100 and the analysis area 200.

[0014] (Regarding composite materials) In this specification, a composite material is obtained by kneading at least a polymer, a filler, and a crosslinking aid, molding the resulting mixture, and then crosslinking it. Composite materials are used, for example, as insulation materials for electric wires. Here, the mixture before crosslinking is referred to as the "mixture," and the mixture after molding and crosslinking is referred to as the "composite material" to distinguish between the two.

[0015] Examples of the polymer used in the composite material include ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), maleic acid-modified polymer, and the like. Examples of the filler include magnesium hydroxide and the like. Examples of the crosslinking coagent include trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPT) and the like. The raw materials used may further contain various additives such as a colorant, in addition to the above components.

[0016] (Composite Material Manufacturing Apparatus 100) The composite material manufacturing apparatus 100 includes: a kneader 101 that kneads various raw materials; a molding device 102 that molds the kneaded product obtained by the kneader 101 into a desired shape; and a crosslinking device 103 that crosslinks the molded kneaded product by, for example, irradiating it with an electron beam. In the present embodiment, a batch-type kneader is used as the kneader 101, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and an extruder, a roll kneader, or the like may be used. When an extruder is used as the kneader 101, the kneader 101 may be configured to also serve as the molding device 102, for example, by extruding the kneaded product so as to cover the periphery of a conductor with the extruder. Here, a kneaded product obtained by a batch-type kneader as the kneader 101 was molded into a sheet shape by the molding device 102, thereby forming a sheet sample of the kneaded product. Further, the obtained sheet sample of the kneaded product was crosslinked by the crosslinking device 103, thereby forming a composite material sample.

[0017] (Regarding Analysis Area 200 and Physical Properties to Be Estimated) The analysis area 200 is an area for analyzing physical properties of the kneaded product sample obtained by the composite material manufacturing apparatus 100 and the composite material sample. Note that the term "area" in "analysis area 200" does not represent a specific location, but is a conceptual area that collectively refers to apparatuses for analysis and the like. In other words, it is not necessary for all analysis apparatuses to be arranged together in one place.

[0018] Analysis area 200 is equipped with analytical devices corresponding to the physical properties of the composite material to be estimated. In this embodiment, the physical property of the composite material to be estimated is either tensile strength or tensile elongation. Here, the property of the composite material to be estimated is tensile strength. The physical property of the compound obtained in analysis area 200 is the dynamic viscoelastic feature, which is a characteristic obtained by a dynamic viscoelastic test. Here, the loss tangent tanδ is used as the dynamic viscoelastic feature. In the dynamic viscoelastic test, the temperature characteristic of the loss tangent tanδ is measured.

[0019] Accordingly, the analysis area 200 is equipped with a dynamic viscoelasticity testing apparatus 201 for performing dynamic viscoelasticity tests on mixed material samples, and a tensile testing apparatus 202 for performing tensile tests on composite material samples. Here, a tensile type dynamic viscoelasticity testing apparatus 201 is used, but it is not limited to this, and other types such as a bending type may also be used.

[0020] (Composite material property estimation device 1) The composite material property estimation device 1 comprises at least a control unit 2, a storage unit 3, and a communication unit (not shown). The control unit 2 comprehensively controls the entire composite material property estimation device 1, and the storage unit 3 stores information necessary for various processes performed by the control unit 2, as described later. The composite material property estimation device 1 is, for example, a computer such as a personal computer or a server device, and is equipped with computing elements such as a CPU, memory such as RAM or ROM, storage devices such as a hard disk, and a communication interface such as a LAN card.

[0021] The control unit 2 includes a data acquisition processing unit 21, a relationship derivation processing unit 22, a physical property estimation processing unit 23, and an estimated physical property presentation processing unit 24. Details of each unit will be described later. The storage unit 3 is implemented by a predetermined storage area of ​​a memory or storage device.

[0022] Furthermore, the composite material property estimation device 1 includes a display unit 4 and an input device 5. The display unit 4 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and the input device 5 is, for example, a keyboard or mouse. The display unit 4 may be configured as a touch panel, and the display unit 4 may also function as the input device 5. Alternatively, the display unit 4 and the input device 5 may be configured separately from the composite material property estimation device 1 and be able to communicate with each other via wireless communication or the like. In this case, the display unit 4 or the input device 5 may be a mobile terminal such as a tablet or smartphone.

[0023] (Data acquisition processing unit 21) The data acquisition processing unit 21 performs data acquisition processing to acquire various data from an external source. The data acquisition processing unit 21 receives test results obtained in the analysis area 200, namely the physical properties of the compound (in this case, dynamic viscoelastic data 31 obtained by a dynamic viscoelastic test) and the physical properties of the composite material (in this case, tensile property data 32 obtained by a tensile test), and stores them in the storage unit 3. The data acquisition processing unit 21 also receives the data to be used for estimation (in this case, the temperature characteristics of the loss tangent tanδ) and stores it in the storage unit 3 as estimation source data 34. The method of inputting data is not particularly limited, and for example, data input can be performed via wireless or wired data communication, data input via a network, or data input using media such as a USB memory. It is also possible to input data from, for example, the input device 5.

[0024] (Relational derivation processing unit 22) The relationship derivation processing unit 22 performs a relationship derivation process to determine the relationship between the estimated physical properties of the composite material and predetermined physical properties of the kneaded material before crosslinking (see Figure 8). The relationship derivation process corresponds to the relationship derivation process of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2(a), the relationship derivation processing unit 22 obtains a regression equation 33 (relationship equation) showing the correlation between the dynamic viscoelastic data 31 (here, temperature characteristic data of the loss tangent tanδ) and the tensile property data 32 (here, tensile strength data) stored in the storage unit 3, and stores it in the storage unit 3.

[0025] The loss tangent tanδ changes with temperature. Therefore, it is desirable to select the temperature at which the correlation between tensile strength and loss tangent tanδ is greatest and use the loss tangent tanδ at that temperature. More specifically, the relationship derivation processing unit 22 first uses the temperature characteristic data of the loss tangent tanδ as dynamic viscoelastic data 31 (the relationship between temperature and loss tangent tanδ in the compound before crosslinking) and the tensile strength data of the composite material after crosslinking as tensile characteristic data 32 to find the temperature at which the absolute value of the correlation coefficient between tensile strength and loss tangent tanδ is greatest.

[0026] Figure 3 shows an example of the temperature characteristics of the loss tangent tanδ. In Figure 3, the mixing ratio of the raw materials was kept constant, and composite materials with different physical properties (tensile strength) were prepared by changing the mixing conditions, etc. As shown in Figure 3, when the physical properties of the composite material differ, the temperature characteristics of the loss tangent tanδ also change. In the actual test, 11 samples were prepared and analyzed, but for clarity, only four representative examples are shown in Figure 3. Details of the test conditions, etc. in Figure 3 will be described later.

[0027] Figure 4 plots the correlation coefficient between loss tangent tanδ and tensile strength for each temperature. As shown in Figure 4, the correlation coefficient between loss tangent tanδ and tensile strength differs with temperature, indicating that there are temperatures where the correlation is high and temperatures where it is low. Therefore, using the graph of correlation coefficients for each temperature in Figure 4, we determine the temperature at which the correlation between loss tangent tanδ and tensile strength is greatest (the absolute value of the correlation coefficient is largest). In the example in Figure 4, the absolute value of the correlation coefficient is largest around 20°C. Also, in the example in Figure 4, for example, around -10°C, there is almost no correlation and it cannot be used for estimation.

[0028] Figure 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the loss tangent tanδ and tensile strength (MPa) at approximately 20°C, as shown in Figure 4. From Figure 5, a regression equation 33 showing the relationship between the loss tangent tanδ and tensile strength can be obtained. The relationship derivation processing unit 22 stores the obtained regression equation 33 in the storage unit 3.

[0029] (Material property estimation processing unit 23) The property estimation processing unit 23 uses the regression equation 33 obtained by the relation derivation processing unit 22 to perform a property estimation process (see Figure 9) in which it estimates the property of the composite material (in this case, tensile strength) from the property of the compound to be estimated (in this case, loss tangent tanδ). The property estimation process corresponds to the property estimation step of the present invention.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2(b), the physical property estimation processing unit 23 calculates the tensile strength corresponding to the loss tangent tanδ, which is the source data 34, based on the regression equation 33 obtained by the relation derivation processing unit 22 and the source data 34 (here, the loss tangent tanδ) input by the input device 5, and stores the obtained tensile strength as estimated data 35 in the storage unit 3.

[0031] (Estimated physical property display processing unit 24) The estimated physical property presentation processing unit 24 performs estimated physical property presentation processing to present estimated data 35. In the estimated physical property presentation processing, for example, the estimated data 35 is displayed on the display unit 4. The estimated physical property presentation processing may also be configured to present other data besides the estimated data 35, such as the source data 34 or other appropriate information.

[0032] (Method for estimating the physical properties of composite materials) (Procedure for trial manufacturing) In the method for estimating the physical properties of composite materials according to this embodiment, prior to estimation, it is necessary to collect data on the physical properties of the composite material to be estimated (in this case, tensile strength) and the physical properties of the compound used as the basis for estimation (in this case, loss tangent tanδ) by conducting test manufacturing or collecting past manufacturing data. First, the procedure for test manufacturing will be explained.

[0033] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure for the test manufacturing. As shown in Figure 6, first, in step S10, raw materials are put into the kneader 101 and kneaded to obtain a kneaded product. In this embodiment, a TD6-25MDX (manufactured by Toshin Co., Ltd.) with a two-blade rotor attached was used as the kneader 101 and kneading was carried out. During kneading, after preheating the apparatus, only the polymer is kneaded and melted, then the filler and crosslinking aid are added in two stages and kneaded to a predetermined temperature or time for preliminary stirring, and then kneaded to a predetermined temperature or time in the main kneading stage. It is preferable to obtain multiple samples with different physical properties by changing the apparatus settings during kneading.

[0034] Subsequently, in step S11, a 1 mm thick sheet sample is prepared by press molding the kneaded material. At this time, it is advisable to prepare two or more sheet samples for each kneading condition. This is because at least one sheet sample is needed for measuring the physical properties of the kneaded material and for measuring the physical properties of the composite material.

[0035] Subsequently, in steps S12 to S14, the physical properties of the composite material (in this case, tensile strength) are measured. First, in step S12, a sheet sample of the compound is crosslinked by irradiating it with an electron beam or the like to prepare a sheet sample of the composite material. Then, in step S13, a tensile test is performed on the sheet sample of the composite material to measure its tensile strength. For the tensile test, a test specimen is prepared by punching out the sheet sample of the composite material into a No. 6 dumbbell shape, and the tensile test is performed under conditions of 250 mm / min and an ambient temperature of 21 to 25°C. After that, the tensile strength obtained from the tensile test is stored (or recorded) as tensile property data 32.

[0036] On the other hand, in parallel with the measurement of tensile strength in steps S12 to S14, the physical properties of the compound (here, the loss tangent tanδ) are measured in steps S15 and S16. In step S15, a dynamic viscoelasticity test is performed to measure the temperature characteristics of the loss tangent tanδ. In the dynamic viscoelasticity test, a sheet sample of the compound is punched out to create a strip-shaped test piece with a width of 5 mm and a length of 20 mm. This test piece is attached to a tensile dynamic viscoelasticity testing apparatus 201, and measurements are taken at a frequency of 10 Hz, a temperature range of -60°C to 80°C, and a heating rate of 10°C / min to obtain the temperature characteristics of the loss tangent tanδ. Subsequently, in step S16, the temperature characteristics of the loss tangent tanδ obtained by the dynamic viscoelasticity test are stored (or recorded) as dynamic viscoelasticity data 31.

[0037] The tensile property data 32 and dynamic viscoelasticity data 31 obtained from the test manufacturing are input to the composite material property estimation device 1. The tensile property data 32 and dynamic viscoelasticity data 31 obtained in this embodiment are as shown in Figure 3. The specific method of data input is not particularly limited, and input using data communication or media can be used.

[0038] (Main routine) In the composite material property estimation method according to this embodiment, the control flow shown in Figure 7 is executed. As shown in Figure 7, first, in step S1, data acquisition processing is performed. In the data acquisition processing, the data acquisition processing unit 21 stores the dynamic viscoelastic data 31 and tensile property data 32, which have been input to the composite material property estimation device 1 by some method, in the storage unit 3.

[0039] Subsequently, in step S2, a relationship derivation process is performed. In the relationship derivation process, as shown in Figure 8, in step S21, the relationship derivation processing unit 22 determines whether new data (dynamic viscoelastic data 31 and tensile property data 32) has been input. If No (N) is determined in step S21, the process returns and proceeds to step S3 in Figure 7. If Yes (Y) is determined in step S21, in step S22, the relationship derivation processing unit 22 calculates the correlation coefficient between tensile strength and loss tangent tanδ for each temperature (see Figure 4). Then, in step S23, the relationship derivation processing unit 22 determines the temperature to be used, that is, the temperature at which the absolute value of the correlation coefficient is largest. In the example in Figure 4, the temperature to be used is approximately 20°C.

[0040] Subsequently, in step S24, a regression equation 33 is obtained between the tensile strength and the loss tangent tanδ at the temperature selected in step S23 (approximately 20°C in the example in Figure 4) (see Figure 5). In the example in Figure 5, the regression equation 33 is obtained by letting the tensile strength be x and the loss tangent tanδ be y. y = -0.0055x + 0.2758 The correlation coefficient is approximately -0.9. Then, in step S25, the regression equation 33 obtained in step S24 is stored in the memory unit 3, and then the process returns to step S3 in Figure 7.

[0041] After the relationship derivation process in step S2, the physical property estimation process is performed in step S3. In the physical property estimation process, as shown in Figure 9, first, the raw data 34 is input using the input device 5, etc. (step S31). When using the regression equation 33 obtained in Figure 5, the raw data 34 input will be the loss tangent tanδ at approximately 20°C. Then, in step S32, the physical property estimation processing unit 23 determines whether the raw data 34 has been input. If it is determined to be No (N) in step S32, it returns and proceeds to step S4 in Figure 7.

[0042] If the result in step S32 is Yes (Y), in step S33, the physical property estimation processing unit 23 uses the regression equation 33 to determine the tensile strength from the estimation source data 34. Then, in step S34, the determined tensile strength is stored in the storage unit 3 as estimation data 35. After that, the process returns and proceeds to step S4 in Figure 7.

[0043] After the physical property estimation process in step S3, the estimated physical property presentation process is performed in step S4. In the estimated physical property presentation process, the estimated physical property presentation processing unit 24 displays the estimated data 35 obtained in step S3 on the display unit 4. Note that if the physical property estimation process in step S3 has not been performed and there is no estimated data 35, the estimated physical property presentation process is not performed. After that, the process ends.

[0044] (modified version) In this embodiment, the case where the property to be estimated is tensile strength among the tensile properties has been described, but tensile elongation may also be used. However, the inventors have found that the estimation accuracy for tensile elongation is slightly lower than that for tensile strength, and the correlation coefficient of regression equation 33 is about 0.6 to 0.7. Therefore, the present invention is particularly suitable as a method for estimating the tensile strength of composite materials.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the loss tangent tanδ was used as the dynamic viscoelastic feature, but other feature quantities obtained from dynamic viscoelastic testing, such as the storage modulus or the loss modulus, may also be used. However, when using the storage modulus or loss modulus, if the cross-sectional area of ​​the compound sheet sample is not strictly controlled, the error may increase and the accuracy may decrease. The loss tangent tanδ represents the ratio of the storage modulus to the loss modulus, so the influence of the cross-sectional area is canceled out, which has the advantage of making it easier to maintain high accuracy. Therefore, it is more desirable to use the loss tangent tanδ as the dynamic viscoelastic feature.

[0046] Furthermore, the properties of the composite material to be estimated are not limited to tensile properties. Similarly, the properties of the compound used for estimation are not limited to dynamic viscoelastic features. In addition, the properties of the composite material to be estimated and the properties of the compound used for estimation may be the same. For example, if the property of the composite material to be estimated is tensile strength, the property of the compound used for estimation may be tensile strength.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as explained in Figure 4, the temperature at which the absolute value of the correlation coefficient is largest was selected as the temperature to be used, but this is not limited to this. For example, a temperature with a high correlation among easily measurable temperatures may be selected. More specifically, even if the correlation is strongest at -40°C, if it is inconvenient to cool the measurement system below room temperature, a temperature with a high correlation from a temperature range above room temperature may be selected as the temperature to be used.

[0048] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the regression equation 33 was obtained by calculation in the relation derivation process, but the method is not limited to this, and the regression model may be obtained by machine learning in the relation derivation process. In this case, the explanatory variable may be the physical property of the compound to be estimated (e.g., loss tangent tanδ), and the objective variable may be the physical property of the composite material to be estimated (e.g., tensile strength), and the correlation between the two may be obtained by machine learning. Furthermore, by adding the blending amounts of raw materials and manufacturing conditions as explanatory variables, it becomes possible to estimate physical properties for unknown blending amounts or unknown manufacturing conditions.

[0049] (Operation and Effects of the Embodiment) As described above, the method for estimating the physical properties of a composite material according to this embodiment includes a relationship derivation step (relationship derivation process) that determines the relationship between the physical properties of the composite material to be estimated and predetermined physical properties of the compound before crosslinking, and a physical property estimation step (physical property estimation process) that uses the relationship obtained in the relationship derivation step (relationship derivation process) to estimate the physical properties of the composite material from predetermined physical properties of the compound to be estimated.

[0050] As a result, if regression equation 33 is obtained in advance, it becomes possible to easily estimate the physical properties (such as tensile strength) after crosslinking from the test results of the mixed sample (e.g., loss tangent tanδ) without performing crosslinking, and to quickly estimate the physical properties of the composite material. Consequently, at the manufacturing site, the pass / fail status of the material can be determined after mixing and before sending it to the next process, eliminating waste.

[0051] (Summary of the embodiments) Next, the technical concept understood from the embodiments described above will be described using the reference numerals and other symbols from the embodiments. However, the reference numerals and other symbols in the following description are not limited to the components in the claims that are specifically shown in the embodiments.

[0052] [1] A method for estimating the physical properties of a composite material, comprising: a relationship derivation step of determining the relationship between the physical properties of the composite material to be estimated and predetermined physical properties of the kneaded material before crosslinking; and a physical property estimation step of using the relationship determined in the relationship derivation step to estimate the physical properties of the composite material from the predetermined physical properties of the kneaded material.

[0053] [2] The method for estimating the physical properties of a composite material according to [1], wherein the physical property of the composite material to be estimated is a tensile property of either tensile strength or tensile elongation, and the predetermined physical property of the compound is a dynamic viscoelastic feature that is a feature obtained by a dynamic viscoelastic test.

[0054] [3] The method for estimating the physical properties of a composite material according to [2], wherein the loss tangent tanδ at a predetermined temperature is used as the dynamic viscoelastic feature.

[0055] [4] The relationship derivation step involves using the relationship between the loss tangent tanδ in the kneaded material before crosslinking obtained by dynamic viscoelasticity testing and the measurement results of the tensile strength in the composite material after crosslinking to determine the correlation coefficient between the loss tangent tanδ and the tensile strength for each temperature, and determining the predetermined temperature based on the correlation coefficient for each temperature determined, as described in [3].

[0056] [5] A composite material property estimation device (1) comprising: a relationship derivation processing unit (22) that determines the relationship between the estimated physical properties of the composite material and predetermined physical properties of the kneaded material before crosslinking; and a property estimation processing unit (23) that uses the relationship determined by the relationship derivation processing unit (22) to estimate the physical properties of the composite material from the predetermined physical properties of the kneaded material.

[0057] (Note) Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments described above do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, it should be noted that not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential for solving the problem of the invention. In addition, the present invention can be implemented with appropriate modifications without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0058] 1…Physical property estimation device 2…Control Unit 21...Data acquisition processing unit 22...Relational Derivation Processing Unit 23...Material Properties Estimation Processing Unit 24…Estimated physical property presentation processing unit 3...Storage section 31…Dynamic viscoelastic data 32...Tensile properties data 33…Regression equation 34… Estimated source data 35…Estimated data

Claims

1. A method for estimating the physical properties of a composite material formed by kneading a polymer, a filler, and a crosslinking aid, molding the kneaded mixture, and then crosslinking it, A relationship derivation step to determine the relationship between the estimated physical properties of the composite material and predetermined physical properties of the kneaded product before crosslinking, The system comprises a property estimation step, which uses the relationship obtained in the relationship derivation step to estimate the properties of the composite material from the predetermined properties of the kneaded mixture, The physical properties of the composite material to be estimated are either tensile strength or tensile elongation, The predetermined physical properties of the kneaded material are dynamic viscoelastic characteristics, which are characteristic quantities obtained by a dynamic viscoelasticity test. Methods for estimating the physical properties of composite materials.

2. As the dynamic viscoelastic feature, the loss tangent tanδ at a predetermined temperature is used. A method for estimating the physical properties of a composite material according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned relationship derivation step uses the temperature characteristics of the loss tangent tanδ in the kneaded material before crosslinking, obtained by dynamic viscoelasticity testing, and the measurement results of the tensile strength in the composite material after crosslinking, For each temperature, the correlation coefficient between the loss tangent tanδ and the tensile strength is determined, and the predetermined temperature is determined based on the correlation coefficient obtained for each temperature. The method for estimating the physical properties of a composite material according to claim 2.

4. At a minimum, an apparatus for estimating the physical properties of a composite material formed by kneading a polymer, a filler, and a crosslinking aid, and then crosslinking the kneaded mixture after molding it, A relationship derivation processing unit that determines the relationship between the estimated physical properties of the composite material and predetermined physical properties of the kneaded product before crosslinking, The system includes a property estimation processing unit that uses the relationship obtained by the relationship derivation processing unit to estimate the properties of the composite material from the predetermined properties of the kneaded material, The physical properties of the composite material to be estimated are either tensile strength or tensile elongation, The predetermined physical properties of the kneaded material are dynamic viscoelastic characteristics, which are characteristic quantities obtained by a dynamic viscoelasticity test. A device for estimating the physical properties of composite materials.

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