Polyurethane Cleaning Blade Crystalline Structure Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cleaning blades used in image forming apparatuses face challenges in achieving both abrasion resistance and crack suppression due to the difficulty in balancing these properties, leading to potential damage and contamination from lubricants.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning blade with a contacting portion made of polyurethane rubber, specifically engineered to have an endothermic peak top temperature between 180° C. to 220° C., which enhances abrasion resistance and crack suppression by improving crystalline properties, and optionally using a two-layer or multi-layer configuration with a back surface layer for additional durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cleaning blade uses conventional rubber material, then it provides basic cleaning function, but it cannot achieve both abrasion resistance and crack suppression simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the rubber material by specifying precise compositional ratios (polybutadiene rubber 70-90 parts, styrene block 10-30 parts, silane-modified polybutadiene rubber 5-20 parts) and controlling molecular weight distributions to achieve both high abrasion resistance and crack suppression. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction between durability and structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite rubber material by combining multiple rubber types (polybutadiene rubber, styrene block, silane-modified polybutadiene rubber) with specific molecular weight ranges. This composite structure provides both the hardness needed for abrasion resistance and the elasticity required for crack suppression, resolving the technical contradiction between these two properties.
2Ease of operation
If lubricants are applied to reduce friction, then low-friction property is achieved, but contamination occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The rubber material itself provides low-friction properties through its inherent composition and surface characteristics, eliminating the need for external lubricants. The specific rubber compound formulation creates a self-lubricating surface that reduces friction during cleaning operation without requiring additional substances, thus preventing contamination while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical lubrication system (external lubricants) with a material-based friction reduction mechanism. The rubber composition and surface properties inherently provide low-friction characteristics, substituting the need for separate lubrication mechanisms and eliminating the associated contamination problem.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides excellent abrasion resistance and crack suppression, reducing the risk of blade damage and contamination, while maintaining a low-friction property without the need for lubricants, thus ensuring prolonged cleaning performance.
Implementation Method 1
improving the crystalline property of the polyurethane member
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a cleaning blade having at least a portion that comes in contact with a member to be cleaned is configured of a member that contains polyurethane rubber, and that has an endothermic peak top temperature obtained by differential scanning calorimetry in a range of from 180° C. to 220° C.