Cup Lump Natural Rubber Purification for High-PRI Tire Compounds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Natural cup bottom rubber typically has a low plasticity retention index (PRI) and is contaminated with impurities larger than 0.5 mm, making it unsuitable for producing high-quality semi-finished tire products, which can lead to defects such as holes and cracks.
Innovation Solution
A natural cup bottom rubber is developed with a PRI greater than 80 and free of impurities larger than 0.5 mm, achieved through a process involving decontamination, compression, adiabatic flash expansion, and drying, allowing for improved processability and quality comparable to RSS grade rubber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If natural cup bottom rubber is used for manufacturing semi-finished tire products, then productivity is improved, but the rubber contains impurities larger than 0.5 mm causing holes and defects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes impurities larger than 0.5 mm from natural cup bottom rubber through a specific processing method, separating the harmful impurities from the rubber material to produce high-quality rubber suitable for thin semi-finished products
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of natural cup bottom rubber through controlled processing conditions, transforming it from a low-quality state with impurities and low PRI to a high-quality state with PRI greater than 80 and free of large impurities
2Ease of manufacture
If natural cup bottom rubber is used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but the plasticity retention index is low making it unsuitable for high-quality products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the plasticity retention index parameter of natural cup bottom rubber from below 80 to greater than 80 through specific processing conditions, making it suitable for high-quality tire manufacturing while maintaining ease of manufacture
3Manufacturing precision
If RSS grade natural rubber is used instead of TSR20 grade, then product quality is improved, but additional plasticization step is required reducing productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses natural cup bottom rubber (a lower-grade, more readily available material) and transforms it through processing to achieve the quality of RSS grade rubber, avoiding the need for expensive or time-consuming alternative materials while maintaining productivity
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 resulting natural cup bottom rubber maintains high PRI and low impurity levels, reducing defects in semi-finished tire products and enhancing their performance and productivity in manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the compressed coagulum to an adiabatic flash expansion
Implementation Method 2
the latex coagulates directly in the cup to form a coagulum
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The present invention concerns a cup lump natural rubber free of impurities larger than 0.5 mm and having a plasticity retention index greater than 80. Using such a natural rubber in a semi-finished product manufacturing line for products made from natural rubber helps provide an improved performance trade-off in terms of the productivity of a semi-finished product manufacturing line and the quality of the semi-finished products from this manufacturing line.