Testing of Rubber Processability and Dynamic Properties

Date: February 4-5, 2010 (AP8405)

Time: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Cost: $805 USD

CEU's: 1.5

Instructor: John Dick & John Sezna

Location: Akron Polymer Training Center, Akron, OH 44325-5404

Course Overview: This two-day course is designed to help rubber professionals such as rubber chemists, engineers, compounders, laboratory and production managers and associates better understand the various methods available to measure rubber processing, dynamic properties and the fundamental rheological principles on which these tests are based. This course will also discuss what specific changes in rubber compound formulations will effect these measured processing properties, as well as the cured dynamic properties.

Text is included in the price of the course. This class includes three hands-on workshops on the topics of Mooney viscosity and stress relaxation, the ocillating disk rheometer and the moving die rheometer.

A hands-on demonstration by John Dick will discuss the use of the Rubber Process Analyzer to characterize raw rubber, predict downstream processability for mixed stocks and measure curing characteristics. A hands-on workshop will be offered on the use of the capillary rheometer in measuring rubber compounding processability.

Price includes books, handouts and continental breakfasts each day.

Course Outline:

Unit 1 - Fundamental Measurable Properties Affecting Factory Processability

Review of viscosity, shear thinning, green strength, uncured elasticity, V/E ratio, tackiness, surface exudation, stickiness, surface lubricity and cure properties (time to scorch, ultimate state of cure, anaerobic heat aging, reversion, marching modulus and cure-blow balance).

Relate to behavioral definitions of processability for Banbury mixing, milling, extrusion, bin storage stability, calendering, second step tire building, compression molding, transfer molding, injection molding and autoclave curing.

Unit 2 - Basic Overview of Rheology and Dynamic Properties

Elasticity: definition, examples, calculations, applications

Viscous Quality: definition, examples, calculations, applications

Viscoelasticity: definition, examples, calculations, applications

Sinusoidal Definition and Measurements: definition, examples, calculations, dynamic torque properties, S', S'', tan delta, applicatations

Unit 3 - Basic Overview of Rheology and Dynamic Properties PART II

Dynamic modulus (G', G'', G*): definitions, examples, calculations, applications

Dynamic viscosity (η',η'',η*): definitions, examples, calculations, applications

Dynamic Compliance (j', j'', j*): definitions, examples, calculations, applications

Dynamic modulus and compliance under extension or compression (E', E'', E*, D', D'', D*): definitions, examples, calculations, applications

Dynamic Spring Rate Constant (K', K'', K*): definitions, examples, calculations, applications

WLF Time-Temperature Superposition: definitions, examples, calculations, applications

Unit 4 - Curemeters, ODR, MDR and Mooney Viscosity

Discussion of oscillating disc curemeter

Discussion of the Moving Die Rheometer (MDR)

MDR Design

MDR Applications

MDR Dynamic Properties and Applications

Using dynamic properties to detect assignable causes of variation

Mooney Viscosity description and applications

Mooney Stress Relaxation description and applications

Unit 5 - Rubber Process Analyzer

RPA Definition

RPA comparative advantages

Applications in raw rubber characterization and quality assurance

Measuring raw rubber Avg. MW, MWD, Long Chain Branching and gel

Testing Natural Rubber, SBR, BR, NBR, EPDM.

RPA testing of quality of mix for Banbury batches using G', G'' and tan delta

RPA measurements of effects from order of mix changes

RPA measurements of time of oiling on Banbury batch properties

RPA measurements of different phase mixing techniques

Advantages of frequency sweeps vs. strain sweeps

RPA ASTM Standard Methods, D6204, D6601 and D7050

Advantages of low strain vs. high strain measurements relating to carbon black particle size vs. structure

Using RPA G'' to measure effects of plasticizer oils on rubber compound processing and cured physical properties

Using the S'' cure curve for better scorch detection

Unit 6 - Capillary Rheometry

Definitions and illustrations

Shear thinning profiles

Comparison of different capillary rheometers

Measuring die swell

Bagley Correction

Rabinowitsch Correction

Extrudate appearance and melt fracture

Comparison of Capillary Rheometer vs. RPA

Applications of Capillary Rheometer in rubber mixing, extrusion, injection molding and calendering

Unit 7 - Rubber Compounding Techniques to Achieve Selected Dynamic Properties

Effects of different raw elastomers on cured compound dynamic properties

Effects of molecular structure of different polymers on glass transition temperature and resulting dynamic properties

Comparison of rheology master curves and dynamic properties

Effects of carbon black on compound dynamic properties

Effects of oils on compound dynamic properties

Effects of different curative packages on compound dynamic properties

Unit 8 - Applications of Rubber in Vibration Noise Harshness

Rubber metal component design

Natural resonance frequency

Effects of mass and stiffness

The function of rubber isolators

The function of rubber dampers

Specific designs

Back to Rubber Courses