Evaluación de la calidad de mezclado de los rellenos reforzantes en mezclas primarias de compuestos de caucho usando un reómetro RPA en la Empresa Continental Tire Andina S.A.

Abstract

Continental Tire Andina S.A. is engaged in the production of tires for trucks and small passenger vehicles. The manufacturing process begins with the reception of the raw material followed by the mixing of the ingredients, a process that must be under control to maintain the quality of the rubber mixtures. To evaluate the material, samples of the mixtures are sent to the physicochemical laboratory where rheometry and Mooney viscosity tests are performed. However, none of them evaluates the dispersion of fillers in the rubber. In this work, the dispersion quality of carbon black in a primary rubber mixture was evaluated based on the Payne effect, using a rheometer called RPA (Rubber Process Analyzer), providing the quality department with a tool to study and check if the mixing quality of the compounds is adequate. To parameterize the equipment that measures the Payne effect and report the results, the ASTM 8059-19 standard was taken as a reference, which establishes the parameters of the sample deformation sweep that allowed comparing the standard curve with experimental curves of the compound, obtaining as a result that the amount of carbon black has a greater effect on the behavior of the curve. The results of this test were presented in control charts of means and ranges, calculating the limits of the charts to be applied in subsequent control. Finally, staff were trained on how to perform the test and interpret the curves.