A Prediction Method for Curing Process of Styrene-Butadien Rubber

Abstract

A prediction method of the degree of cure is presented for the curing process of styrene-butadien rubber packed in a cylindrical mold with relatively large size. Heat conduction equation for one-dimensional, transient heat transfer is coupled to the cure kinetics of the rubber. Heat generation term, expressed as a function of the cure rate and the total heat generation due to the cure reaction, is introduced to account for the effect of heat liberated during the process. Two experimental methods for the mold temperature control are examined. One is that the heating is continued at a constant temperature until the uniform temperature profile across the rubber is observed. The other is that the heating was cut off before the uniform temperature profile was formed in order to study the effects of residual heat on the cure process. The two experimental cure data sets can be correlated by the present prediction method to a mean absolute deviation of 11.5%.