Abstract
An important property affecting the integrity of a tyre is the adhesion between rubber and reinforcements such as metal cords. Standard tests used to evaluate rubber-metal adhesion fail to predict the intrinsic interfacial behaviour. A novel test protocol, referred to as the Rubber Cord Adhesion Inflation Test (RCAIT), has therefore been developed. In this work, RCAIT is used to compare the performance of four different adhesive systems (two rubber types and two cord coatings). In addition, the effect of fluid injection rate on crack propagation pressure is evaluated and is correlated to the sensitivity of the tensile behaviour of the rubber to strain rate. Some improvements in the RCAIT analysis are also proposed here. A thick rubber tube inflation model is proposed in conjunction with the Ogden model for hyperelastic behaviour that can be applied to other elastomeric models as well. In conclusion, the relationship between crack propagation speed and Critical Strain Energy Release Rate (SERR) is discussed.
Highlights
Tyres are complex structures with multiple layers of reinforcement such as fabric, polymers and, most importantly, metal cord mesh
The effect of fluid injection rate on the fluid pressure provoking the crack propagation is evaluated experimentally. This is correlated to the sensitivity of the rubber behaviour to strain rate. These results demonstrate the capability of the Rubber Cord Adhesion Inflation Test (RCAIT) to distinguish and quantify the adhesive performance of different rubber-metal cord systems
The RCAIT test was used to establish Strain Energy Release Rate (SERR) values, the specimen consisting of a rubber cylinder and a coaxial reinforcement cord partly bonded to the rubber tube during the vulcanization process, as described above
Summary
Tyres are complex structures with multiple layers of reinforcement such as fabric, polymers and, most importantly, metal cord mesh. The rubber-metal adhesion strength is generally evaluated with peel tests using standard procedures such as those described. Lay-up delamination is determined using the 180° peel test [12] In this configuration, the failure properties of the specimen are dependent on the rubber-cord interface and on each individual component properties as well as the lay-up characteristics. The Rubber Cord Adhesion Inflation Test (RCAIT) It consists of injecting a pressurized fluid in between the rubber and the cord to provoke interface separation. This is correlated to the sensitivity of the rubber behaviour to strain rate These results demonstrate the capability of the RCAIT to distinguish and quantify the adhesive performance of different rubber-metal cord systems. In the case of RCAIT, the rubber is deposited around a wire: the planar configuration of the blister test is changed to cylindrical (axisymmetric) geometry
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