Study on Rapid Curing for Laminated Rubber Using Induction Heating(1st Report, Fundamental Discussion of Heating Characteristics of Laminated Rubber and Applicability to Pre-Heater).

Abstract

The rubber isolation bearing, which consists of thin rubber sheet and steel plate, is used to protect buildings from earthquake damage. In the manufacture of the bearing, the time required for the laminated rubber to be heated for valcanization is a serious problem, causing low productivity. Conventionally, the laminated rubber is heated using a hot plate press. However, with such an external heating method, it takes a long time for the internal rubber to heat up, because rubber has low thermal conductivity. Therefore, this paper proposed a new heating method. This method is focused on the steel laminated structure, whereby the confined steel plates are heated by induction heating. The possibility of using inductive heating for a laminated steel plate is discussed using the results from a small scale test and a simulation. As a result, it is demonstrated that this new heating method is available to pre-heating of the laminated rubber.