Process and system for controlling the addition of water during a mixing cycle for producing a rubber mixture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10471627-B2
Application number	US-201615767531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2016
Priority date	Dec 15, 2015
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

A process and a system are provided for controlling an addition of water to a rubber mixture during a mixing cycle in which the mixture is transported as a continuous sheet. The process includes obtaining data for the mixture, including a predetermined water flow rate, a predetermined air flow rate, and a target temperature and a target water content for the mixture; adding water to the continuous sheet during the mixing cycle; detecting an amount of water added at an elapsed time during the mixing cycle; determining, using a detection result, a predicted temperature and a predicted water content for the mixture at an end of the mixing cycle; comparing the target temperature with the predicted temperature, and the target water content with the predicted water content; and, before a next mixing cycle, adjusting an actual water flow rate when a comparison result indicates non-equivalence.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for controlling an addition of water to a rubber mixture during a mixing cycle in which the rubber mixture is transported as a continuous sheet along a transport route, the transport route including at least one spray system that sprays water on at least a portion of the continuous sheet, the water being controllably evacuated by at least one aspiration system, the process comprising steps of:
obtaining data for the rubber mixture, the data including at least:
a predetermined water flow rate for the at least one spray system,
a predetermined air flow rate for the at least one aspiration system, and
a target temperature value and a target water-content value for the rubber mixture;

adding water to the continuous sheet of the rubber mixture while the rubber mixture is being prepared in the mixing cycle in progress;
detecting an amount of water added at an elapsed time during the mixing cycle in progress;
determining, using the amount of water detected in the detecting step, a predicted temperature value and a predicted water-content value for the rubber mixture at an end of the mixing cycle in progress;
comparing the target temperature value with the predicted temperature value, and the target water-content value with the predicted water-content value; and,
after the end of the mixing cycle in progress and before a next mixing cycle, adjusting an actual water flow rate for the next mixing cycle when a comparison result from the comparing step indicates non-equivalence between the target temperature value and the predicted temperature value, and between the target water-content value and the predicted water-content value.

2. The process of claim 1 , further comprising steps of:
evacuating air that contains evaporated water from the step of adding water; and
transporting the continuous sheet in a predetermined direction during the steps of adding water and evacuating air,
wherein the step of adding water includes spraying the continuous sheet while the continuous sheet is being transported proximate each of an upper spray station and a lower spray station of the at least one spray system, and
wherein the step of evacuating air includes using the at least one aspiration system to evacuate air containing water from the spraying.

3. The process of claim 2 , wherein the at least one spray system includes at least one rail positioned at each of the upper spray station and the lower spray station, each rail being in communication with a source of water and a source of air to supply water and air to one or more nozzles at the predetermined water flow rate and at a predetermined air pressure, and
wherein the at least one aspiration system includes:
at least one aspiration hood positioned downstream of each rail, each aspiration hood being in communication with an apparatus for evacuating air at the predetermined air flow rate,
a heating element for heating a portion of the at least one aspiration system to prevent condensation of water from the spraying, and
a transport system for transporting the continuous sheet during the step of evacuating air.

4. The process of claim 3 , wherein the at least one spray system includes a plurality of nozzles arranged linearly along a common axis perpendicular to an axis of circulation of the continuous sheet.

5. The process of claim 2 , wherein:
the predetermined water flow rate is in a range of from about 40 liters/hour to about 400 liters/hour,
the predetermined air flow rate is in a range of from about 5000 m 3 /h to about 30000 m 3 /h,
the target temperature value is about 70° C., and
the target water-content value does not exceed about 0.20% by weight of the rubber mixture of the continuous sheet.

6. The process of claim 5 , further comprising a step of:
repeating at least one of the detecting step, the determining step, the comparing step, and the adjusting step,
wherein the repeating step is performed iteratively until the comparison result indicates equivalence between the target temperature value and the predicted temperature value, and between the target water-content value and the predicted water-content value.

7. The process of claim 2 , further comprising steps of:
using a detection system to detect the actual water flow rate, an actual air flow rate, and a presence of an ambient pressure suitable for producing atomizing air droplets, and to generate one or more signals indicative of the actual water flow rate, the actual air flow rate, and the presence of the ambient pressure suitable for producing atomizing air droplets; and
using a monitoring system to receive the one or more signals generated by the detection system, and to send one or more commensurate control signals to perform the adjusting step.

8. The process of claim 7 , wherein the monitoring system includes a programmable controller in signal communication with the at least one spray system and the at least one aspiration system, and
wherein, in the obtaining step, the data is obtained from a plurality of established data values for a selected rubber mixture.

9. The process of claim 2 , further comprising a step of:
adding a vulcanization product to the continuous sheet while the continuous sheet is being transported.

10. The process of claim 9 , further comprising a step of:
before the step of adding the vulcanization product, allowing the target temperature value and the target water-content value to be reached.

11. The process of claim 1 , further comprising steps of:
transporting the continuous sheet to an evacuation station, the evacuation station including at least one evacuation spray rail, each evacuation spray rail including at least one evacuation aspiration hood located downstream of the evacuation spray rail;
using each evacuation spray rail to spray the continuous sheet during the transporting step; and
using each evacuation aspiration hood to evacuate air containing evaporated water.

12. A system for controlling an addition of water to a rubber mixture being produced in a mixing cycle, the system comprising:
a mixer structured to form the rubber mixture into a continuous sheet;
a transporter structured to transport the continuous sheet during the mixing cycle;
a spray system structured to deliver water to the continuous sheet at a predetermined water flow rate;
an aspiration system structured to evacuate air at a predetermined air flow rate, the aspiration system being associated with the spray system;
a detector configured to detect during the mixing cycle: an actual water flow rate, an actual air flow rate for evacuated air containing evaporated water, and a presence of an ambient pressure suitable for producing atomizing air droplets, the detector being further configured to generate at least one signal corresponding to a detection result; and
a controller configured to receive the at least one signal from the detector and to:
determine a predicted temperature value and a predicted water-content value for the rubber mixture at an end of the mixing cycle,
compare a target temperature value with the predicted temperature value, and a target water-content value with the predicted water-content value, to obtain a comparison result and,
after the end of the mixing cycle and before a next mixing cycle, adjust the actual water flow rate for the next mixing cycle when the comparison result indicates non-equivalence between the target temperature value and the predicted temperature value, and between the target water-content value and the predicted water-content value.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the mixer includes:
an internal mixer in which an e

Assignees

• Michelin & Cie
• Michelin & Cie

Inventors

• Juillard Jean-Claude
• Vacheron Christian

Classifications

• B60C11/00

  Tyre tread bands; Tread patterns; Anti-skid inserts · CPC title

• B29B7/826

  Apparatus therefor · CPC title

• B29B7/823

  Temperature control · CPC title

• B29B7/726

  Measuring properties of mixture, e.g. temperature or density (B29B7/724 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29B7/606

  specially adapted for feeding calenders or the like · CPC title