Rubber-ceramic composite linings are made of a wear-resistant ceramic and a rubber matrix. The rubber matrix typically possesses excellent flexibility, elasticity, and corrosion resistance, while the wear-resistant ceramic imparts high hardness, wear resistance, and high-temperature resistance. This unique combination of properties makes ceramic-rubber composite linings widely used in material handling and protection applications in industries such as mining, power generation, cement, and steel.
Raw Material Preparation
Rubber Base Material: Choose a wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant rubber (such as natural rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, or polyurethane rubber). Pre-mixing is required (including the addition of vulcanizing agents, accelerators, and fillers).
Ceramic Blocks/Sheets: Typically, these are high-hardness ceramics such as alumina (Al₂O₃) and silicon carbide (SiC). Shapes can be square, hexagonal, or custom-shaped. The surface must be cleaned to enhance bonding strength.
Adhesive: Use specialized polymer adhesives (such as epoxy resin, polyurethane adhesive, or rubber-based adhesives).
Ceramic Pretreatment
Cleaning: Sandblast or pickle the ceramic surface to remove impurities and improve roughness.
Activation: If necessary, treat the ceramic surface with a silane coupling agent or other agent to enhance chemical bonding with the rubber.
Rubber Matrix Preparation
Mixing and Molding: After the rubber is uniformly mixed in an internal mixer, it is calendered or extruded into a substrate of the desired thickness and shape.
Pre-vulcanization: Some processes require slight pre-vulcanization of the rubber (semi-vulcanized state) to maintain fluidity during bonding.
Composite Process
Compression Vulcanization (Commonly Used)
Ceramic Arrangement: Ceramic blocks are placed on a rubber substrate or into a mold cavity according to a designed pattern (e.g., staggered arrangement).
Compression Vulcanization: The rubber substrate and ceramic are placed in a mold, heated, and pressurized (140-160°C, 10-20 MPa). During the vulcanization process, the rubber flows and wraps around the ceramic, simultaneously bonding to it through an adhesive or direct vulcanization.
Cooling and Demolding: After vulcanization, the rubber is cooled and demolded, forming a one-piece liner.
Bonding
Separately Vulcanized Rubber: Prepare a fully vulcanized rubber sheet.
Bonded Ceramic: The ceramic is bonded to the rubber sheet using a high-strength adhesive and cured under pressure (at room temperature or heated).
Post-Processing
After vulcanization, the rubber-ceramic composite lining product is removed from the mold and undergoes post-processing, which includes cooling, trimming, and inspection. The cooling process stabilizes product performance, trimming removes excess rubber from the edges, and inspection ensures that product quality meets requirements.
The vulcanization process of ceramic-rubber composite linings is a complex chemical reaction involving the synergistic interaction of multiple factors. By thoroughly understanding the basic principles and process of vulcanization, rationally selecting raw materials, optimizing the mixing process, and precisely controlling molding and vulcanization process parameters, it is possible to produce ceramic-rubber composite lining products with excellent performance.
With the continuous advancement of industrial technology, the performance requirements for ceramic-rubber composite linings are increasing. Further research and improvement of vulcanization processes are needed to meet the application needs of different fields.
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