METHOD FOR PRODUCING A RUBBER MIXTURE, AND USE OF A DEVICE SUITABLE FOR CARRYING OUT THE METHOD

Abstract

A device for producing a rubber mixture and/or non-vulcanized vehicle tire components and/or a vehicle tire, comprising a first mixer comprising a mixing chamber with at least one first mixing rotor and with a first volume ratio, and a second mixer comprising a mixing chamber with at least one second mixing rotor and with a second volume ratio, wherein the ratio of said first volume ratio to said second volume ratio lies in the range from 50:1 to 1:10. Also disclosed is the use of the device and a method for producing non-vulcanized vehicle tire components and/or a vehicle tire.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A device for producing a rubber mixture, the device comprising: a first mixer comprising a mixing chamber with at least one first mixing rotor (1), wherein the mixing chamber of the first mixer has a first chamber volume, and is delimited by a chamber housing, a first filling opening and a first ejection opening, wherein each of the at least one first mixing rotors (1) comprises a mixer rotor core (2) and at least two first rotor blades (3a, 3b), wherein the ratio of the total volume of all first rotor blades (3a, 3b) of all first mixing rotors (1) to the mixing volume of the mixing chamber of the first mixer (1) constitutes a first volume ratio, and a second mixer comprising a mixing chamber with at least one second mixing rotor (1), wherein the mixing chamber of the second mixer has a second chamber volume, and is delimited by a chamber housing, a second filling opening and a second ejection opening, wherein the at least one second mixing rotor (1) has a mixer rotor core (2) and at least two second rotor blades (3a, 3b), wherein the ratio of the total volume of all second rotor blades (3a, 3b) of all second mixing rotors (1) to the mixing volume of the mixing chamber of the second mixer constitutes a second volume ratio, wherein the ratio of the second chamber volume of the mixing chamber of the second mixer to the first chamber volume of the mixing chamber of the first mixer lies in the range of 15:1 to 1:1, the ratio of said first volume ratio to said second volume ratio lies in the range of 50:1 to 1:10, preferably in the range of 20:1 to 1:1.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the ratio of said first volume ratio to said second volume ratio lies in the range of 5:1 to 1:10.

18. The device of claim 17, further comprising at least one first rotor blade (3a, 3b) of the first mixing rotors and the second mixing rotors has a first aspect ratio formed from the height of one of the first rotor blades (3a, 3b) to the effective diameter of said one first rotor blade (3a, 3b) in the range of 50:1 to 1:10; and at least one second rotor blade (3a, 3b) of the first mixing rotors and the second mixing rotors has a second aspect ratio, wherein the second aspect ratio formed from the height of one of the second rotor blades (3a, 3b) to the effective diameter of said one second rotor blade (3a, 3b) lies in the range of 50:1 to 1:10.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the ratio of the first aspect ratio to the second aspect ratio lies in the range of 100:1 to 1:10.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein a ratio of the minimum distance between the rotor blade tip (4) of a first rotor blade (3a, 3b) and an inner wall of the chamber housing of the first mixer to the minimum distance between the rotor blade tip (4) of a second rotor blade (3a, 3b) and the inner wall of the chamber housing of the second mixer lies in the range of 10:1 to 1:50.

21. The device of claim 16, wherein the first and second mixers each have two mixing rotors (1), wherein the ratio of the minimum distance between the rotor blade tip (4) of a first rotor blade (3a, 3b) of a mixing rotor (1) of the first mixer and the outer wall (10) of the mixing rotor core (2) of the other mixing rotor (1) of the first mixer to the minimum distance between the rotor blade tip (4) of a second rotor blade (3a, 3b) of a mixing rotor (1) of the second mixer and the outer wall (10) of the mixing rotor core (2) of the other mixing rotor (1) of the second mixer lies in the range of 50:1 to 1.01:1.

22. The device of claim 16, wherein the volume ratio of the second chamber volume of the mixing chamber of the second mixer to the first chamber volume of the mixing chamber of the first mixer lies in the range of 14:1 to 1.1:1, and the device produces non-vulcanized vehicle tire components.

23. The device of claim 16 configured to produce a rubber mixture or for producing non-vulcanized vehicle tire components and/or a vehicle tire.

24. The device of claim 16, the first mixer and the second mixer configured to: A) mix of a rubber mixture in a first mixer, wherein the first mixer has a mixing chamber and at least one mixing rotor in the mixing chamber of the first mixer, wherein ii. the mixing chamber of the first mixer has a first chamber volume, iii. the mixing chamber of the first mixer is delimited by a chamber housing, a first filling opening and a first ejection opening, and iv. the at least one mixing rotor (1) of the first mixer has a mixing rotor core (2) and at least two first rotor blades (3a, 3b), B) trans of the rubber mixture mixed in the first mixer into a second mixer, wherein the second mixer has a mixing chamber and at least one mixing rotor (1) in the mixing chamber of the second mixer, wherein v. the mixing chamber of the second mixer is delimited by a chamber housing, a second filling opening and a second ejection opening, vi. the mixing chamber of the second mixer has a second chamber volume, wherein the volume ratio of the chamber volume of the mixing chamber of the second mixer to the chamber volume of the mixing chamber of the first mixer lies in the range of 15:1 to 1:1, and vii. the at least one mixing rotor (1) of the second mixer has a mixing rotor core (2) and at least two second rotor blades (3a, 3b), C) mix of the rubber mixture mixed in the first mixer in the second mixer, wherein the blade field speeds acting on the rubber mixture during usage step C) in the mixing chamber of the second mixer are lower than the blade field speeds acting on the rubber mixture during usage step A) in the mixing chamber of the first mixer.

25. The device of claim 16, wherein the ratio of the blade field speeds acting on the rubber mixture during usage step A) in the mixing chamber of the first mixer to the blade field speeds acting on the rubber mixture during usage step C) in the mixing chamber of the second mixer lies in the range of 1 000 000:1 to 1.01:1; and the blade field speeds acting on the rubber mixture during usage step A) in the mixing chamber of the first mixer lie in the range of 10 m/s to 300 m/s; and the blade field speeds acting on the rubber mixture during usage step C) in the mixing chamber of the second mixer lie in the range of 1 m/s to 80 m/s.

26. The device of claim 16, wherein the second mixer has a supply unit for supplying rubber mixture constituents to the bottom chamber housing, preferably a supply unit for supplying vulcanization agents to the mixing chamber of the second mixer, wherein between usage steps A) to C), or during usage steps A) and/or C), vulcanization agents are transferred to the mixing chamber of the second mixer so that a non-vulcanized finished rubber mixture is produced during usage step C).

27. A method for producing non-vulcanized vehicle tire components comprising: providing rubber mixture constituents, mixing the rubber mixture constituents into a basic rubber mixture using a first mixer; mixing of the basic rubber mixture with vulcanization agents and further rubber mixture constituents to produce a finished rubber mixture in a second mixer; shaping and cutting the finished rubber mixture to produce non-vulcanized vehicle tire components; and vulcanizing one or more of the vehicle tire components together with further tire components to produce a vehicle tire; wherein the blade field speeds acting on the rubber mixture in the mixing chamber of the second mixer are lower than the blade field speeds acting on the rubber mixture in the mixing chamber of the first mixer.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the rubber mixture comprises silica, wherein the silica proportion of the rubber mixture lies in the range of 1 phr to 200 phr and/or less than 0.1 phr soot is present in the rubber mixture, the silica proportion lies in the range of 40 phr to 190 phr.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the rubber mixture comprises one or more silanes, wherein the silane proportion of the rubber mixture lies in the range of 0.01 phr to 50 phr.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the rubber mixture comprises at least one rubber selected from the group consisting of IIR, EPDM, NR, IR, SBR, SSBR and BR.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0216] In the figures:

[0217] FIG. 1: shows a perspective view of a rotor of a device according to the invention, wherein two sections A-A and B-B are drawn in FIG. 1;

[0218] FIG. 2: shows a cross-sectional view along section A-A of the device according to the invention shown in FIG. 1;

[0219] FIG. 3: shows a cross-sectional view along section B-B of the device according to the invention shown in FIG. 1.

[0220] FIG. 1 shows a rotor as roughly depicted in FIG. 3 of document DE 4129108 A1. With reference to the rotor 1 illustrated schematically in FIG. 1, the various aspects of the present invention will be explained as examples in detail. The rotor 1 illustrated schematically in FIG. 1 has an axis 12, a rotational axis 13, a mixer rotor core 2 with an outer surface 10 and two rotor blades 3a, 3b. The rotor blade 3a running to a tip in the radial direction 15 has a clearly defined rotor blade tip 4 and a weld seam 14. The frustopyramidal rotor blade 3b has an outer wall 6 with an outer surface, a base surface 8 and several side walls 7, wherein the base surface 8 of the rotor blade 3b of the rotor 1 is the surface which lies against the rotor core 2 of the rotor 1.

[0221] In the context of the present invention, the outer surface of the outer wall of the rotor blade, in semi-circular or similarly shaped rotor blades, corresponds precisely to the surface which adjoins the line lying on said outer surface which has the smallest distance from the inner wall of the chamber housing, and the distance from the inner wall of the chamber housing is only up to 0.5 mm greater than said line.

[0222] FIG. 2 shows a schematically illustrated cross-sectional view along section A-A of the device according to the invention shown in FIG. 1. The rotor 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a rotational axis 13, a mixer rotor core 2 with an outer surface 10 and a radius 11, and two rotor blades 3a, 3b. The pointed-tip rotor blade 3a has a clearly defined rotor blade tip 4 and a weld seam 14 and a height 5. The frustopyramidal rotor blade 3b has an outer wall 6 with an outer surface, a base surface 8 and several side walls 7 and a height 5, wherein the base surface 8 of the rotor blade 3b of the rotor 1 is the surface which lies against the rotor core 2 of the rotor 1. The maximum radius 9 of the rotor 2 extends in the radial direction 15 from the rotational axis to the rotor blade tip 4 of the rotor blade 3a, and in the radial direction 15 from the rotational axis to the outer surface 10 of the rotor blade 3b.

[0223] FIG. 3 shows a schematically illustrated cross-sectional view along section B-B of the device according to the invention shown in FIG. 1. The rotor 1 shown in FIG. 2 has a rotational axis 13, a mixer rotor core 2 with an outer surface 10 and a radius 11, and the rotor blade 3b. The frustopyramidal rotor blade 3b has an outer wall 6 with an outer surface, a base surface 8 and several side walls 7 and a height 5, wherein the base surface 8 of the rotor blade 3b of the rotor 1 is the surface which lies against the rotor core 2 of the rotor 1. The maximum radius 9 of the rotor 2 extends in the radial direction 15 from the rotational axis to the outer surface 10 of the rotor blade 3b.

TABLE-US-00001 List of reference signs: 1 Mixing rotor 2 Mixing rotor core; rotor core 3a Pointed-tip rotor blade with clearly defined rotor blade tip 3b Frustopyramidal rotor blade with outer face on which the maximum radius of the rotor lies 4 Rotor blade tip of a rotor blade; radially outermost point of the rotor blade 5 Height of a rotor blade 6 Outer wall or outer face of the rotor blade; outer face on which the maximum radius of a rotor lies 7 Side wall of the rotor blade 8 Base surface of the rotor blade 9 Maximum radius of a rotor 10 Outer face or face of the outer wall of the mixing rotor core 11 Radius of the rotor core 12 Rotor axis 13 Rotational axis of the rotor 14 Weld seam 15 Radial direction; perpendicular to axial direction 16 Axial direction; perpendicular to radial direction