Solutions for Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing, 3/e (published by Wiley) © MPGroover 2007

14 RUBBER PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY

Review Questions
14.1 How is the rubber industry organized?
Answer. The rubber industry is organized into three parts: (1) rubber growing plantations produce
natural rubber, (2) the petrochemical industry produces synthetic rubber, and (3) fabricators take the
NR and SR and produce finished rubber goods.
14.2 How is raw rubber recovered from the latex that is tapped from a rubber tree?
Answer. The rubber is usually recovered as follows: (1) the latex is collected into tanks and diluted
to half natural concentration; (2) formic or acetic or other acid is added to the solution which causes
the rubber to coagulate; (3) the coagulum is then squeezed through rolls to drive off water; and (4)
the resulting sheets are dried in smokehouses for several days. The resulting raw rubber is called
ribbed smoked sheet.
14.3 What is the sequence of processing steps required to produce finished rubber goods?
Answer. The typical sequence is (1) production of the raw rubber, (2) compounding, (3) mixing, (4)
shaping, and (5) vulcanization.
14.4 What are some of the additives that are combined with rubber during compounding?
Answer. The additives include: vulcanizing chemicals, reinforcing fillers, extenders to reduce cost,
antioxidants, coloring pigments, plasticizers to soften the rubber, and blowing agents to make foam
rubber.
14.5 Name the four basic categories of processes used to shape rubber.
Answer. The categories are (1) extrusion, (2) calendering, (3) coating, and (4) molding.
14.6 What does vulcanization do to the rubber?
Answer. Vulcanization causes cross-linking of the rubber molecules; this strengthens and stiffens
the rubber while extensibility is retained.
14.7 Name the three basic tire constructions and briefly identify the differences in their construction.
Answer. The three basic tire constructions are (a) diagonal ply, (b) belted bias, and (c) radial ply.
Diagonal ply and belted bias both have their carcass plys running in a diagonal direction relative to
the tire circumference. Radial ply has its carcass plies running in a radial direction. Belted bias and
radial ply tires use belts, which are additional plies around the outside circumference of the tire;
whereas diagonal ply tires do not have these belts.
14.8 What are the three basic steps in the manufacture of a pneumatic tire?
Answer. The three steps are (1) preform the components, (2) building the carcass and adding the
rubber for the sidewall and treads, and (3) molding and curing.
14.9 What is the purpose of the bead coil in a pneumatic tire?
Answer. The bead coil provides a rigid support for the tire when it is mounted onto the wheel rim.
14.10 What is a TPE?
Answer. TPE stands for thermoplastic elastomer; it is a thermoplastic polymer that behaves like a
rubber.

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Solutions for Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing, 3/e (published by Wiley) © MPGroover 2007

14.11 Many of the design guidelines that are applicable to plastics are also applicable to rubber. However,
the extreme flexibility of rubber results in certain differences. What are some examples of these
differences?
Answer. Examples include the following: (1) No draft is needed on a molded rubber part for
removal from the mold. (2) Holes should be molded into rubber parts rather than machined, whereas
holes can be machined or molded in a plastic part. (3) Screw threads are quite uncommon on rubber
parts, whereas they are not uncommon on plastic parts.

Multiple Choice Quiz

There is a total of 10 correct answers in the following multiple choice questions (some questions have
multiple answers that are correct). To attain a perfect score on the quiz, all correct answers must be given.
Each correct answer is worth 1 point. Each omitted answer or wrong answer reduces the score by 1 point,
and each additional answer beyond the correct number of answers reduces the score by 1 point. Percentage
score on the quiz is based on the total number of correct answers.
14.1 The most important rubber product is which one of the following: (a) footwear, (b) conveyor belts,
(c) pneumatic tires, or (d) tennis balls?
Answer. (c).
14.2 The chemical name of the ingredient recovered from the latex of the rubber tree is which one of the
following: (a) polybutadiene, (b) polyisobutylene, (c) polyisoprene, or (d) polystyrene?
Answer. (c).
14.3 Of the following rubber additives, which one would rank as the single most important: (a)
antioxidants, (b) carbon black, (c) clays and other hydrous aluminum silicates, (d) plasticizers and
softening oils, or (e) reclaimed rubber?
Answer. (b).
14.4 Which one of the following molding processes is the most important in the production of products
made of conventional rubber: (a) compression molding, (b) injection molding, (c) thermoforming, or
(d) transfer molding?
Answer. (a).
14.5 Which of the following ingredients do not contribute to the vulcanizing process (two correct
answers): (a) calcium carbonate, (b) carbon black, (c) stearic acid, (d) sulfur, and (e) zinc oxide?
Answer. (a) and (b).
14.6 How many minutes are required to cure (vulcanize) a modern passenger car tire: (a) 5, (b) 15, (c) 25,
or (d) 45?
Answer. (b).
14.7 When is the tread pattern imprinted onto the circumference of the tire: (a) during preforming, (b)
while building the carcass, (c) during molding, or (d) during curing?
Answer. (c).
14.8 Which of the following are not normally used in the processing of thermoplastic elastomers (two
correct answers): (a) blow molding, (b) compression molding, (c) extrusion, (d) injection molding, or
(e) vulcanization?
Answer. (b) and (e).

Excerpts from this work may be reproduced by instructors for distribution on a not-for-profit basis for testing or instructional purposes only to
students enrolled in courses for which the textbook has been adopted. Any other reproduction or translation of this work beyond that permitted
by Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without the permission of the copyright owner is unlawful.
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