Optimal production of tires through an integrated experimental, kinetic and finite element Fe modelling approach

An integrated three-step approach for the optimization of tires mechanical properties based on experimental characterization, kinetic steady-state model and Finite Element FE heat transmission modelling is presented. The first experimental characterization is needed to calibrate a kinetic numerical model (second step), directly nested in the last step into a FE software for the simulation of 3D heat transmission problems. The kinetic model is a phenomenological approach based on 3 kinetic constants, which allows predicting the initial curing rate, maximum crosslinking and reversion. Kinetic constants are deduced fitting normalized experimental rheometer curves. FE transient curing computations are carried out on a real car tire, discretizing the geometry through a refined mesh. All element of the tire (e.g. belts, carcass, core etc.) can be separately meshed, so the exact vulcanization process in different phases can be eventually accounted for.