Computer Simulation of Cure Process of an Axisymmetric Rubber Article Reinforced by Metal Plates Using Extended ABAQUS Code

Afinite element model is developed for simulation of the curing process ofa thick axisymmetric rubber article reinforced by metal plates during themolding and cooling stages. The model consists of the heat transfer equationand a newly developed kinetics model for the determination of the state of curein the rubber. The latter is based on the modification of the well-known Kamal-Sourour model. The thermal contact of the rubber with metallic surfaces (inserts andmolds) and the variation of the thermal properties (conductivity and specific heat)with temperature and state-of-cure are taken into consideration. The ABAQUS codeis used in conjunction with an in-house developed user subroutine to solve the governingequations. Having compared temperature profile and variation of the state-ofcurewith experimentally measured data, the accuracy and applicability of the modelis confirmed. It is also shown that this model can be successfully used for the optimizationof curing process which gives rise to reduction of the molding time.