Simulation of Rubber Vulcanization for Calculation of the Curing Time with Modification of the Kinetic Model

The present work is focused on the computational method for simulation of the rubber vulcanization process in injection molding machines. The main innovation of the work is the calculation of the curing time in a rubbery part using the modification of curing kinetic model. For solving the curing equations, the computer code is developed in “UDF” module of the Fluent. The parameters of curing model, specific heat and viscosity of the rubber are obtained from the experiment. In order to evaluate the experimental curing time, a mechanical compression test is performed on the rubbery part at different times. Predicted mold filling and curing times are compared with experimental data, which confirmed the accuracy and applicability of the method.