Tire

Curing
Bladder
Prepared by: Prashant Singh
What is Bladder?

 The curing bladder is a cylindrical bag of specially compounded

butyl rubber containing a poly- methylolphenol resin cure system.
 Resin cured butyl rubber has carbon-carbon crosslinks.
 Butyl rubber has very low permeability to gases and water vapour
providing the required properties for butyl tire curing bladders. A
curing bladder is an important and essential part of the tire
vulcanizing process.
Functions of a Curing Bladder

 This collapsible bladder is mounted in the lower section of the tire

curing press.
 The "green" unvulcanised tire is positioned over the bladder in the
bottom half the mould.
 When the mould is closed, pressurized steam(HPS & LPS), hot
water & cold water is introduced systematically (pre- programmed)
into the bladder to provide internal heat and pressure for the tire
shaping and curing process.
The basic properties required for bladder

 A homogeneous, well mixed compound for ease of processing (mixing,

extruding, and mould flow).
 Excellent heat aging resistance.
 Resistance to degradation due to saturated steam or high pressure hot water.
 Excellent flex and hot tear resistance.
 Low tension and compression set that maintains high elongation properties.
 Impermeability to air, inert gas, and water vapour.
Compounding of Tire Curing Bladders

 The selection of compounding ingredients is very important with respect to the

bladder life.
 The primary materials used in a bladder compound are the polymer (butyl
rubber), cure activator, carbon black, plasticizer, zinc oxide, and curing
resin.
 Butyl rubber (IIR, Isobutylene isoprene copolymer) is the preferred elastomer for
tire curing bladders.
Steps of manufacturing of bladder

 Master batch mixing,

 Straining,
 Final batch mixing,
 Extrusion of slugs/blanks,
 Cutting of slugs/blanks,
 Blank splicing,
 Vulcanization (compression molding or injection molding),
 Storage of bladders.
Bladder defects
Manufacturers

 Lanxess
 Continental
 Polymer
 Shandong Xishui Yonyi Rubber
 Runtong Rubber
 Dajin Tyre
 Xing Yuan Group
 Huahe
 Dawang Jintai Group
 Nanjing Yatong Rubber Plastic
Handling

 1. Bladders should be stored in a dark and dry place, protected from direct sunlight and ozone sources.
 2. Please follow press manual instructions for proper mounting. Any imperfection of the bladder mounting rings
needs to be avoided.
 3. Before mounting bladders into curing press we recommend to pre-treat the bladders with a bladder coating
material.
 4. Before tire curing starts, the bladder should be fully warmed up. For this, the machine should be operated
according to the press manual.
 5. In case of pre-inflating during the warm up, the bladder outside diameter must not exceed the tire sidewall
plate outside diameter of the tire mold, in order to avoid non-symmetric deformation.
 6. If the bladder has cooled down after an interruption in the curing process, it is imperative to warm it up again.
 7. Heavily oxygenated water should be neutralized by the addition of oxygen scavengers or similar ingredients,
in order to avoid deterioration of the bladder.
 8. To avoid sticking, trapped air or stripping problems, a proper application of a tire inside paint is recommended.
 1. After curing, bladders should be stored in appropriate conditions as discussed earlier.
 2. Bladders should be protected from ozone and UV light if stored for extended periods.
 3. The clamping rings should to be tightened to 10 to 15% compression and the
compression should be uniform around the bladder.
 4. It is suggested that the internal curing media (steam, inert gas) contain less than 150
pphm oxygen and be free from metallic compounds, especially copper.
 5. Control of bladder stretching to within 65% circumferentially and 20% laterally is
suggested.
 6. The correct size of bladder and tire fitment are important to maximize bladder life.
 7. If the correct bladder size is not available, a smaller size bladder is preferred. Selection
of larger size bladders should be avoided to prevent any buckles as the bladder inflates
inside the green tire.
 8. Periodic surface lubricant coating of the bladder or use of a green tire lubricant is
beneficial to extend bladder life.
Enhance bladder life

 Graphite was found to enhance lubricity (reduce the coefficient of friction), lower adhesion
of cured tire innerliners to butyl rubber curing bladders, and reduce bladder growth (lower
the hot tension set). Brominated copolymers of iso- butylene and p-methyl-styrene were
found to have enhanced heat stability in curing bladder applications and to have improved
performance as curing bladders.

 with small amounts of diene monomers, usually isoprene to give sufficient unsaturation to
allow the butyl rubber to be cross] inked. Copolymers of isobutylene and para-methyl-
styrene which are subsequently brominated are being man- 40 ufactured by Exxon. These
polymers are useful in many applications where butyl rubber is used
 What is bladder?
 Pattern of bladder & explain
 Benefits of pre shaped bladder
 Define bladder size(nomenclature)
 Bladder dimensions & assembly part(media in out)
 Bladder defect (oxidation
 Cure tyre defects due to bladder
 How to handle bladder
 How to enhance bladder life
 Supplier/manufacturers bkt suppliers
 Bladder height trd height & its impact
 Why it is not repaired?
 In a Banbury 30 mixer or the equivalent the rubber polymers, 80 weight percent of the carbon black, the oils, waxes,
zinc oxide, and optionally graphite (if desired) were mixed until the mix temperature reached 165°C. The material was
dumped onto a sheet-off mill and cooled. The cooled material was added to a Banbury mixer or equivalent in the second
mixing stage. Then the other 20 weight percent carbon black was added during mixing until the Banbury mix
temperature reached 1 50°C. The material was again dumped onto a sheet-off mill and cooled. In the third mixing stage
the curatives (including 35 any neoprene rubber, resin, accelerators, and sulfur) were added and mixed until the mix
temperature reached 1 15°C.
 The material was then dumped and cooled. The curing bladder may be molded in an injection molding machine or a
transfer molding machine. If transfer molding is selected the material from the Banbury is extruded as a slug. A cure
meter is used to determine the approximate time to develop optimal cure at specific temperatures. The actual cure time
will depend on heating rate and the gauge (thick- 40 ness) of the curing bladder. The curing bladder desirably will have a
toroidal shape. The curing bladder material tested in the examples was cured for 60 minutes at 1 71 °C.
 In an embodiment, the thickness of the tire-curing bladder 132 is thinnest at the centre and
thickest at the foot area 222. In an embodiment, the tire-curing bladder 132 is of
approximately uniform thickness from shoulder-to-shoulder or from foot-to-foot.
 This feature allows for versatility and alleviates the need for a specialized bladder for each
tire size. In an embodiment the bladder-curing bladder 136 stretches 5-40% to cure the tire-
curing bladder
 CONTI

Type 1 Advanced pebbles Type 2 standard pebble