Star Hydraulics, Tewkesbury, 6 October 2016
The aim of the course is to give those who design, make and use rubber products an understanding of underlying principles about the ways the materials deform and factors that affect fatigue life. The course will explain the structure of rubbers and how the different parts of the mixture can affect the fatigue life.
The effect of different types of loading such as the effect of minimum strain and the differences between uniaxial and biaxial loading will be discussed for different types of rubbers.
Fatigue of rubbers is complex but the course provides a foundation of knowledge so that improvements in fatigue life can be planned and executed. The course provides the basis of knowledge needed for further courses that will cover some specific aspects of fatigue in more detail.
The course will be led By Dave Boast FIMechE of DB Engineering. Dave has over 35 years of experience of a wide range of elastomer products in many industries in demanding applications. He has organised many events for the Rubber in Engineering Committee of the Institute of Materials to promote the understanding and science of rubber manufacturing and products
Programme
9.00am Registration, Tea and Coffee
9.30am Introduction – Norman Thornton, EIS
9.35am The structure of rubber and how the different ingredients in the rubber affect the mechanical properties and fatigue life of products. Aspects and analysis of the stresses and strains in products that undergo deformation will also be discussed.
Understanding material specifications and how to specify the mechanical properties.
11.00am Tea and Coffee
11.30am Understanding of stress and strain in the product, failure criteria and fatigue.
12.30pm Lunch
1.30pm Common sources of product variability in products from design, in the materials and processing of the materials and the environment the products are used in.
Relating real loads to product and material testing and failure criteria.
3.00pm Tea and Coffee
3.30pm Hands-on session testing rubber to highlight the topics discussed today.
Review of key points.
4.30pm Closing Comments