Instrumented Adhesion Testing Machine

Overview

This project was presented by Superior Tire & Rubber Corp., who specialize in manufacturing polyurethane and rubber industrial load wheels that are chemically bonded to steel hubs. Currently, a rudimentary adhesion test is performed and only produces subjective pass/fail data of the bond quality. This project’s objective is to create an adhesion test to gain useful data to discern varying levels in the bond quality of two of Superior Tire’s high production load wheels.

Objectives

The primary objective of the project was to design an adhesion test to assess the bond quality of the urethane-metal interface on industrial tires. Aspects from ASTM adhesion testing standards were applied and a test was designed for the load wheel. Specially designed fixtures were created and integrated on a material testing machine. This 90-degree peel test produces load per displacement data in one-inch strips along the width of the wheel.

Approach

• Met with customer and toured manufacturing facility to gain background information of project.
• Researched standards relating to adhesin tests.
• Developed list of engineering specifications to meet customer needs.
• Created four unique test methods during concept generation phase.
• Selected the 90-degree peel method using decision matrix and criteria based on specifications.
• Developed CAD models of base fixture and cam clamp.
• Performed a strengths analysis on critical components in the design to prevent failure under load.
• Worked with Behrend Machine Shop to manufacture full scale prototype fixtures.
• Conducted multiple peel tests at Superior Tire Material Testing Lab, collecting load and displacement data.

Outcomes

• Testing validated function of base fixture and cam clamp.
• Load and displacement data prove method is effective in differentiating levels of bond quality.
• Testing equipment can be integrated in a dedicated testing machine, located next to manufacturing line.
• The test can be performed in under 30 minutes, allowing for rapid tests.
• Replaces subjective test, producing useful and quantifiable data on bond quality in the manufactured load wheels.