Tyre Building Procedure

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview on MRF industry
Madras Rubber Factory Limited, commonly known by the abbreviation MRF, is an Indian
multinational and the largest manufacturer of tyres in India and the fourteenth largest
manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Chennai, India. The company manufactures
rubber products including tyres, treads, tubes and conveyor belts, paints and toys. MRF also runs
the MRF Pace Foundation, Chennai and MRF Challenge in motorsport.

MRF was started by K.M. Mammen Mappillai as a toy balloon manufacturing unit in 1946 at
Tiruvottiyur, Madras. In 1952, the company ventured into the manufacture of thread rubber.

MRF Limited was incorporated as a private company in November 1960 and ventured into
manufacture of tyres in partnership with Mansfield Tire & Rubber company based in Ohio,
United States. The company went public on 1 April 1961 and an office was established in Beirut,
Lebanon to develop the export market in 1964 and its current logo of the muscleman was born.
In 1967, it became the first Indian company to export tyres to USA.

In 1973, MRF started manufacturing Nylon tyres for the first time. The Company entered into
with a technical know-how collaboration with B.FGoodrich in 1978. The Mansfield Tire &
Rubber Co sold out its share in 1979 and the name of the company was changed to MRF Ltd in
the year. The company finalized a technical collaboration agreement with Marangoni TRS SPA,
Italy for the manufacture of pre-cured tread rubber for retreading industry. MRF tyres supplied
tyres to Maruti 800, India's first modern small car. In 1989, the company collaborated with
Hasbro International United States, the world's largest toy maker and launched Funskool India.
Also, they entered into a pact with Vapocure of Australia to manufacture polyurethane paint
formulations and with Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli for conveyor and elevator belt
manufacture. During the year 2004-05, the product range of the company expanded with Go-kart
& rally tyres and tyres for two/three wheelers.

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1.2 Products
MRF manufactures various tyres for passenger cars, two–wheelers, trucks, buses, tractors, light
commercial vehicles and off–the–road tyres. The major products include MRF Nylogrip for
bikes, MRF ZVTs and MRF Wanderers for cars and SUVs, MRF Meteor all terrain tyres, MRF
Steel Muscle for trucks and buses. In Goa Plant they manufacture tyres of tractor, Volvo
company vehicals, Buses.
Conveyor Belting – manufactures its in-house brand of Muscleflex conveyor belts.
Pretreads – MRF has the most advanced pre-cured retreading system in India. MRF forayed into
retreading in 1970 and manufactures pretreads for tyres.
Paints - manufactures polyurethane paint formulations and coats used in automotive, decorative
and industrial applications.
Cricket - MRF manufactures cricket bats, gloves, pads and other accessories.

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CHAPTER 2
PROCESSES
2.1 Banbury
PRINCIPLES OF MIXING
Vulcanizable polymers cannot be used without compounding. Various additives like curative
system, protective system, reinforcing agents, cheapeners and other process aids have to be
mixed to the polymer or polymer blend “to make a coherent homogenous mass of all these
ingredients, which will process satisfactory and on Vulcanisation will give the product capable of
giving the desired performance, all with the minimum expenditure of machine time and energy.

Due to the partly elastic nature and very high viscosity of rubber, power intensive sturdy
machinery like mixing mills or internal mixers is necessary to achieve the mixing of additives
into the polymer. The ingredients are in form of liquids, solid powders or solid agglomerates.

Phases during mixing of rubber

Phases during mixing of rubber

The mixing of solid ingredients into the solid polymer occurs in phases. During subdivision large
lumps or agglomerates are broken down into smaller aggregates suitable for incorporation into
the rubber.

For instance carbon black pellets which have dimension of the order of 250-2000 µm get broken
down into aggregates with dimensions of the order of 100 µm. Then these aggregates are
absorbed or incorporated into the rubber to form a coherent mass.

During mixing, shearing of the rubber generates shearing stress in rubber mass which imposes in
turn shear stress on these aggregates and breaks these into their ultimate fine size which in case
of carbon blacks is of the order of about 1µm. in size. This phase is also known as intensive
mixing or homogenization in micromolecular level.

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Distribution or homogenization in micromolecular level or extensive mixing is “the moving of

the agglomerates / particles from one point to another, without changing the shape of the particle
to increase the randomness of the mixture”. The ingredients incorporation is a very slow process.

Another method of reducing incorporation time is to use powdered rubbers. In a simple ribbon
blender the powdered rubbers can be mixed with the other compounding ingredients.

The powdery mass is compacted in another machine and then fed to the internal mixer. Because
of the large surface area of the powdered rubbers, the incorporation into polymer is very fast and
only a very short mixing cycle in the internal mixer is adequate to achieve the mixing.

Even after all ingredient is incorporated, dispersion/distribution of the ingredient is not complete.
Good distribution is comparatively easy to achieve by paying proper attention to cutting and
folding operation on a mixing mill or by just prolonging the mixing cycle in an internal mixer.

Dispersion however is dependent on the shear stresses generated within the polymer and hence
good dispersion may not be achieved by prolonged mixing . Careful consideration is necessary
not only as regards the time of the mixing cycle but also for the order of addition of ingredients
to the rubber.

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Fig.1.1 Banbury

CONDITIONS FOR GOOD DISPERSION OF CARBON BLACK

To achieve dispersion of the carbon black, the polymer mass itself has to exert considerable
shear stress on the carbon black agglomerate incorporated inside the polymer. This is achieved
by passing the polymer carbon black batch through a narrow nip either between two rolls of a
mixing mill moving at frictional speed or that in between rotor tip and chamber wall of an
internal mixer.
In internal mixer two additional conditions have to be fulfilled. Chamber loading must correct &
Ram pressures must be adequate to hold the stock within the chamber.

Banbury------> Blending/Mixing------> Milling------> Diptank------> Conveyor------>

Cooling------>Final product ( blended rubber)

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2.2Dual tube
2.2.1 Dual tube 1
It consists of 5 mills i.e. 2 stock loader, 1 twin mill, 1 cracker mill, 1 blending mill. Here small
size threads are made.
 Cracker mill is a groove shape mill and is used to remove air traps
 Blending mill is used for blending of the rubber
 Twin mill is the one where two mills are attached
Extruder is used to get diameter of different shapes
 Cap extruder
 Bore extruder
Weighing conveyor is present and dancer is present for weight balance.
Ascending conveyor is present which is used foe cooling.
Descending conveyor is present.
Cutter conveyor/ Skiver cutting mill is present which has power of 4.3KW and runs at 3500rpm.
Accelerating conveyor is used to carry the rubber and then byproduct is removed.

2.2.2 Dual tube 2

It is used for making tractors and bus threads. In this there are 6 mills are made.
There are 2 cracker mill and 4 blender mill.

2.2.3 Dual tube 3

It works same as dual tube 2, it is used to increase the production.

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2.3 48’ inch Calender

The major application of rubber calendering machine is to press the mixed and refined rubber
mixture It also can be applied to rubber sheets in single or double sticking or topping operations
with textile fabricas.

During the sheeting process, the rubber calender machine can force out the air existed in the
material for producing the product without air bubble after vulcarization. The more quantity of
rolls the calender has, the more times of sheets are pressed, that enable the calender produce high
quality and uniform thickness of sheets.

Designed and manufactured a variety of roll arrangement for choice, they are well suited for
manufacturing of PVC sheets, synthetic rubber, rubber/EVA layer in sponge bottom insole, tire
topping, ball tubes and shoes.

Ruggedly constructed throughout, High accuracy, maximum durability, Simple operation. You
get a superior calendaring effect with the G G Calender machine

2.4 74’ inch Calender

The process is same as the 48 inch Calender , the only difference is that here fabric plus rubber is
mixed.
The major application of calendar is to press the mixed and refined rubber mixture. It also can be
applied to rubber sheets in single or double sticking or topping operations with textile fabrics.
During the sheeting process, the machine can force out the air existed in the material for
producing the product without air bubble after vulcarization. The more quantity of rolls the
calendar has, the more times of sheets are pressed, that enable the calendar produce high quality
and uniform thickness of sheets.
Designed and manufactured a variety of roll arrangement for choice, they are well suited for
manufacturing of PVC sheets, synthetic rubber, rubber/EVA layer in sponge bottom insole, tire
topping, ball tubes and shoes. High precision hydraulic nip controlling system Available with
servo controls.

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2.5 Pin Barrel

In this type of extruder the screw/barrel/pin combination gives great flexibility due to very good
mixing & dispersive action on the compound being transported down the extruder barrel. The
arrangement of the pins in the barrel divides the material being transported in the rotary laminar
flow along the screw flights. The material undergoes flow division and shifting with only low
shear rate, providing mixing and homogenizing without excessive thermal overstressing. The
repeated division and rejoining of the material streams constantly creates new surfaces, to give
intensive mixing and breakup of the laminar flow, and provides heat interchange between the
rubber particles. Energy absorption is claimed to be low and the machine is self cleaning. If
necessary a mixing zone portion can also be machined into the screw to improve the productivity
when difficult natural rubber stocks are being processed.

The Pin Barrel Rubber Extruder consists of motor, reduction gear box, feed device, screw, barrel,
extrusion head, temperature control unit, electric control device and frame, and so on.
Main motor is a DC motor with DC speed adjuster, gear reducer is multi-step tooth surface
hardened type, and immersion lubrication/oil pump are adopted.
Feed device is double-walled design for water cooling, and feed roll is designed for water
cooling with a rotary joint and adjustable scraper knife for continuous cleaning and is driven by
splined coupling ring.
Temperature control unit (TCU) for the cooling of screw, pin barrel, feed barrel, feed roll, and
extrusion head.

2.6 8’ inch Cold feed Extruder

 No warming mill required as cold rubber can be feeded at room temperature thus saving
power, and labour and cost of warming mills.
 A special pressure melt transducer is provided which gives a pressure indication on the
head & controls the screw rpm a per the set pressure valve enabling extrusion at a
consistent pressure.
 Barrels are steel fabricated, jacketed for heating and cooling with replaceable liners.
 Feed rolls are specially designed for easy maintenance.
 Feeding arrangement with spiral undercut and feed roll arrangement provided which
ensures proper bite & strip feed to the screw.
 Automatic temperature controlling system.

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CHAPTER 3
WINDING PROCEDURE
3.1Bead Winding

Fig.3.1 Bead Winding Machine

The single wire bead system revolves around a rubber coated single wire, that is wound
around a fixed diameter former and stepped to lay side-by-side upon completion of each
convolution, forming a layer. This machine is able to produce beads ranging from 24” (600
mm) to 72” (1825 mm), with the ability to produce almost any shape bead, with hexagonal
being the most common.

Engineered to produce beads with optimum utilization of bead wire properties, the Dual
Giant Bead Winding System is a fully integrated bead line controlled through a
Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), incorporating a twin access servo drive for step
control. Bead profiles of up to forty (40) wires wide and forty.

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3.2 Fabric Cutter

Programmable controller is used to realize automatic control on work process. Touch screen type
human-machine interface has functions of setting technological parameters, adjusting cutting
speed and fault diagnoses, being convenient in operation.

Fig.3.2 Fabric Cutter

3.3 Band Building

The Band Building Machines with Single/Double Squeezee unit comes with:- Electrically driven
Let-off Table complete with photoelectric cell for controlling the running of electric motor by
automatic starting and stopping of the same.

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Pneumatically operated Intermediate conveyor and pressing Table complete with endles belt. -
Electrically driven and pneumatically operated Main Band Building Machin made up of :-Wind-
up Unit.
Bottom Squeezee Unit applying squeeze rubber on to the band, complete with electrically heated
knife for cutting squeeze rubber.
Top Squeezee Unit (optional).
Back Stitcher unit.

3.4 Bead Flipper

Flipper is a rubber-coated fabric that encloses the bead andacts as a further reinforcement to the
bead portion.Emphasisis on the avoidance of localisedcircumferential stress lines,which could
promote looseness, or cord break up underconstant flex conditions Usually flippers are used only
in large tires like, truck tires, rear tractor tires, etc

Fig.3.4 Bead Flipper

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CHAPTER 4
REPAIRING
4.1 Machine Shop

 Mould is brought here for correction

 Cleaning of mould is carried out in machine shop
 Ice bursting is carried out here i.e firstly mould is heated and then by using ice the mould
is cleaned
 Single press is used for heating , pressure here is 45Psi
 Lathe machine is present here for grinding for making holes or sharp cut so that air
should flow
 No blockage should be present in the mould
 Fork lift is present
 Power hacksaw machine
 Shaping machine
 Radial drilling machine is present in machine shop
 Tyre mould repair stand is present

Fig.4.1 Tyre Mould

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CHAPTER 5
CURING
5.1 Curing Mechanical
Single or double acting center mechanism offers precise control and maximum efficiency,
advantage of quicker bladder change, reduced mould damage, increased bladder life, ease of
maintenance and increased productivity. The rigid center post assures that the bladder is centered
with green tyre and will remain centered during shaping and curing cycle. It located top clamp
ring with upper tyre bead to assure tyre uniformity and positive bladder centering.

Since bladder is effectively retained at the bottom and top, the tyre is shaped in a concentric
motion and ensures high bladder life.

The Piping is complete in all respect for internal curing, shaping, platen heating and hydraulic
system with instrumentation to control the process electro-pneumatically in all respect as per P
and I diagram.

The instrumentation Panel Can be operated in complete Auto / Manual / Hand Mode
 Fully automatic operation
 Platens or domes for heating moulds
 Single acting or double acting centre mechanisms, which ensure accurate centering,
shaping and curing of bias/radial tyres
 Unloader systems
 Centralised automatic lubrication systems
 Provision for mounting segmented mould operators
 Improved design of tyre curing presses with reduced stress levels, longer life and higher
accuracy
 The hydraulic press range includes presses for passenger / LCV and truck radial tyres
with advanced features such as:
 Individual cavity control
 Electronic pumps for energy optimization
 Standing Post and Rolling-in-bladder options
 Suitable for both two piece and segmented moulds
 Pick and place or stripper unloader

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Fig.5.1 Curing Pess

Fig.5.2 Curing Press

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5.1.2 Flap Press

Flap Moulding Presses that uses compression moulding process for manufacturing rubber flaps.
These machines provide fast turn around time with superior quality of end products. This results
in increased productivity and significant cost saving. The unique design provides option for
accommodating single set of Flap Mold as well as double set of molds in each Press. Two
presses can be operated by single power pack unit with PLC. Santec's Flap Moulding Presses are
provided with Omron make PLC featuring Touch type coloured display screen for Operator’s
convenience. Molds for Flap Presses can also be supplied along with the presses.

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CHAPTER 6
POWER SUPPLY
6.1Power House
There are 4 boilers in power house of which 2 are Fire tube boiler and other 2 are water tube
Boiler.
One cold water tank or cooling tower is present
Fire tube Boiler
Water space is more here, here steam generation is slow hence pressure remains constant
A fire-tube boiler is a type of boiler in which hot gases pass from a fire through one or (many)
more tubes running through a sealed container of water. The heat of the gases is transferred
through the walls of the tubes by thermal conduction, heating the water and ultimately creating
steam.

Fig.6.1 Boiler

Water tube Boiler

A water tube boiler is such kind of boiler where the water is heated inside tubes and the hot
gasses surround them. This is the basic definition of water tube boiler. Actually this boiler is just

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opposite of fire tube boiler where hot gasses are passed through tubes which are surrounded by
water.
Working Principle of Water Tube Boiler:
The working principle of water tube boiler is very interesting and simple.
Let us draw a very basic diagram of water tube boiler. It consists of mainly two drums, one is
upper drum called steam drum other is lower drum called mud drum. These upper drum and
lower drum are connected with two tubes namely down-comer and riser tubes as shown in the
picture. Water in the lower drum and in the riser connected to it, is heated and steam is produced
in them which comes to the upper drums naturally. In the upper drum the steam is separated from
water naturally and stored above the water surface. The colder water is fed from feed water inlet
at upper drum and as this water is heavier than the hotter water of lower drum and that in the
riser, the colder water push the hotter water upwards through the riser. So there is one
convectional flow of water in the boiler system.

There are many types of water tube boiler.

 Horizontal Straight Tube Boiler.
 Bent Tube Boiler.
 Cyclone Fired Boiler.

Laboratory is present here for checking hardness, phosphate, chloride, sulphate content in water
and pH content of water is also checked here.

Fig.6.2 Water tube Boiler

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CHAPTER 7
INSTRUMENTATION
7.1 Instrumentation unit

 Here calibration of different instrument are carried out

 Instruments such as pressure gauges, indicator, thermometer
 PLC is calibrated here
 Time indicator, speed indicator, Temperature indicator is calibrated is here

Instrumentation is a collective term for measuring instruments used for indicating, measuring
and recording physical quantities, and has its origins in the art and science of scientific
instrument-making.

The term instrumentation may refer to a device or group of devices used for direct reading
thermometers or, when using many sensors, may become part of a complex industrial control
system in such as manufacturing industry, vehicles and transportation. Instrumentation can be
found in the household as well; a smoke detector or a heating thermostat are examples.

The required tasks are very domain dependent; instrumentation engineers typically work for
industries with automated process with the goal of improving the productivity, reliability, safety,
optimisation and stability. Instrumentation engineers are commonly responsible for integrating
the sensors with the recorders, transmitters, displays or control systems. They may design or
specify installation, wiring and signal conditioning. They may be responsible for calibration,
testing and maintenance of the system.

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CHAPTER 8
TUBE PLANT
8.1 Unit 2
Pneumatic tires are manufactured according to relatively standardized processes and machinery,
in around 455 tire factories in the world. With over 1 billion tires manufactured worldwide
annually, the tire industry is the major consumer of natural rubber. Tire factories start with bulk
raw materials such as synthetic rubber (60% -70% of total rubber in the tire industry, carbon
black, and chemicals and produce numerous specialized components that are assembled and
cured. This article describes the components assembled to make a tire, the various materials
used, the manufacturing processes and machinery, and the overall business model.

The other primary ingredient in tire rubber is carbon black. Carbon black is a fine, soft powder
created when crude oil or natural gas is burned with a limited amount of oxygen, causing
incomplete combustion and creating a large amount of fine soot. So much carbon black is
required for manufacturing tires that rail cars transport it and huge silos store the carbon black at
the tire factory until it is needed.

Sulfur and other chemicals are also used in tires. Specific chemicals, when mixed with rubber and then
heated, produce specific tire characteristics such as high friction (but low mileage) for a racing tire or high
mileage (but lower friction) for a passenger car tire. Some chemicals keep the rubber flexible while it is
being shaped into a tire while other chemicals protect the rubber from the ultraviolet radiation in
sunshine.

Tube plant
Of the two tyre types (TT and TL), tyres with an inner tube are a more traditional option. In this
case, the inner tube - which has its own valve - is placed inside the tyre. Due to the limits for
radial and total flexibility identified for each tyre, the inner tube must fit perfectly inside the
carcass. If the inner tube is too big, it may fold and result in premature failure. If the inner tube is
too small, it could be over-stretched and thus increase the likelihood of tearing and decrease the
quality of the seal. If these tyres are punctured, it is cheaper to replace the inner tube rather than
the whole (tubeless) tyre.

Sheet from banbury-----> mill-----> extruder-----> cooling-----> printing of batch number---

--> cutting-----> byproduct

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CHAPTER 9
CONCLUSION

 MRF soon became the only Indian-owned unit to manufacture the superior extruded,
non-blooming and cushion-backed tread-rubber, enabling it to compete with the MNC's
operating in India at that time.

1956

 The quality of the product manufactured was of such a high standard that by the close of
1956, MRF had become the market leader with a 50% share of the tread-rubber market in
India. So effective was MRF's hold on the market, that the large multinationals had no
other option but to withdraw from the tread rubber business in India.

1960

 The main plant for production of tyres and tubes were commissioned on 4th December.

1963

 Nylon Hot-Stretch Unit of the latest design was commissioned in November.

 MRF scored a major breakthrough by being among the very first in India to manufacture
and market Nylon tyres.

 Sales crossed INR two billion. MRF tyres were the first tyres selected for fitment onto
the Maruti Suzuki 800 - India's first small, modern car.

- A letter of intent was obtained for the manufacture of conveyor beltings and hoses in
collaboration with Industiral Pirelli SPA, Italy. Plans were also on hand to go in for a
joint venture with the aero tyre division of B.F. Goodrich & Co., for retreading and
subsequently for manufacturing aircraft tyres.

1986

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REFERENCES

[1] R. Yaman, A knowledge based approach for selection of material handling equipments and
material handling system predesign., Turkish Journal of Engineering and Environmental
Sciences, vol 25 no. 4,pp. 267-278, 2001

[2] J.S. Noble, C.M. Klein, A. Mid ha, An Integrated Model of the Material Handling System
and Unit Load Design Problem, 802/ vol. 120, November 1998, ASME

[3]Luke Meakin and Peter Saxby, Hatch, Design Fundamental for Drive System on conveyors,
Australian Bulk Handling Review:March/April 2009

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