Analysis of thermal aging effect on the tensile strength of textile materials intended for the reinforcement of conveyor belt

Abstract

Woven fabrics produced from high tenacity (HT) polyester/polyamide 66 yarns are most widely used to reinforce conveyor belts in the mechanical rubber goods industry. The tensile property of the conveyor belt is primarily dependent on the property of fabrics used to reinforce the belt. During the production process of the conveyor belt, the textile-rubber reinforcement undergoes a vulcanization process at high temperature to provide compulsory physio-mechanical properties of the belt by adhering the woven fabric with a rubber. Subjecting textile materials to high temperatures for the vulcanization process has an influence on the mechanical properties of the woven fabric. The main aim of this work was to investigate the effect of thermal aging on the tensile property of HT polyester yarn and woven fabric which is intended to reinforce conveyor belt. An extensive experiment on HT polyester yarn and the woven fabric was conducted by subjecting the textile materials to various aging temperatures. Additionally, the tensile property of fabrics after the vulcanization process of the conveyor belt was conducted to fully understand the effect of vulcanization temperature on the properties of woven fabric. The experimental test results of polyester yarn, woven fabric, and fabrics removed from the conveyor belt revealed that vulcanizing of the textile reinforced conveyor belt at high temperature(220 °C) can diminish the tensile strength and increase the elongation at break of the yarn and fabric.