Classification of automotive rubber products and their role in automobiles (I)

The rapid development of China's automobile industry has promoted the development of other related supporting industries in China, especially the rubber industry. In recent years, automotive rubber products have developed into a unique and specialized product industry. Automobile rubber products are indispensable components in automobile accessories. There are about 100-200 kinds of rubber products installed on each car, and about 200-500 rubber accessories are used. In addition to tires, the consumption of rubber materials varies with different specifications of cars, and the consumption of rubber products (excluding tires) accounts for about 6% of the total cost of cars. There are more than 1000 varieties and more than 8000 specifications of non tire rubber products used in the automotive industry. According to statistics, the automobile industry accounts for more than 70% of the global annual consumption of raw rubber, including 60% of tires and 40% of auto rubber accessories.
High speed, safety, comfort, energy conservation and environmental protection are the goals pursued by contemporary automobiles. With the development of automobile modernization, the requirements for automotive rubber products are becoming more and more strict. It not only requires rubber materials with various special properties to meet the new technical requirements of automobiles, but also requires rubber materials to have higher physical and mechanical properties, such as aging resistance, high and low temperature resistance, new fuel resistance, excellent dynamic fatigue performance, durable service life, etc. In fact, every high-performance of modern cars depends on the technological progress of rubber products. The performance and quality of automotive rubber products play a crucial role in improving the quality of the whole car. It is worth pointing out that rubber products always play the role of accessories, but this accessory always affects the technical progress and technical level of the host. Therefore, it can be said that the technology and quality of automotive rubber products can basically reflect the technical level of the whole vehicle.
1. Classification of automotive rubber products and their role in automobiles:
Rubber tires are called the two legs of cars, and the important role of tires in cars is self-evident. Tire is a kind of rubber product with the largest rubber consumption in the rubber industry, so tire is often separated from rubber products into a special variety in the rubber industry. Among auto parts, rubber tire is a special part.
Automotive rubber products can be divided into seven categories: tires, sealing products, shock absorption products, safety products, tape products, hose products and other products, such as wiper, fender, adhesive, sealant and interior products.
1.1 tyres
Car tires play a role in carrying the weight of the car, the total weight of people and goods on the car, and also play a role in making the car move forward, backward, turn and brake. The safety, comfort and driving performance of a car largely depend on the high performance and quality of tires.
Rubber tyres have a history of 160 years. As early as 1845, the British R. W。  Thomso put a rubber hose on the wooden wheel, which reduced the rolling resistance and vibration of the wheel, but this early rubber tire was very popular at that time. Of course, this should be attributed to the excellent performance of rubber materials. Until 1888, British J. B。  Dunlop invented pneumatic tires. In the next hundred years, with the development of the automotive industry, rubber tires have experienced several generations of product development and progress. The tire skeleton materials have developed from bias tires with cotton cord, rayon cord to nylon cord to today's steel radial tires.
The invention of pneumatic tires has effectively promoted the development of automobiles. Because the pneumatic tire has excellent cushioning and shock absorption performance, it can significantly reduce vibration, make the car safer to operate, ride more comfortable, and greatly improve the driving speed of the car. With the continuous progress of rubber materials, formulation technology, manufacturing equipment and manufacturing technology, the safety and durability of automobile tires have been greatly improved. For example, in 1900, the driving mileage of each tire was only 800km; By 1978, the mileage of each tire had reached 60000 km; In the 21st century, the mileage of each tire has been no less than 140000 km, or even 200000 km. With the rapid construction and use of highways, the driving speed of vehicles has increased significantly, from dozens of km/h to 100km/h, 140km/h and even 200km / h.
1.2 sealing products
Sealing products are divided into three categories: O-rings, skeleton oil seals and sealing strips. The O-ring and framework oil seal are installed on the engine, gearbox, car spindle and hydraulic and pneumatic transmission system to prevent the leakage of lubricating oil, hydraulic oil and other liquids or gases, ensure the normal operation of each component system, and prevent external sand, dust and impurities from entering the system, affecting the normal operation of the machine. O-rings and framework oil seals are mainly used to seal rotating shafts or reciprocating shafting. The framework oil seal can be divided into inner framework oil seal, outer framework oil seal, semi exposed framework oil seal, lip seal oil seal, oil seal with auxiliary lip and combined oil seal according to the structure; According to the installation position in the vehicle, it can be divided into crankshaft front oil seal, crankshaft rear oil seal, gearbox oil seal, camshaft oil seal, wheel housing oil seal, halfshaft oil seal, pneumatic guide rod oil seal and shock absorber oil seal. The sealant strip is mainly used for car doors and windows, trunk, hood and other parts, and plays the role of sealing, wind, rain, shock absorption and sound insulation. According to the structure, it can be divided into pure rubber sealing strip (also divided into sponge rubber and dense rubber) and composite sealing strip (divided into rubber / metal skeleton composite strip, more than two kinds of rubber composite strip and rubber plastic composite strip).
1.3 shock absorbing products
Rubber shock absorbing products are mainly installed in engine, car body, air conditioner and car suspension system. It is mainly used to reduce the vibration and noise when driving, and improve the stability, safety and comfort of vehicle handling. With the continuous improvement of the comprehensive performance of modern vehicles, higher and higher requirements are put forward for the performance and quality of rubber shock absorption products. It is mainly required that shock absorbing products should have excellent shock absorption and damping performance, dynamic fatigue resistance and ultra long life durability. Automotive rubber shock absorbing products mainly include air springs, front and rear engine mounting pads, flexible couplings, and rubber bushings and pads of various shapes. Special shock absorbers with excellent performance are also installed in each tire support on high-end vehicles.
1.4 safety products
Automotive rubber safety products play a role in braking reliability, driving safety and personal safety. Safety products mainly include brake film (diaphragm), leather cup, brake pad, airbag and bumper.
The brake film and cup are directly related to the driving safety of the car. When the car encounters an accident during driving, it will quickly slow down and even stop the car, so as to ensure the safety of vehicles and personnel. Airbag is a rubber product that provides safety protection for vehicle personnel when the vehicle is impacted in an accident. The bumper is used to reduce the impact force when the car collides.
1.5 rubber hose products
Rubber hose products are used in three parts of chassis, engine and car body. They are used in seven systems: oil transportation, gas transportation, drive, control, braking, cooling and heating. They play the role of oil supply, gas supply, water supply and power transmission. The types of rubber hoses include fuel pipe, water delivery hose, brake hose, vacuum hose, air conditioning hose, radiator hose, power steering hose and special-shaped branch hose.
1.6 adhesive tape products
Tape products are mainly used in automobiles to transmit torque power and speed, and transfer power from the power source engine to the place where power is needed. It is installed in cooling fan, cooling water pump, brake compressor, booster pump, air conditioning system, steering device and other systems. Tape products are divided into V-belts (also divided into ordinary V-belts and multi wedge belts) and synchronous belts (toothed belts). According to the structure, V-belt can be divided into cutting belt and cloth wrapping belt. V-belt is characterized by high speed and high transmission power. Synchronous toothed belt is used for gas distribution and ignition of automobile engine. Its service conditions are high speed, high transmission power and high temperature.
1.7 other products
This kind of rubber products include rubber sheets for automobiles (rubber sheets and fenders in automobiles), automobile interiors and adhesives, sealants, wiper strips, etc. Floor glue is used to lay the ground inside the car, which is shockproof and anti-skid. The wiper strip is used to wipe off the rain and snow on the windshield in rainy and snowy weather, so as to ensure the driver's line of sight, normal operation and normal driving of the vehicle. Adhesives are used for the bonding of automobile interior materials and the protection of automobile bottom.