Observation of Joined Metal and Rubber Parts Using a Microfocus X-Ray CT System

User Benefits

- The progression of rubber deterioration, where rubber is in contact with metal, can be evaluated non-destructively.
- Even locations with no visible abnormalities can be inspected non-destructively to help improve or maintain quality.

Introduction

Because metal and rubber materials have different properties, using them together can achieve high strength, vibrationdamping effects, lighter weight, tight seals, and various other characteristics that cannot be achieved with only one or the other. Therefore, mechanical parts with rubber joined to metal are widely used in automotive, industrial machinery, and other fields. However, joining parts with dissimilar properties can cause defects from heat, vibration, or other factors present during manufacturing processes or product use. In particular, rubber can potentially deteriorate at metal contact surfaces due to high metal temperatures without showing any symptoms significant enough for the deterioration to be discovered. Consequently, non-destructive inspections are required to evaluate deterioration and defects before they appear.
X-ray CT systems offer one type of non-destructive inspection.
They can visually show the internal status of joined metal-rubber parts in order to assess the position and shape of internal defects without damaging the part. This article describes using an inspeXio SMX-225CT FPD HR Plus microfocus X-ray CT system to observe rollers made with rubber joined to metal.

October 29, 2024 GMT