• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.293-304
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• 2014

Rubber air spring (RAS) is a special suspension device for the industries of automobile, railroad car and other transportation. A RAS serves as a spring component with the elastic effect of compression and expansion of air in a composite rubber bag. The main component of RAS is the rubber sleeve. Rubber sleeve is the composite which is made up of combination of chloroprene rubber (CR) and nylon 6 cord, and the adhesive strength between CR and nylon 6 cord is very important. In this study, considering the effects of additives in rubber sleeve, various physical properties were tested to find the optimal combination of composition and conditions. Further, in order to select the optimum orientation of the reinforcing fibers, numerical analysis was performed using the finite elements method. After assembling all components of RAS, it was mounted on an actual vehicle, and then it was tested air leakage, fatigue life and fundamental properties.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.30 no.6 s.249
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• pp.662-669
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• 2006

The pneumatic muscle actuator consists of an air bellows tube with two end-flanges. The air bellows tube is made from rubber layers and flexible sheathing formed from nylon 6 fibers. This structure can be stretched or compressed to convert the radial expansive forces into contractile forces. We performed the finite element analysis and the performance test of pneumatic muscle actuator. Also, the pneumatic muscle actuator was manufactured and tested by home-made tester. The results of FEA was similar with performance test below the maximum error of 42 %.