| 摘要 |
Hoses are often reinforced with fabric to improve their performance characteristics, such as burst strength. For instance, radiator hose used in automotive applications is generally reinforced with continuous yarn. However, it is a labor-intensive process to manufacture such hoses which include fiber reinforcements. A substantial amount of material waste also generally occurs in the manufacture of such fiber-reinforced hose. By utilizing the technique of this invention, hose which has a high level of burst strength can be manufactured without including continuous yarn reinforcement. This invention specifically reveals a process for manufacturing a hose which comprises (1) extruding a rubber composition into the form of a tube, wherein the rubber composition is comprised of (a) a polypropylene/polyethylene alloy comprised of (i) a low melt index polyethylene and (ii) polypropylene, wherein the polypropylene is homogeneously dispersed throughout the polyethylene in the polypropylene/polyethylene alloy, (b) an EPDM rubber, (c) carbon black, (d) at least one curative, (e) zinc oxide, (f) a processing oil and (g) stearic acid; (2) shaping the tube into the geometric form desired for the hose; and (3) curing the rubber composition at a temperature within the range of 130 DEG C. to 210 DEG C. to produce the hose.
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