Experimental method for investigating the dynamic compression behaviour of fibre-reinforced polyurethane shoe press belts under press nip conditions

An experimental method was developed to examine the dynamic compression properties of structured polyurethane composites used as press belts within a shoe press of a paper machine. The objective was to investigate the influences of the geometrical surface structure and the matrix material composition on the compression properties. Two polyurethane formulations were tested under varying specimen conditions. The results show that the dynamic compression modulus increases with the applied load rate and that temperature and water saturation reduce the influence of dynamic effects on the compression modulus. Furthermore, it was observed that modifications of the matrix material have a more significant impact on the dynamic compression modulus than adaptions in the geometrical structure. This is addressed to the relatively small variations in possible surface designs. Finally, a rate-sensitivity index is introduced to quantify the tested specimens’ rate-sensitive behaviour.