System and method for producing rubber mixtures for tires

A system for producing rubber mixtures having expected properties comprising:

• a series of rubber mixture production installations that define monopassage and multipassage sequences of rubber mixture production, each rubber mixture production installation permitting execution of at least one rubber mixture production process, and the rubber mixture production installations including at least one initial mixing installation that performs an initial mixing process;
• a first mixing and cooling installation that performs a first mixing and cooling process before a complementary mixing process;
• at least one complementary mixing installation that performs the complementary mixing process;
• a second mixing and cooling installation that performs a second mixing and cooling process after the complementary mixing process;
• and
• a transport means that sequentially directs the rubber mixture toward either the complementary mixing installation or toward the second mixing and cooling installation according to a rubber mixture recipe selected for producing a rubber mixture having the expected properties,
• wherein each mixing and cooling installation comprises:
• at least one external mixer in which a pair of cylinders transforms the rubber mixture into a continuous rubber mixture sheet;
• at least one spray system in which one or more spray rails are positioned at each of an upper spray station and a lower spray station, each spray rail being in communication with a source for supplying water and air to one or more nozzles at a predetermined water flow rate and a predetermined air pressure;
• and
• at least one aspiration system in which one or more aspiration hoods are positioned downstream of each respective spray rail, each aspiration hood being in communication with a source for supplying air at a predetermined air flow rate,
• wherein, during the first mixing and cooling process, the first mixing and cooling installation sprays the continuous rubber mixture sheet and evacuates the air containing the evaporated water in order to produce the continuous rubber mixture sheet at target values of temperature and water content before the complementary mixing process.