New approach to the evaluation of the free surface position in roll coating

This paper deals with an industrial three rolls coater. The behaviour law of the elastomer roll cover in different environments is first established in order to be taken into account in the numerical simulation of the process. Cyclic compression tests are performed and compared to the corresponding numerical simulation to precisely determine the viscoelastic parameters. With the identified parameters, a finite element simulation of the process is then performed to evaluate the meniscus stability in real contact conditions. The influence of the determined elastomer behaviour laws on the free surface position is discussed.