Method of making a porous tire tread mold
AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
InventorsJames Robert Tuttle, Thomas John Rood
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Abstract
A method of making a tire mold segment with a porous metal tread surface for a tire mold wherein an annular segmental tire model of refractory material is formed with tire model segments which are used to shape and form each tire mold segment from powdered metal by applying heat and pressure to sinter the powdered metal as it is shaped by the tire model segment. Blades may be mounted in the tire model segments for transfer to the tire mold segments for molding slits a tire tread.
Claims8
A method of making a porous metal tread segment for a tire mold from metal powder comprising:
- (a) forming a segmented tire mold model of refractory material;
- (b) mounting said model in a milling machine;
- (c) cutting a tread surface in said model;
- (d) compacting said metal powder against a segment of said model to form said tread segment;
- (e) heating said tread segment to sinter said metal powder;
- and
- (f) machining said tread segment for mounting in a segmental tire mold mechanism.
A method of shaping and vulcanizing a tire comprising:
- (a) placing said tire in a tire mold having a porous tread shaping surface;
- (b) closing said mold to move said tread shaping surface into tread shaping engagement with said tire;
- (c) applying heat and pressure to said tire whereby gases and moisture are absorbed by said porous tread shaping surface as said tire is vulcanized;
- (d) lowering said temperature and reducing said pressure in said mold;
- (e) opening said mold and,
- (f) removing said tire permitting gases and moisture absorbed by said porous surface to escape from said porous tread shaping surface.
The method of claim 8 further characterized by said tire mold having a plurality of segments and each of said segments having a part of said porous tread shaping surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.