US 2003/0213545 A1Published application

Tire preparation using partially pre-cured component

AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

InventorsRamendra Nath Majumdar, Joseph Padovan, Marvin Wayne Tipton, Douglas Blair Dotts

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

The present invention relates to preparation an article of manufacture, such as of a tire, via application of at least one partially pre-cured component. Tires are often prepared with pre-cured, pre-shaped components such as for example, application of pre-cured tread strips to a cured carcass as in the case of re-treaded tires. Thus precured tread and cured carcass are joined together using a cushion gum followed by heating the resulting assembly at an elevated temperature to cure the cushion gum. Such pre-cured component may also be, for example, a sidewall apex. In such cases, the pre-cured component is subjected to more heat than is necessary which may be detrimental for the component. This invention is directed to the use of a partially pre-cured component to prepare a tire assembly prior to the curing of the entire components of the tire assembly.

Claims17

Dependent claims

An article of manufacture is prepared by:

(A) partially sulfur curing a sulfur curable rubber composition in a partially curing step to from about 10 to about-80 percent of its cured condition, particularly where said partially cured rubber composition is in a form of a rubber tread strip for retreading a cured rubber carcass or sidewall rubber insert such as an apex, within in a rigid mold at a temperature in a range of about 120° C. to about 200° C.;
(B) removing said partially cured rubber composition from said mold and allowing said partially cured rubber composition to cool to a temperature of less than 40° C.;
(C) applying said partially pre-cured rubber composition to an uncured, sulfur curable, rubber composition to form an assembly thereof;
(D) sulfur curing said assembly in a suitable container at a temperature in a range of about 120° C. to about 200° C., and
(E) removing said sulfur cured assembly from said mold in a subsequent cooling step to allowing said cured assembly to cool to a temperature of less than 40° C.;
wherein for said partially cured rubber composition:
(1) said partially curing and cooling steps for said partially cured rubber composition are conducted in a nitrogen atmosphere to the exclusion of oxygen,
(2) said partially cured rubber composition contains from about 0.1 to about 3 phr of a bis-amide selected from N,N′-m-xylylene-bis-citraconimide and N,N′-m-phenylene bismaleimide blended therewith, and/or
(3) said partially cured rubber composition is immediately, following its removal from said mold, immersed in water, said water having a temperature within about 0° C. to about 20° C. to rapidly cool the partially cured rubber composition to a temperature of less than 100° C.

6 more elements

A tire is prepared by a method which comprises

(A) partially sulfur curing a sulfur curable rubber tread strip in a partially curing step to from about 10 to about 80 percent of its fully cured condition within a rigid mold at a temperature in a range of about 120° C. to about 200° C.;
(B) removing said partially cured rubber tread strip from said mold and allowing said partially cured rubber tread strip to cool to a temperature of less than 40° C.;
(C) applying a thin, sulfur curable, uncured diene rubber based cushion rubber strip circumferentially around the circumference of a carcass of a sulfur cured rubber tire;
(D) applying said partially cured rubber tread strip onto said cushion rubber strip to form a tire assembly thereof;
(E) sulfur curing said assembly in a suitable container at a temperature in a range of about 120° C. to about 200° C., to form a treaded tire;
and
(F) removing said tire from said mold;
wherein, for said partially cured rubber tread strip
(1) said partially curing and cooling steps for said partially cured rubber tread strip are conducted in a nitrogen atmosphere to the exclusion of oxygen,
(2) said partially cured tread strip rubber composition contains from about 0.1 to about 3 phr of a bis-imide selected from N,N′-m-xylylene-bis-citraconimide and N,N′-m-phenylene bismaleimide blended therewith, and/or
(3) said partially cured rubber tread strip immediately following its removal of from said mold, is immersed in water, said water having a temperature within about 0° C. to about 20° C. to rapidly cool the tread strip to a temperature of less than 100° C.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/444,166Filed 23 May 2003
Priority: 14 Mar 2001
Published: 20 Nov 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

B29D 30/0005
Producing pneumatic or solid tyres or parts thereof: pretreatment of tyres or parts thereof, e.g. preheating, irradiation, precuring
B29K 2105/243
Crosslinked or vulcanised: partially cured
B29L 2030/002
Pneumatic or solid tyres or parts thereof: treads
B29D
Producing particular articles from plastics or from substances in a plastic state

Family

Application09/808,464Continuation · filed 14 Mar 2001
Application10/444,166Continuation · filed 23 May 2003
US 2002/0179214 A1Published application
US 6,588,471 B2Related patent
US 6,832,637 B2Related patent
US 2003/0213545 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.