Operation of a tire vulcanization system
AssigneeCompagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin
InventorsTHIBAULT BONCOMPAGNE, THOMAS SIMONELLI, FRANCK GUERIN, JEAN-CHARLES FERRAND
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an electric vulcanization process, open loop and closed loop control modes can be used for controlling a heater output.
Claims15
A method of operating a tire vulcanization system during a curing cycle in which a tire is vulcanized in a mold for a predetermined duration under pressure, the tire vulcanization system including a bladder disposed inside a tire to be vulcanized and at least partially delineating a cavity in which a heating medium circulates, with a fan and a heater being immersed in the heating medium and the heater having one or more heating elements that provide energy to the heating medium traversing thereover, the method comprising:
- providing data that includes at least a bladder exchange surface area S for a tire being vulcanized, a temperature differential ΔT between the bladder and the heating medium, and a coefficient of exchange by forced convection h;
- detecting a heating medium temperature in the cavity during a current curing cycle;
- and
- adjusting the heating medium temperature in the cavity by adjusting the power output of the heater.
A method of operating a tire vulcanization system during a curing cycle in which a tire is vulcanized in a mold for a predetermined duration under pressure, the tire vulcanization system including an elastic bladder disposed inside a tire to be vulcanized and at least partially delineating a cavity in which a heating medium under pressure circulates, with a fan and a heater being immersed in the heating medium and the heater having one or more heating elements that provide energy to the heating medium traversing thereover, the method comprising:
- providing data that includes at least a bladder exchange surface area S for a tire being vulcanized, a temperature differential ΔT between the bladder and the heating medium, and a coefficient of exchange by forced convection h;
- based upon an energy balance to define the amount of energy to be sent by the vulcanization system in advance of a subsequent curing cycle, detecting a heating medium temperature in the cavity during a current curing cycle;
- and
- based upon a detected heating medium temperature, adjusting the energy to be sent by the vulcanization system in advance of the subsequent curing cycle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.