US 4,054,476 AGranted

Method and apparatus for fabricating non-vulcanized pneumatic rubber fenders

AssigneeThe Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.

InventorsYoshiaki Hara, Yusaku Waki, Yasuo Minai, Katumi Nakamura

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Abstract

Process and apparatus for fabricating a pneumatic rubber fender comprising a cylindrical body of a combination of a plurality of rubber and reinforced rubber layers, both of the terminal ends of which are closed so that compressed air can be sealed therein. In the fabrication process, the cylindrical body of a non-vulcanized rubber fender, one end of which is closed by a first end plate, is firstly formed on a fabrication drum provided with a cylindrical portion and an end plate portion closing one end of the cylindrical portion. The connection of a second end plate with an opened free end of the above-mentioned cylindrical body of the non-vulcanized rubber fender is carried out in such a condition that the above-mentioned opened free end is turned back while the cylindrical body of the non-vulcanized rubber fender is mounted on the fabrication drum. After completion of the above-mentioned connecting operation, the non-vulcanized rubber fender is withdrawn from the fabrication drum and thereafter subjected to the vulcanizing operation.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A process for fabricating a pneumatic rubber fender comprising:

1. a first step of forming a main body of said non-vulcanized pneumatic rubber fender provided with a cylindrical body portion and a first end plate closing an end of said cylindrical body portion on a fabrication drum provided with a cylindrical portion and an end plate portion closing one end of said cylindrical portion;
2. a second step of disposing on the opened end portion of said cylindrical body portion, a cylindrical turn back case, which is closed at a longitudinal edge of one end and opened at the longitudinal edge of the other end, and is provided with an air supply opening thereafter, turning on and fixing the open edge portion of said cylindrical body portion on the circumference of said open edge of said turn back case in air tight condition, next, supplying air into said turn back case through said air supply opening so as to relatively retract said turn back case from said fabrication drum and turn back said open edge of said cylindrical body toward said first end plate;
3. a third step of applying a second end plate having a valve attachment at a central portion thereof onto said end plate portion of said fabrication drum by way of said first end plate and bonding a peripheral edge portion of said second end plate with said turned back edge of said cylindrical body so that a non-vulcanized fender proper in partly turned back condition is formed on said fabrication drum;
4. a fourth step of withdrawing said non-vulcanized fender proper in partly turned back condition from aid fabrication drum;
5. a fifth step of vulcanizing said non-vulcanized rubber fender proper.

2 more elements

An apparatus for fabricating a pneumatic rubber fender, comprising:

a fabrication drum having a cylindrical portion for forming a main body of a non-vulcanized pneumatic rubber fender and an end plate portion formed on one end of said cylindrical portion for forming a first end plate of said non-vulcanized pneumatic rubber fender, and an annular air bag coaxially fixed on a cylindrical part of said cylindrical portion, said air bag having a capability of turning back a free end portion of said main body of said non-vulcanized rubber fender;
a mechanism for rotating said fabrication drum about a longitudinal axis thereof;
a material feed device for supplying a body-constituting sheet material onto said fabrication drum;
a stitching mechanism for pressing said body-constituting sheet material onto said fabrication drum so as to form a cylindrical layer of said sheet material on said cylindrical portion of said fabrication drum;
a device for squeezing an end portion of said cylindrical layer of said sheet material onto said end plate portion of said fabrication drum;
a centering device for pressing an element sheet of said end plate onto said end plate portion of said fabrication drum;
a turn back cylindrical case for turning back a cylindrical body portion of said non-vulcanized pneumatic rubber fender formed on said fabrication drum, said turn back case comprising a cylindrical body portion, an opened end portion and a closed end portion, the inside diameter of said cylindrical body portion being slightly larger than the outside diameter of said cylindrical body portion of said fender;
means for air tightly clamping said free end portion of said main body of said non-vulcanized rubber fender after being turned back on said turn back case;
means for supplying air into said turn back case, whereby when air is supplied into said turn back case, said turn back case is displaced away from said fabrication drum along a longitudinal direction of said fabrication drum.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.