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US 4,106,964 AGranted
Balance correction method and apparatus
AssigneeRansburg Corporation
InventorJoseph M. DeVittorio
Life of this patent
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AssigneeRansburg Corporation
InventorJoseph M. DeVittorio
Estimating the term…
A method and apparatus for correcting imbalance occurring in pneumatic tires during their manufacture. Correction is made by depositing on the inside surface of the tire, at a balance-correcting position, a measured quantity of an uncured, quick-curing, urethane or other liquid elastomer composition which bonds to such surface when cured, and curing the composition in place against the surface. The surface is cleaned in advance, as by washing, scrubbing, and/or abrading, to remove mold release agents and the like and to expose the bare rubber of the tire wall for bonding. The elastomer is desirably deposited in a pool, but may be dispensed in a stream of air or other gas directed toward the deposit. The air reduces the thickness of the pool and feathers its edges and thereby reduces the discontinuity between the deposited material and the tire surface, and promotes bonding. The elastomer composition is mixed in a dispensing head having a mixing chamber to which elastomer components are metered in predetermined proportions, and its quantity is controlled by time. The composition is dispensed from the head through a nozzle. After the elastomer is deposited, the head is separated from the tire and then rinsed with solvent and dried with gas to prepare it for a subsequent operation. Control of tire handling and preparation, metering of components, and operation of the dispensing head may be partially or largely automatic in response to previously recorded tire imbalance information.
The method of correcting rotational imbalance of a pneumatic tire of elastomeric material which comprises determining the mass and angular location of the imbalance and preparing the inside surface of the tire to expose the bare elastomeric material of the tire at a balance-correcting position and depositing at the balance-correcting position on the inner surface of the tire a measured quantity of an uncured quick-curing mixture containing a liquid urethane elastomer and an activator therefor, which mixture will bond to the elastomeric material of the tire at such surfaces as it cures, the elastomer composition being dispensed in a stream toward the surface together with a stream of gas under pressure so as to spread the deposited material over an area of the surface and feather the edges of the deposited material, and curing the deposited composition in contact with such surface to form a balance-correcting mass bonded to such surface, the stream of gas under pressure surrounding the stream of elastomer composition.
Apparatus for correcting rotational imbalance in pneumatic tires, comprising means to support a tire in a balance-correcting position with the internal surface thereof adjacent its point of imbalance presented to receive a deposit of an uncured elastomer balance-correcting substance, a dispensing head movable between a retracted position and a dispensing position for dispensing balance-correcting substance on such internal surface of the tire adjacent its point of imbalance, said head being operable to dispense onto such internal surface a measured quantity of the uncured elastomer composition which bonds to the tire as it cures, together with a stream of a gas for smoothing the pool of elastomer substance thus formed, said head including a nozzle for discharging the elastomer and an enclosure surrounding the nozzle and defining an annular orifice about the nozzle for simultaneously discharging the gas, the stream of discharged gas surrounding the stream of discharged elastomer.
Apparatus for correcting rotational imbalance of a pneumatic tire comprising first means for detecting the location of rotational imbalance and the mass required to correct it, means for preparing an inner surface of the tire in the vicinity of the location of imbalance to receive a deposit of balance-correcting fluid comprising a liquid elastomer and a catalyst, means for dispensing onto such prepared surface a mass of balance-correcting fluid substantially equal to the mass required to correct the imbalance, the dispensed fluid forming a pool, and means for dispensing a stream of gas together with said balance-correcting fluid to cause the outer edge of said pool to be smoothed to decrease the discontinuity at said edge between said pool and said tire inner surface, which fluid cures to an elastomer and adheres to the prepared surface to correct the imbalance, the fluid comprising a quick-curing mixture of a liquid urethane elastomer and an activator therefor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.