Method and apparatus for moulding and curing tires for vehicle wheels
AssigneePirelli Pneumatici S.p.A.
InventorRenato Caretta
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of moulding and curing tires for vehicle wheels includes disposing a tire being worked on a rigid toroidal support having an outer surface the shape of which substantially matches an inner surface of the tire, closing the tire and rigid toroidal support in a moulding cavity defined by a vulcanization mould, pressing the outer surface of the tire against the moulding cavity walls, and administering heat to the tire in order to cause a molecular cross-linking of the tire. The pressing step takes place by admission of a fluid under pressure to at least one fluid-diffusion interspace between an outer surface of the rigid toroidal support and the inner surfaces of the tire. An apparatus for moulding and curing tires for vehicle wheels is also disclosed.
Claims21
A method of moulding and curing tires for vehicle wheels, comprising the steps of:
- directly manufacturing a tire on a rigid toroidal support having an outer surface a shape of which substantially matches an inner surface of the tire;
- closing the tire and the rigid toroidal support in a moulding cavity defined by a vulcanization mould, the moulding cavity having walls conforming in shape to an outer surface of the tire when vulcanization has been completed;
- pressing the outer surface of the tire against the moulding cavity walls;
- and
- administering heat to the tire in order to cause a molecular cross-linking of the tire;
- wherein the pressing step takes place concurrently with an expansion imposed to the tire by admission of a fluid under pressure to at least one fluid-diffusion interspace between the outer surface of the rigid toroidal support and the inner surface of the tire, the fluid under pressure passing through feed channels in the rigid toroidal support and opening onto the outer surface of the rigid toroidal support.
An apparatus for moulding and curing tires for vehicle wheels, comprising:
- a rigid toroidal support upon which a tire being worked is directly manufactured, the rigid toroidal support having an outer surface a shape of which substantially matches an inner surface of the tire;
- a vulcanization mould arranged to receive the rigid toroidal support carrying the tire within a moulding cavity having walls conforming in shape to an outer surface of the tire when vulcanization has been completed;
- pressing means for pressing the outer surface of the tire against the moulding cavity walls;
- and
- heating means for transmitting heat to the tire closed between the moulding cavity and the rigid toroidal support;
- wherein the pressing means comprises channels for feeding of a fluid under pressure formed through the rigid toroidal support and opening onto the outer surface of the rigid toroidal support.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.