US 7,094,303 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for forming a core of plies, belts and beads and for positioning the core in a mold for forming an elastomeric tire

AssigneeAmerityre

InventorsRichard A. Steinke, Theodore M. Love

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for forming a core of plies, belts and beads and for positioning the core in a mold for forming an elastomeric tire. The core is built up on a mandrel of the inner mold that is formed from hard foam core segments positioned between top and bottom hub plates, around a center hub that includes flow passages formed therethrough and through the hub plates. Plies for building the core are formed as a woven sleeve for passage along an expander cone and over the mandrel whereon a separator has been positioned, and a bead is passed over each sleeve end that receives a bead centering plate fitted through the sleeve, capturing the bead and positioning it on the mandrel side and provides for folding the plies end over the bead and up each mandrel side. Similarly, a belt or belts, formed as a weave of belt cords, is passed along an expander cone and onto the mandrel crown, with separators positioned between the mandrel, plies and belt or belts, and above a final belt, and a tire core is wound around the crown, from one side to the other.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A method for manufacturing a tire core on an inner mold mandrel having the shape of a tire inner surface and receives an outer mold fitted thereover that a flow of an elastomeric material is directed into in a spin casting operation where the mold annular area is filled and encapsulates the tire core, forming a tire comprising the steps of, assembling an inner mold that includes top and bottom hub plates with a hub fitted therebetween forming an assembly, with the assembly having a center passage therethrough and aligned ports and a mandrel having a shape of a tire interior wall encircling said hub, with said mandrel exterior surface to receive a core of plies, belts and beads built thereon;

fitting an axle through said center passage and supporting at least an end of said axle on a build stand that allows the inner mold to be turned affording access to the mandrel sides and crown;
fitting a layer of a porous spacing material around said mandrel crown;
fitting a plies expander cone large diameter end over an edge of said spacing material to approximately the center of said mandrel crown;
moving an end of a sleeve woven from plies cords over a lesser diameter end of said expander cone and moving it along said expander cone to travel across and beyond said mandrel crown;
removing the plies expander cone and fitting inelastic beads over each plies sleeve end;
fitting a bead centering plate into each said plies sleeve end and sliding it therealong to where an edge of said bead centering plate picks up said bead and moves it into contact with a mandrel side;
folding said plies sleeve over said bead, with said plies sleeve, after folding over said bead, urged into contact with the side of said plies, above said bead;
applying a spacer layer formed of a flexible porous material around the mandrel crown, above said plies;
applying a continuous belt that is a cylinder formed as a weave of belt cords that cross;
fitting a spacing layer formed from a flexible porous material around said mandrel, on top of said belt;
positioning a layer of tire cord around the crown;
covering said belt;
installing the inner mold onto an outer mold disk shaped base plate and fitting a cylindrical ring having tread embossed around its inner circumference on said outer mold base, adjacent to its edge, and capping said cylinder with an outer mold disk shaped top plate that has a center opening therein, completing the outer mold containing the inner mold mounting the core of plies, belts and beads in an annular area between said inner and outer molds, providing a finished mold for positioning in a casting well for spinning to receive a flow of liquid elastomeric material to encapsulate the core of plies, belts and beads in a finished tire.

10 more elements

Apparatus for forming a core of plies, belts and beads mounted in an annular area of a cavity mold to receive a flow of an elastomeric material passed therein for spin casting a tire comprising, an inner mold having a crown as a mandrel that receives a core of plies, belts and beads built up thereon;

a plies expander cone having greater and lesser diameter ends, with said greater diameter end to fit over an edge of said mandrel, onto said crown, and said lesser diameter end to receive a plies sleeve that is a sleeve woven of plies cords and is to be slid along said plies expander cone and off of said greater diameter cone end to pass across said crown of said mandrel;
a pair of bead centering plates that are each for fitting in an end of said plies sleeve and each includes an edge that is of a diameter to capture a bead arranged on the outside of each said plies sleeve and to move said bead into a centered position on a side of said mandrel, folding said plies sleeve over said bead;
means for positioning a belt formed from a weave of belt cords around said mandrel crown, above said plies;
an outer mold that receives said inner mold positioned therein that includes a cylinder fitted around said inner mold that includes a tire tread formed around said cylinder inner surface;
and said outer mold has a passage for passing a flow of an elastomeric material into the annular area between said inner and outer molds.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/909,807Filed 2 Aug 2004
Published: US 2006/0021693 A12 Feb 2006
Granted: 22 Aug 2006
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

B29D 30/0661
Vulcanising tyres; Vulcanising presses for tyres: rigid cores therefor, e.g. annular or substantially toroidal cores
B29D 30/10
Building tyres: on round cores, i.e. the shape of the core is approximately identical with the shape of the completed tyre
B29D 30/1614
Applying the layers; Guiding or stretching the layers during application: by sliding a preformed tubular layer over the core
B29D 30/32
By the flat-tyre method, i.e. building on cylindrical drums: fitting the bead-rings or bead-cores; Folding the textile layers around the rings or…