Resilient cutting blades and cutting devices

Abstract

Steel reinforced tire fabrics are cut with long rigid bar blades, circular disc blades and disc and anvil blades. All of these blades may have an open relatively deep slot spaced close to the cutting edge that creates a resilient cantilevered spring element that includes the cutting edge. In response to cutting forces, the spring element will deflect and form a concave crossover area that improves cutting. A supporting material, particularly a precompressed supporting material, such as a precompressed or stretched polyurethane strip may be inserted into the slot. The supporting material limits or reduces the deflection of the spring element so that the yield strength of the spring element is not exceeded and it returns to its original position when the forces are removed. A precompressed supporting material exerts an outward force on the spring element. A polyurethane strip may be precompressed by stretching it before it is inserted into the slot. Two overlapping blades are used to cut the tire fabric, one or both can have the resilient spring features. More than one slot may be provided in a blade so there is more than one spring element in one blade. The blades can be used to cut other materials.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.