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US 7,311,872 B2Granted
Post cure inflator and vulcanized tire cooling method
AssigneesKobe Steel, Ltd., Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
InventorsHisashi Mitamura, Kazuto Okada, Akio Hakamada, Yutaka Yoshida
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A post cure inflator for expansion-cooling a vulcanized tire is provided with a vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for holding the vulcanized tire and a rotating mechanism for rotating the vulcanized tire at a high speed via the vulcanized-tire holding mechanism such that a forced convection becomes more dominant than a natural convection in an air flow around the vulcanized tire.
Claims30
A post cure inflator, comprising:
- a vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for holding a vulcanized tire;
- a rotating mechanism for rotating the vulcanized tire;
- and
- an air remover for causing, over a side surface portion of the rotating vulcanized tire, an air flow different from an air flow caused by rotating the vulcanized tire to remove the air present near the side surface portion of the rotating vulcanized tire.
1 more element
A post cure inflator comprising:
- a vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for holding a vulcanized tire;
- a rotating mechanism for rotating the vulcanized tire, wherein the rotating mechanism rotates the vulcanized tire at a high speed via the vulcanized-tire holding mechanism so that a forced convection becomes more dominant than a natural convection in an air flow around the vulcanized tire;
- and
- an air removing mechanism for forcibly removing the air present near side surface portions of the vulcanized tire utilizing the rotation by the rotating mechanism,
- wherein the air removing mechanism includes a blade member provided in the vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for creating an air flow at the side surface portions by rotating together with the vulcanized-tire holding mechanism.
2 more elements
A post cure inflator comprising:
- a vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for holding a vulcanized tire;
- a rotating mechanism for rotating the vulcanized tire, wherein the rotating mechanism rotates the vulcanized tire at a high speed via the vulcanized-tire holding mechanism so that a forced convection becomes more dominant than a natural convection in an air flow around the vulcanized tire;
- and
- an air removing mechanism for forcibly removing the air present near side surface portions of the vulcanized tire utilizing the rotation by the rotating mechanism,
- wherein the air removing mechanism includes a raking member fixed while being opposed to the side surface portions of the vulcanized tire for raking the air present near the side surface portions.
2 more elements
A post cure inflator comprising:
- a vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for holding a vulcanized tire;
- a rotating mechanism for rotating the vulcanized tire;
- and
- an air remover for removing air present near a side surface portion of the vulcanized tire,
- wherein the air remover includes a plurality of blade members located at even intervals along the circumferential direction of the vulcanized tire.
2 more elements
A post cure inflator comprising:
- a vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for holding a vulcanized tire;
- a rotating mechanism for rotating the vulcanized tire;
- and
- an air remover for removing air present near a side surface portion of the vulcanized tire,
- wherein the air remover includes a raking member fixed while being opposed to the side surface portion of the vulcanized tire for raking the air present near the side surface portion of the vulcanized tire.
2 more elements
A post cure inflator comprising:
- a vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for holding a vulcanized tire;
- a rotating mechanism for rotating the vulcanized tire;
- and
- an air remover for removing air present near a side surface portion of the vulcanized tire,
- wherein the air remover includes air removing mechanisms opposed to both side surface portions of the vulcanized tire to remove air present near the side surface portions of the vulcanized tire by forcibly causing the air to flow or raking the air in cooperation with the rotation of the vulcanized tire.
2 more elements
A post cure inflator comprising:
- a vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for holding a vulcanized tire;
- a rotating mechanism for rotating the vulcanized tire;
- and
- an air remover for removing air present near a side surface portion of the vulcanized tire,
- wherein the air remover includes air removing mechanisms rotatable in the circumferential direction of the vulcanized tire to create air flows at both side surface portions of the vulcanized tire, thereby forcibly removing air present near the side surface portions.
2 more elements
A post cure inflator comprising:
- a vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for holding a vulcanized tire;
- a rotating mechanism for rotating the vulcanized tire;
- and
- an air remover for removing air present near a side surface portion of the vulcanized tire,
- wherein the air remover includes:
- a first air removing mechanism rotatable in the circumferential direction of the vulcanized tire to create an air flow at one side surface portion of the vulcanized tire, thereby forcibly removing air present near the one side surface portion;
- and
- a second air removing mechanism opposed to the other side surface portion for forcibly removing air present near the other side surface portion of the vulcanized tire in cooperation with the rotation of the vulcanized tire.
5 more elements
A post cure inflator comprising:
- a vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for holding a vulcanized tire;
- a rotating mechanism for rotating the vulcanized tire;
- and
- an air remover for removing air present near a side surface portion of the vulcanized tire,
- wherein the air remover includes:
- first air removing mechanisms rotatable in the circumferential direction of the vulcanized tire to create air flows from bead sides toward the opposite side surface portions of the vulcanized tire;
- and
- second air removing mechanisms opposed to the opposite side surface portions of the vulcanized tire to forcibly remove the air present near the side surface portions of the vulcanized tire in cooperation with the rotation of the vulcanized tire.
5 more elements
A post cure inflator comprising:
- a vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for holding a vulcanized tire;
- and
- a rotating mechanism for rotating the vulcanized tire, wherein the post cure inflator expansion-cools the vulcanized tire carried out from a vulcanizer for vulcanizing a green tire while holding the vulcanized tire;
- the rotating mechanism rotates the vulcanized tire at such a speed as to cool the vulcanized tire to a specified temperature or lower within a vulcanization time in the vulcanizer;
- and
- the vulcanized-tire holding mechanism is installed at a specified position for holding the vulcanized tire, and has only one handling position so that the process from the holding of the vulcanized tire by the vulcanized-tire holding mechanism to the expansion cooling is carried out at the same position and in the same posture,
- further comprising a blade member for agitating air around the vulcanized tire.
4 more elements
A post cure inflator comprising:
- a vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for holding a vulcanized tire;
- and
- a rotating mechanism for rotating the vulcanized tire, wherein the post cure inflator expansion-cools the vulcanized tire carried out from a vulcanizer for vulcanizing a green tire while holding the vulcanized tire;
- the rotating mechanism rotates the vulcanized tire at such a speed as to cool the vulcanized tire to a specified temperature or lower within a vulcanization time in the vulcanizer;
- and
- the vulcanized-tire holding mechanism is installed at a specified position for holding the vulcanized tire, and has only one handling position so that the process from the holding of the vulcanized tire by the vulcanized-tire holding mechanism to the expansion cooling is carried out at the same position and in the same posture,
- further comprising a blade member for agitating air, wherein the blade member is set to have the shape of a sweep-back wing.
4 more elements
A post cure inflator, comprising:
- a vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for holding a vulcanized tire;
- a rotating mechanism for rotating the vulcanized tire at such a speed as to cause air outside the vulcanized tire to flow in such a manner that a forced convection becomes more dominant than a natural convection, so that physical property values become symmetric at the opposite axial sides with respect to the equator of the vulcanized tire;
- and
- an air remover for causing, over a side surface portion of the rotating vulcanized tire, an air flow different from an air flow caused by rotating the vulcanized tire to remove the air present near the side surface portion of the rotating vulcanized tire.
1 more element
A post cure inflator comprising:
- a vulcanized-tire holding mechanism for holding a vulcanized tire, and an air removing mechanism for causing air outside the vulcanized tire to flow in such a manner that a forced convection becomes more dominant than a natural convection, so that physical property values become symmetric at the opposite axial sides with respect to the equator of the vulcanized tire,
- wherein the air removing mechanism includes a blade member for agitating the air.
A vulcanized tire cooling method comprising the step of:
- mounting a vulcanized tire on a vulcanized tire holder;
- rotating the vulcanized tire at such a speed as to cause a forced convection of the air outside the tire;
- removing the air outside the vulcanized tire by causing an air flow different from the forced air convection caused by rotating the vulcanized tire;
- and
- expansion-cooling the vulcanized tire.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.