Method and apparatus for moulding and curing tyres for vehicle wheels
AssigneePirelli Pneumatici S.p.A.
InventorRenato Caretta
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of molding and curing tires for vehicle wheels includes the steps of disposing a tire being processed on a toroidal support, enclosing the tire and the toroidal support inside a molding cavity defined in a vulcanization mould, pressing the outer surface of the tire against the molding cavity walls, and administering heat to the tire to cause molecular crosslinking of the tire. The pressing step includes the steps of compressing side portions of the tire between the molding cavity walls and the outer surface of the toroidal support, concurrently with the closing step, and imposing an expansion to a radially-outer portion of the tire to bring the radially-outer portion of the tire against the walls of the molding cavity.
Claims19
An apparatus for moulding and curing tyres for vehicle wheels, comprising:
- a toroidal support arranged to engage a tyre being processed, the toroidal support having an outer surface substantially mating with an inner surface of the tyre;
- a vulcanization mould arranged to receive the toroidal support carrying the tyre within a moulding cavity having a holding space delimited between the outer surface of the toroidal support and walls of the moulding cavity;
- pressing devices for pressing an outer surface of the tyre against the walls of the moulding cavity;
- heating devices for transmitting heat to the tyre enclosed in the moulding cavity;
- and
- at least one guide duct extending along an inner surface of the toroidal support;
- wherein, under a closed condition of the vulcanization mould, the holding space has radially-inner portions and a radially-outer portion, wherein the radially-inner portions have shapes and sizes substantially corresponding to shapes and sizes of respective side portions of the tyre, and wherein the radially-outer portion has radial dimensions greater than radial dimensions of a radially-outer portion of the tyre, and
- wherein the at least one guide duct is confined between the inner surface of the toroidal support and a filling structure fastened to the inside of the toroidal support.
An apparatus for moulding and curing tyres for vehicle wheels, comprising:
- a toroidal support arranged to engage a tyre being processed, the toroidal support having an outer surface substantially mating with an inner surface of the tyre;
- a vulcanization mould arranged to receive the toroidal support carrying the tyre within a moulding cavity having a holding space delimited between the outer surface of the toroidal support and walls of the moulding cavity;
- pressing devices for pressing an outer surface of the tyre against the walls of the moulding cavity;
- heating devices for transmitting heat to the tyre enclosed in the moulding cavity;
- and
- at least one guide duct extending along an inner surface of the toroidal support;
- wherein, under a closed condition of the vulcanization mould, the holding space has radially-inner portions and a radially-outer portion, wherein the radially-inner portions have shapes and sizes substantially corresponding to shapes and sizes of respective side portions of the tyre, and wherein the radially-outer portion has radial dimensions greater than radial dimensions of a radially-outer portion of the tyre, and
- wherein the pressing devices comprise circumferentially-distributed admission nozzles oriented toward an end of the at least one guide duct.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.