Apparatus assembly and disassembly of a tire curing mold
AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
InventorsWilliam Dudley Currie, Dennis Alan Lundell, David Alan Henthorne
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for assembly and disassembly in axial and radial directions mold segments forming a toroidally shaped mold. The apparatus includes mold gripping apparatus operatively engaging and disengaging the mold; and mold transport apparatus for operatively moving the mold gripping apparatus and engaged mold between a mold assembly and disassembly station and a tire curing station. The mold gripping apparatus engages and unlocks an upper mold sidewall segment and mold loading apparatus engages and unlocks a lower mold sidewall segment. Tread segment closing apparatus is provided for operatively opening and closing the tread segments of the mold in a radial direction.
Claims11
Apparatus for assembly and disassembly of a toroidally shaped mold for curing a green tire into a finished tire having a tread and a sidewall pattern, the mold formed by a plurality of segments including first and second mold sidewall segments which together define a sidewall pattern to be formed on opposite sides of the green tire and a plurality of mold tread segments each having an inner surface portion which together define a tread pattern to be formed on the green tire;
- the mold in an assembled configuration enclosing a green tire mounted on a toroidal tire building core and having an axial core spindle in which first and second spindle ends project from the first and second sidewall mold segments, respectively, the apparatus comprising:
- mold gripping apparatus operatively engaging and disengaging the mold segments along axial and radial mold axis and
- mold transport apparatus for operatively moving the mold gripping apparatus and engaged mold between a mold assembly and disassembly station and a tire curing station.
Apparatus for assembly and disassembly of a toroidally shaped mold for curing a green tire into a finished tire having a tread and a sidewall pattern, the mold formed by a plurality of segments including first and second mold sidewall segments which together define a sidewall pattern to be formed on opposite sides of the green tire and a plurality of mold tread segments each having an inner surface portion which together define a tread pattern to be formed on the green tire;
- the mold in an assembled configuration enclosing a green tire mounted on a toroidal tire building core and having an axial core spindle in which first and second spindle ends project from the first and second sidewall mold segments, respectively, the apparatus comprising:
- mold gripping apparatus operatively engaging and disengaging the mold segments along axial and radial mold axis;
- wherein the mold gripping apparatus operatively engages and disengages the first sidewall segment of the mold;
- wherein the mold gripping apparatus operatively locks and unlocks the first mold sidewall segment;
- wherein the mold gripping apparatus operatively reciprocally rotates an upper mold breech ring to lock and unlock the first mold sidewall segment;
- and
- wherein the mold gripping apparatus comprises a rotational ring assembly operatively engaging and disengaging the first sidewall segment of the mold and reciprocally rotating the upper breech ring.
Apparatus for assembly and disassembly of a toroidally shaped mold for curing a green tire into a finished tire having a tread and a sidewall pattern, the mold formed by a plurality of segments including first and second mold sidewall segments which together define a sidewall pattern to be formed on opposite sides of the green tire and a plurality of mold tread segments each having an inner surface portion which together define a tread pattern to be formed on the green tire;
- the mold in an assembled configuration enclosing a green tire mounted on a toroidal tire building core and having an axial core spindle in which first and second spindle ends project from the first and second sidewall mold segments, respectively, the apparatus comprising:
- mold gripping apparatus operatively engaging and disengaging the mold segments along axial and radial mold axis;
- and
- further comprising mold assembly apparatus, the mold assembly apparatus including:
- a mold tread segment closing apparatus for operatively opening and closing the tread segments of the mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.