JP2008031564A - Softening apparatus for rubber-reinforcing fiber cord, and apparatus for and method of producing rubber-reinforcing fiber cord - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable the adjustment of the stiffness of a rubber-reinforcing fiber cord with a simple construction and to reduce the size and cost of the softening apparatus for a rubber-reinforcing fiber cord. <P>SOLUTION: Guide members 10 are arranged along the moving path of a plurality of moving rubber-reinforcing fiber cords 61. Protrusions 12 corresponding to the number of the rubber-reinforcing fiber cords 61 are formed on the guide members 10 against the rubber-reinforcing fiber cords 61, and a displacing means 30 is attached to the middle-stage guide member 10. The rubber-reinforcing fiber cords 61 are arranged along the protrusions 12 of each guide member 10, and the middle-stage guide member 10 is shifted by the displacing means 30 to arrange the protrusions 12 in zigzag state. The rubber-reinforcing fiber cords 61 are pushed and bent by the protrusions 12 and guided in a zigzag form to soften the cord. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a device for softening fiber cords for rubber reinforcement used for tire cords and the like, and in particular, fiber cords that have been subjected to dip treatment and heat drawing treatment are subjected to mechanical softening treatment, and the stiffness of the fiber cords (stiffness). The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method of a rubber-reinforcing fiber cord provided with the softening device.

  Conventionally, fiber cords made of various fibers have been used in a wide range of fields as industrial products or raw materials thereof. For example, fiber cords for rubber reinforcement made of organic fibers such as nylon and polyester are pneumatic tires, conveyor belts, It is widely used as a reinforcing material (for example, tire cord) for rubber industrial products such as hoses and air springs. This fiber cord for reinforcing rubber is generally produced by twisting a raw yarn such as organic fiber with a twisting device, and then the dip (dipping) treatment and cord properties required for bonding between the fiber material and the rubber Various treatments such as a modification treatment are performed to form a rubber reinforcing fiber cord (dip cord), and a rubber product or an intermediate member is manufactured by coating rubber around the cord (see Patent Document 1).

FIG. 7 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of such a conventional rubber reinforcing fiber cord processing apparatus.
As shown in the figure, the processing device 50 includes an unwinding device 51 for unwinding and supplying one or a plurality of long fiber cords 60 from a roll 51A, and the dip solution in the dip solution tank 52A. (Adhesive solution) A dip treatment device 52 that dip-treats by dipping in 52B, and a fiber cord 60 that has been dip-treated sequentially pass through a dry zone 53A, a hot zone 53B, and a normalization zone 53C to perform a heat stretching treatment, etc. An HT (Heat Tension) device 53, a winding device 54 that winds up the dip cord 61 that has been subjected to the heat-stretching process, and the fiber cord 60 are moved along the above path, and each part (each process) ) And a plurality of pull rolls 55 (five locations along the path of the fiber cord 60 in the figure) for applying a predetermined tension each time.

  In this processing apparatus 50, first, the fiber cord 60 supplied from the unwinding apparatus 51 is passed through the dip liquid tank 52A of the dip processing apparatus 52 to increase the adhesive strength with rubber, for example, a dip liquid 52B. An RFL solution obtained by mixing a resorcin / formaldehyde (RF) resin solution and a rubber latex (L) aqueous solution is adhered. Next, the fiber cord 60 is dried (dried) through the dry zone 53A of the HT apparatus 53, and the attached dip liquid 52B is dried, and then passed through the hot zone 53B to be hot (high temperature) treated. The dried dip liquid 52B is bonded to the fiber cord 60 by heating. Next, the fiber cord 60 is subjected to a normalization process in the normalization zone 53C. At this time, the fiber cord 60 is subjected to a heat stretching process under predetermined conditions of high temperature and high tension to adjust the molecular arrangement of the fiber. To improve and adjust fiber properties to standardize.

  The fiber cord 60 (dip cord 61) for rubber reinforcement manufactured through each of the above treatments adheres firmly to the rubber covered with the adhesive layer formed on the surface, and the difference between the yarn manufacturer and the production lot. The cord physical properties that change due to, for example, are made uniform by the heat stretching treatment. As a result, for example, when the fiber cord 60 is a tire cord, the adhesive strength with rubber can be increased and the durability of the tire can be improved, and the uniformity of the cord physical properties can be improved and the tire properties can be stabilized. Can do.

  However, in such a dip cord 61, the attached dip liquid 52B is converted into a resin by high-temperature treatment, and the stiffness of the cord becomes very high. Code characteristics such as degree characteristics may deteriorate. Therefore, conventionally, in order to adjust the dip cord 61 to an appropriate stiffness to ensure workability in the subsequent process, the dip cord 61 is subjected to mechanical softening treatment by bending and rubbing the dip cord 61. A fiber cord softening device is known (see Patent Document 2).

FIG. 8 is a side view schematically showing a main part of the conventional softening device.
The softening device 70 is, for example, a device that is installed on the front side of the winding device 54 in FIG. 7 and is used before winding the dip cord 61. As shown in FIG. And a pair of pressing bodies 71 whose distal end portions are curved with a predetermined curvature, the pair of pressing bodies 71 being opposite to each other across the dip cord 61 (upper side in the figure). And the lower side). The softening device 70 makes the curved tip portions of the pair of pressing bodies 71 come into contact with the dip cord 61 that moves (indicated by an arrow in the drawing) in a tensioned state from the up and down direction, and the dip cord 61 is moved from the up and down direction, respectively. The dip cord 61 is rubbed at the tip of the pressing body 71 while being pressed and bent at a predetermined folding angle θ. The bending and rubbing causes the dip cord 61 to be handled and softened, and the pressing force and the folding angle θ at this time are adjusted to appropriately adjust the stiffness of the dip cord 61.

FIG. 9 is a schematic side view showing a specific example of the conventional softening device 70, which is not described in the patent literature.
As shown in the figure, the softening device 70 includes a pair of rotatable guide rolls 77 that guide the movement of the dip cord 61, and a swinging unit that is disposed between the guide rolls 77 and that has a pressing body 71 similar to the above attached to both ends. And a moving member 72. The swing member 72 has a substantially long plate shape, and a support shaft 72A fixed to a substantially central portion on both side surfaces is rotatably supported by a fixed frame (not shown) or the like, and the support shaft 72A is the center. The tip of the pressing body 71 at both ends is brought into contact (pressing) and separated from the dip cord 61 by swinging. One end of a substantially rod-shaped support rod 73 is fixed to one support shaft 72A of the swing member 72, and the other end portion of the support rod 73 is a piston or a drive source for swinging the swing member 72. The tip of the cylinder mechanism 74 (piston rod 74A) is rotatably connected. The other end of the piston / cylinder mechanism 74 on the lower side is rotatably connected to a fixed base (not shown) provided on the floor surface via a connecting member 75.

  In this softening device 70, the piston / cylinder mechanism 74 is operated to move the piston rod 74A in and out, and the end of the support rod 73 connected to the tip thereof is moved up and down to move the support rod 73 to the swing member 72. The support shaft 72A is rotated within a predetermined range. By the rotation of the support rod 73, the support shaft 72A fixed to the end thereof is rotated within a predetermined angle, and the swing member 72 is swung by the force, and the tip of the pressing body 71 is moved with respect to the dip cord 61. Contact (press) and release.

  Here, in the rubber reinforcing fiber cord processing apparatus 50 (see FIG. 7) and the rubber reinforcing fiber cord rubber coating apparatus described above, not only the single fiber cord 60 and dip cord 61 are processed, but also the weft yarn is processed. In general, a plurality of (for example, 250) single-wire fiber cords 60 or the like that are not provided are processed in parallel and processed simultaneously. Therefore, since it is necessary to simultaneously perform a plurality of softening processes on the dip cords 61, in such a conventional softening device 70, each pressing body 71 is formed to a size capable of pressing all the dip cords 61, In addition, the swinging member 72 that supports it is also formed according to the size and weight of the pressing body 71. At the same time, the number of guide rolls 77 for guiding the dip cord 61 is provided in accordance with the number of the guide rolls 77, and the piston / cylinder mechanism 74, which is a driving source, according to the weight of the pressing body 71 and the swinging member 72, The one with large output is used or the number of installation is increased.

  Therefore, in this conventional rubber reinforcement fiber cord softening device 70, the entire device 70 becomes complicated and large, requiring a large installation space, and there is a problem that the installation cost for manufacturing and assembling the device 70 becomes high. is there. Further, when the dip resin is peeled off from the dip cord 61 and fixed to the pressing body 71 in contact with the dip cord 61, the fiber cord processing device 50, the rubber coating device or the like is stopped and fixed from the pressing body 71. Cleaning work requires a lot of labor and a long time, such as the need to peel off the dip resin one by one. As a result, in this softening device 70, each device cannot be operated during the cleaning operation, and the device non-operation time tends to increase.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-323691 JP-A-62-149983

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to adjust the stiffness of a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement with a simple configuration, and to reduce the size of a softening device for a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement. It is to reduce the cost and shorten the downtime of the apparatus.

The invention of claim 1 is an apparatus for softening a rubber reinforcing fiber cord that is provided in a moving path of a single-wire rubber reinforcing fiber cord having no moving weft and that softens the rubber reinforcing fiber cord. A guide member having a number of contact guide means corresponding to the number of the rubber reinforcing fiber cords that contact the rubber reinforcing fiber cords to guide the movement is provided along the movement path of the rubber reinforcing fiber cords. A plurality of contact guide means for the plurality of guide members arranged in a zigzag shape along the movement path of the rubber reinforcing fiber cords, and the rubber reinforcing fiber cords arranged in the zigzag shape. It is characterized in that it is moved alternately while being bent in a zigzag shape.
The invention of claim 2 is the apparatus for softening a rubber reinforcing fiber cord according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is displaced so that the contact guide means does not contact the rubber reinforcing fiber cord; A guide member displacing means is provided that moves between the zigzag arrangement positions to be bent by contact.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement described in the second aspect, the displacement means changes a displacement amount of the guide member, and the rubber reinforcement fiber is changed by the contact guide means. It is characterized in that the push-in amount for pushing the cord is adjustable.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus for softening a rubber reinforcing fiber cord according to any one of the first to third aspects, the contact guide means has a curved contact surface with the rubber reinforcing fiber cord. It is the formed protrusion.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement according to the fourth aspect, the guide member has a comb shape in which the protrusions are arranged in parallel on the surface of the fiber cord for rubber reinforcement. It is a member.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the support member that removably supports the guide member, and the guide member that is the support body. It has a fixing means for fixing to.
The invention of claim 7 is an apparatus for producing a single-line rubber reinforcing fiber cord having no weft, the supply means for supplying the rubber reinforcing fiber cord, and the rubber reinforcing fiber cord along a movement path. And a softening device for the rubber reinforcing fiber cord according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The invention according to claim 8 is a rubber reinforcement for producing a single-line rubber reinforcing fiber cord having no weft using the rubber reinforcing fiber cord softening device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A method for manufacturing a fiber cord for rubber, the step of supplying the fiber cord for reinforcing rubber, the step of moving the supplied fiber cord for reinforcing rubber along a moving path, and the moving fiber cord for reinforcing rubber And a step of bending and softening.

  According to the present invention, the stiffness of the fiber cord for rubber reinforcement can be adjusted with a simple configuration, the apparatus for softening the fiber cord for rubber reinforcement can be reduced in size and cost, and the downtime of the device can be reduced. Can be shortened.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The rubber reinforcing fiber cord softening device of the present embodiment is a single wire that does not have one or a plurality of (for example, 2 to 250) wefts, like the conventional softening device 70 shown in FIG. The fiber cord is subjected to mechanical softening treatment by simultaneously handling it by bending and rubbing. In the following, this softening device is installed between the HT device 53 and the winding device 54 of the processing device 50 (see FIG. 7) for manufacturing the dip cord 61 by performing dip processing or the like, and the winding device 54 The case where the moving rubber reinforcing fiber cord (dip cord 61) immediately before winding is softened will be described as an example.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a rubber reinforcing fiber cord softening device of the present embodiment, in which a plurality of rubber reinforcing fiber cords 61 move downward from above (arrow S in the figure). An example of doing this is shown.
In the drawing, only three rubber reinforcing fiber cords 61 arranged substantially in parallel on one end side are shown, and the description of the fiber reinforcing fiber cords 61 from the fourth to the other end side is omitted. These are arranged substantially in parallel as in the third. The rubber reinforcing fiber cords 61 are arranged on substantially the same plane as a whole.

  As shown in the figure, the softening device 1 is provided in the moving path of the moving rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61, and a plurality of (for example, 3 to 6) (three in the figure) along the moving path. A guide member 10 that is disposed to bend and move the fiber cords 61 for reinforcing rubber, a support body (bracket) 20 that removably supports the guide members 10 provided on both ends of each guide member 10, and a guide Displacement means 30 for displacing the member 10 (here, the guide member 10 at the center in the vertical direction) is provided.

  The guide member 10 is in contact with the substantially reinforcing rod-shaped main body 11 extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (movement direction) of each rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 and the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 to guide its movement. It has a plurality of protrusions 12 as guide means, and here is formed in a comb-like member in which the protrusions 12 are arranged in parallel on the surface of the main body 11 on the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 side. Further, the guide member 10 is provided with protrusions 12 over the entire portion facing the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61, and both ends thereof are supported without the protrusions 12 supported by the support body 20. Has become a department. These guide members 10 are arranged substantially parallel to each other (substantially horizontal in the drawing) and spaced apart in the vertical direction by a predetermined interval (for example, 10 to 100 mm) in the moving direction of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61. ing.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the guide member 10.
The protrusions 12 of the guide member 10 are provided so that the number corresponding to the number of the rubber reinforcing fiber cords 61 is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the main body 11 and protrudes in the same direction as illustrated. Further, each protrusion 12 passes the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 between the protrusions 12 substantially in parallel at a predetermined interval (for example, substantially the same interval) according to the arrangement interval of the rubber reinforcing fiber cords 61. Are arranged side by side with a sufficient gap, that is, a gap wider than the thickness of the fiber cord 61 for rubber reinforcement. Each of the protrusions 12 is a rod-like or needle-like pin member whose contact surface with the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 is formed in a curved curved surface such as a substantially arc shape or elliptic arc shape in cross section. Here, it is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with a circular cross section.

  In the present embodiment, the diameter or radius of the substantially cylindrical projection 12 is formed to be 2 to 10 mm, and when the number of the rubber reinforcing fiber cords 61 is N, the number is at least one more than that ( N + 1 projections 12 are provided on the guide member 10. The protrusions 12 are arranged at an arrangement pitch of 6 to 15 mm corresponding to the interval between the rubber reinforcing fiber cords 61. As shown in FIG. 1, each guide member 10 provided with such projections 12 has the projections 12 and the rubber reinforcing fiber cords 61 substantially orthogonal to each other, and the rubber reinforcing fiber cords between the projections 12. Both ends of the main body 11 are attached to and supported by the pair of supports 20 so that 61 passes. Further, in this supported state, the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 does not contact the main body portion 11 of the guide member 10, that is, the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 is interposed between the tip end portion of the protrusion 12 and the main body portion 11. Is arranged to be located.

  The support 20 is for supporting the mounted guide member 10 (the end of the main body 11) and arranging the guide member 10 at the predetermined position described above, and for restricting the movement, rotation, etc., and fixing the guide member 10. Having fixing means; The support 20 is attached to, for example, a fixed frame (not shown) of the softening device 1 so that the position in the vertical direction can be changed, and depending on the number of installed guide members 10 (three in the drawing), The number of installations can be increased or decreased (three pairs in the figure). The support 20 is provided with a mounting mechanism that allows the guide member 10 to be easily attached and detached.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view seen from the X direction of FIG. 1 showing a state in which the guide member 10 is supported by each support body 20 of the present embodiment.
As shown in the figure, the support 20 has a substantially plate shape, and a substantially U-shaped engagement recess 21 extending downward from the upper surface at the center is formed with the guide member 10 (the end of the main body 11). It is formed in an engageable shape. Further, the support 20 is formed with a screw hole 22 penetrating from one side surface to one surface of the engagement recess 21 toward the guide member 10 mounted in the engagement recess 21. . The support body 20 is clamped and fixed by sandwiching the guide member 10 with the other surface of the engaging recess 21 at the tip of the thumbscrew 24 inserted in the screw hole 22. As a result, each guide member 10 is fixed and supported by having both ends locked to the bottom portions of the respective engagement recesses 21 of the pair of supports 20, and the movement and rotation are restricted, and the position is maintained. .

  In order to secure the fixing of the guide member 10 and the like, a concave portion or a concave groove extending in the longitudinal direction in which the distal end portion of the thumb screw 24 can be fitted is formed at the end portion of the guide member 10, and the thumb screw is formed in that portion. You may make it insert and fix the front-end | tip part of 24. Further, the fixing means for fixing the guide member 10 is not limited to these, and the support body 20 fixes the guide member 10 by, for example, fixing with a clamp member that is sandwiched and fixed by a pair of holding members from both sides of the guide member 10. Other configurations may be used as long as they can be easily attached and detached.

  Of these supports 20, the pair of supports 20 that support the guide member 10 at the center in the vertical direction provided with the displacement means 30 (see FIG. 1) can slide on rails (not shown) extending substantially horizontally. It is possible to move in the longitudinal direction of the guide member 10 (the direction perpendicular to the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61). As a result, the pair of supports 20 moves while supporting the guide member 10 together with the guide member 10 displaced by the displacement means 30.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the displacing means 30 includes a substantially plate-like fixing member 31 fixed to the side (right side in the drawing) of one end portion of the guide member 10, and the guide member 10 of the fixing member 31. And a rotating member 32 provided on the reverse side (right side in the figure). The rotating member 32 has a substantially disk shape, a substantially cylindrical support shaft 32A is fixed to the center of the surface on the fixed member 31 side, and a handle (or lever) 32B is attached from the outer periphery of the other side surface. Yes. The support shaft 32A of the rotating member 32 is inserted into a through-hole formed in the fixed member 31 and is rotatably supported, and the outer periphery of the distal end portion on the guide member 10 side is screwed over a predetermined range. A groove (threaded portion) is formed. Corresponding to this screw portion, a screw hole is formed in the end surface of the guide member 10 (main body portion 11), and the screw portion at the tip of the support shaft 32A is fitted therein.

  In the displacing means 30 of the present embodiment, when the rotating member 32 is rotated around the support shaft 32A by the handle 32B, the screw portion at the tip of the support shaft 32A that meshes with the screw hole of the guide member 10 rotates. Due to this screw action, the range in which the threaded portion of the support shaft 32A meshes with the screw hole of the guide member 10 is changed, but the support shaft 32A is supported by the fixing member 31 and the position thereof is maintained. The guide member 10 is displaced (moved) in both the longitudinal directions together with the support body 20. The displacing means 30 displaces the guide member 10 in this way, and moves the projection 12 of the guide member 10 between a position where it contacts the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 and a position where it does not contact, thereby contacting and separating. Let

  Further, the displacement means 30 changes the displacement amount of the guide member 10 by the rotation of the rotation member 32, and adjusts the movement amount of the protrusion 12 (the amount of pressing the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 is pushed by the protrusion 12 described later). It is possible to provide a moving amount display means such as a measure of the amount, for example, a measure engraved with a predetermined unit indicating the moving amount, a rotation angle indicator of the rotating member 32, and the like. The displacement means 30 may be other known means such as a combination of a stepping motor and a gear or a rack and pinion mechanism, and the displacement of the guide member 10 may be automated.

  The softening device 1 of the present embodiment displaces the guide member 10 by the displacing means 30 so that the protrusions 12 of the plurality (three in this case) of the guide member 10 are moved along the movement path of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61. The rubber reinforcing fiber cords 61 are alternately wound around the protrusions 12 arranged in a zigzag shape to guide the movement, and the rubber reinforcing fiber cords 61 are moved while being bent in a zigzag shape. And make it flexible.

4 is a front view seen from the Y direction in FIG. 1 schematically showing the process of bending the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 by displacing the guide member 10 by the displacing means 30. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4A, before bending, each of the upper and lower (see FIG. 1) guide members (hereinafter referred to as the upper guide member 10-1 and the lower guide member 10-3, respectively) not having the displacement means 30. The protrusions 12 are arranged substantially parallel to the movement path (longitudinal direction) of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61. On the other hand, the middle guide member (hereinafter referred to as the middle guide member 10-2) provided with the displacing means 30 is displaced in the longitudinal direction by the displacing means 30, and the projections 12 are respectively moved up and down the guide members 10-1, 3 Are moved from each array position to a position shifted. At this time, each of the protrusions 12 of the middle guide member 10-2 is sufficient to allow the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 to pass between the arrangement positions of the protrusions 12 of the upper and lower guide members 10-1 and 10-3. It arrange | positions so that a space | interval may arise and it arrange | positions between each protrusion 12 through each rubber | gum reinforcement fiber cord 61 in each space | interval. The rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 at this time is substantially linear.

  From this state, the middle guide member 10-2 is displaced by the displacing means 30, and the protrusion 12 is moved toward the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 (arrow in the figure). Even after contacting 61, the middle guide member 10-2 is displaced continuously for a predetermined distance. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, the middle guide that moves the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 whose vertical position is stopped by the protrusions 12 of the upper and lower guide members 10-1 and 3 and is prevented from moving in the lateral direction. The protrusion 12 of the member 10-2 is pushed and bent in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The middle guide member 10-2 is displaced until the pushing amount (distance) (L in the figure) reaches a predetermined value, and the protrusions 12 of the guide members 10-1, 2, 3 are staggered, that is, The zigzag is arranged along the moving path of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61.

  As described above, the guide member 10 is displaced by the displacing means 30, and the protrusion 12 is moved between a position where the protrusion 12 does not contact the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 and a zigzag-shaped arrangement position where the protrusion 12 is bent by contact. The rubber reinforcing fiber cords 61 are alternately looped over the protrusions 12, and the rubber reinforcing cords 61 and their movement paths are bent in a zigzag shape.

  When a softened rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 is manufactured by a manufacturing apparatus using the softening apparatus 1 (here, the processing apparatus 50 shown in FIG. 7), first, a predetermined number of single-wire rubber reinforcing fiber cords are used. 61 is supplied from a supply means (in this case, the processing apparatus 50) after being subjected to dip processing or the like. Next, the supplied rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 is moved along the moving path by a moving means such as a pull roll 55, but before the start of the movement, the softening device installed immediately before the winding device 54 or the like. 1, the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 (movement path) is stretched over the protrusions 12 and bent in a zigzag shape as described above.

  In this state, the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 is moved, the movement is guided by the protrusions 12 of the respective guide members 10, and the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 is moved while being bent in a zigzag shape. By this bending and rubbing with each protrusion 12, the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 having high stiffness is treated and mechanically softened, and the continuously moving rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 is continuously provided. And make it flexible. Then, the fiber cord 61 for rubber reinforcement which has been wound and softened by the winding device 54 is continuously manufactured.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic diagram showing the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 that is bent and moved to receive the softening treatment.
The degree of softening and the stiffness of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 vary depending on the bending mode such as the bending angle (θ in FIG. 5). In the softening device 1 according to the present embodiment, as described above, the pressing amount (L in FIG. 5) of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 by the protrusion 12 can be adjusted, and the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 is bent. Then, the displacement amount of the middle guide member 10-2 is changed by the displacement means 30 to adjust the pushing amount L, and the folding angle θ is set to an appropriate angle. Thereby, the softening effect exhibited by the softening device 1 is adjusted, and the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 that is bent and moved is adjusted to an appropriate stiffness.

  Therefore, according to the softening device 1 of the present embodiment, a large-sized member, a drive source such as a piston / cylinder mechanism, a guide roll or the like (see FIG. 9) is required to bend the fiber cord 61 for rubber reinforcement. However, the apparatus 1 can be simplified and miniaturized (space saving) as compared with the prior art. As a result, in this softening device 1, it is possible to reduce the installation cost required for manufacturing and assembling the device. At the same time, the stiffness of the fiber cord 61 for rubber reinforcement can be appropriately adjusted with a simple configuration, and workability in the subsequent process such as the rubber coating process can be ensured, and the high elongation characteristics of the fiber cord 61 for rubber reinforcement, etc. The chord characteristics can be adjusted appropriately.

  In addition, since the engaging recess 21 is formed in the support body 20 that supports the guide member 10 so that the guide member 10 can be easily attached and detached, the dip resin peels off from the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 and the guide member The guide member 10 can be easily removed from the support 20 and replaced when it is fixed to the base plate 10 or the like. As a result, the downtime of the softening device 1 and the device in which the device 1 is installed can be reduced by cleaning the guide member 10 to shorten the downtime, thereby improving the productivity.

  In addition, in this softening device 1, as described above, each support 20 (see FIG. 1) that supports the guide member 10 is attached such that its vertical position can be changed, and the number of installations can be increased or decreased. It is. Therefore, by changing the vertical distance (D in FIG. 5) and the number of guide members 10 in addition to the pushing amount L of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61, the folding angle θ and the bending of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 are changed. The bending mode such as the number of times can be changed in various ways, and the softening effect of the softening device 1 can be adjusted appropriately. As a result, the stiffness of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 can be arbitrarily adjusted, and the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 can be adjusted to a desired optimum according to the type of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 and the required stiffness. The stiffness can be adjusted.

  Note that one or two guide members 10 or four or more guide members 10 may be provided in accordance with each situation. However, the displacement means 30 for displacing the guide members 10 is provided in all the guide members 10. Alternatively, the guide members 10 may be provided on each guide member 10 and the movable and non-movable guide members 10 may be alternately arranged. Further, the protrusions 12 of the guide member 10 may be at least as many as the number of treatments so that all the rubber reinforcing fiber cords 61 can be subjected to the softening treatment at the same time. A larger number of protrusions 12 may be provided in advance. Furthermore, you may form the cross-sectional shape of the protrusion 12 in shapes other than the substantially circular shape of this embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the shape of the protrusion 12.
As shown in the figure, the cross-sectional shape of the protrusion 12 is an elliptical shape (FIG. 6A), a substantially triangular shape (FIG. 6B), a rectangular shape (FIG. 6C), or another polygonal shape (hexagonal shape in FIG. 6D). It may be other than circular. Although not shown in the drawings, the protrusion 12 has a shape that curves toward the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 as a whole, or a rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 in order to reliably guide the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61. It may be formed in a shape other than a linear shape, such as by forming a recess in a portion that contacts the surface, and the cross-sectional shape may be changed in the longitudinal direction. As in each of these examples, the protrusion 12 may be formed in another protrusion shape that can guide the movement of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61, but the contact surface with the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 is curved. When formed, the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 can be prevented from being scratched, broken, or cut.

  Further, in this softening device 1, a plurality of protrusions 12 are provided on the guide member 10 as contact guide means that contacts the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 and guides the movement, but instead of the protrusions 12, for example, Alternatively, a plurality of parallel concave grooves may be formed in the substantially plate-shaped guide member 10, and each rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 may be inserted into the plurality of concave grooves to guide the movement. As described above, the contact guide means may be a concave portion such as a concave groove formed in the guide member 10 in addition to the protrusion 12 protruding from the guide member 10.

  Here, in this embodiment, although the example at the time of installing the softening apparatus 1 in the processing apparatus 50 which performs the dip process etc. shown in FIG. 7 was demonstrated, this softening apparatus 1 is the fiber cord 61 for rubber reinforcement. On the other hand, it is used before processing or work in a later process. Therefore, you may install the softening apparatus 1 in rubber coating apparatuses, such as a calendar apparatus, which coat | covers rubber | gum on the fiber cord 61 for rubber reinforcement, for example. In this case, the softening device 1 is installed, for example, in a moving path of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 that is unwound from the unwinding device of the rubber covering device and moves to the rubber covering portion. Therefore, in this example, the unwinding device of the rubber coating device serves as a supply means for the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61, and the calendar roll or the like of the device serves as a moving means for the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61.

(Flexibility test)
In order to confirm the effect of the present invention, the above-described three types of softening devices 1 (hereinafter referred to as Examples 1, 2, and 3) and the above-described conventional two types of softening devices 70 shown in FIG. And Comparative Examples 1 and 2), the fiber cord 61 for rubber reinforcement was subjected to a softening treatment, and various comparisons were made. Each of these devices is installed immediately before the winding device 54 of the processing device 50 (see FIG. 7) that performs dip processing or the like, and the operating conditions of the processing device 50, the type of the fiber cord 61 for rubber reinforcement, etc. Softening was performed under the same conditions except for the configuration.

  In Examples 1 to 3, the protrusions 12 of the guide member 10 were formed in a pin shape having a diameter of 3 mm, and the guide members 10 were arranged at intervals of 50 mm along the movement path of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61. In Example 1, three guide members 10 were installed, and four in Example 2 and five in Example 3, respectively, were installed to soften the fiber cord 61 for rubber reinforcement. In each of these Examples 1 to 3, the folding angle θ (see FIG. 5) of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 was adjusted to 30 °. On the other hand, Comparative Examples 1 and 2 are two typical examples that have been used in the past, including a pair of pressing bodies 71 (see FIG. 9), a piston / cylinder mechanism 74, and the like.

Table 1 shows the configuration of the guide member 10 of each example, and various comparison results of the comparative example and the example.
The comparison object of each comparative example and the example is an apparatus volume index indicating the size of the softening apparatus, an apparatus cost index indicating the cost required for installation, a cleaning time indicating the downtime of the processing apparatus 50 (comparative example) or It is a stiffness index indicating the guide member replacement time (Example) and the rigidity of the fiber cord 61 for rubber reinforcement after softening. Among the above, the cleaning time or the guide member replacement time is expressed in hours (minutes), and all others are expressed as indexes with Comparative Example 1 as 100.

  As shown in Table 1, the device volume index is smaller in Examples 1, 2, and 3 to 15, 17, and 19 than 100 in Comparative Example 1 and 95 in Comparative Example 2, respectively. It can be seen that the flexible device can be greatly reduced in size. The device cost index is smaller in Examples 1, 2, and 3 than 100 in Comparative Example 1 and 105 in Comparative Example 2, respectively 20, 30, and 40, and the cost according to the number of guide members 10 is low. Although it is newly required, it can be seen that the overall cost can be reduced. The cleaning times of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were 30 minutes and 20 minutes, respectively, but the guide member replacement times of Examples 1, 2, and 3 were 5, 7, and 9 minutes, respectively, and the apparatus was not operating. It can be seen that the time can be shortened.

  The stiffness index is 103, 100, and 97 in Examples 1, 2, and 3 with respect to 100 in Comparative Examples 1 and 2, respectively. In Comparative Examples and Examples, the fiber cord 61 for rubber reinforcement is approximately the same. It can be seen that it can be flexible. Further, the stiffness index decreases in the order of Examples 1, 2, and 3. As the number of guide members 10 increases, the softening effect increases and the stiffness of the fiber cord 61 for rubber reinforcement can be adjusted. I understand that.

  From the above results, according to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the stiffness of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61 with a simple configuration, and to reduce the size and cost of the softening device 1 of the rubber reinforcing fiber cord 61. And it was proved that the downtime of the equipment can be shortened.

It is a perspective view which shows typically the softening apparatus of the fiber cord for rubber reinforcement of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which expands and shows a part of guide member of this embodiment. It is the sectional side view seen from the X direction of FIG. 1 which shows the state which supported the guide member with the support body. It is the front view seen from the Y direction of FIG. 1 which shows typically the process in which a guide member is displaced by a displacement means and the fiber cord for rubber reinforcement is bent. It is a schematic diagram which expands and shows the fiber cord for rubber reinforcement which receives a softening process by bending movement. It is sectional drawing which shows the example of the other shape of a protrusion. It is a side view which shows roughly the structure of the processing apparatus of the conventional fiber cord for rubber reinforcement. It is a side view which shows roughly the principal part of the softening apparatus of the conventional fiber cord for rubber reinforcement. It is a schematic side view which shows the specific example of the conventional softening apparatus of the fiber cord for rubber reinforcement.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Softening apparatus of the fiber cord for rubber reinforcement, 10 ... Guide member, 11 ... Main-body part, 12 ... Projection, 20 ... Support body, 21 ... Engagement recessed part, 24 ... thumbscrew, 30 ... displacement means, 31 ... fixing member, 32 ... rotating member, 61 ... fiber cord for rubber coating.

Claims (8)

A device for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement that is provided in a moving path of a single-wire rubber reinforcing fiber cord that does not have a moving weft, and that softens the rubber reinforcing fiber cord,
A plurality of guide members having contact guide means corresponding to the number of the rubber reinforcing fiber cords that contact the rubber reinforcing fiber cords to guide the movement are provided along a movement path of the rubber reinforcing fiber cords. ,
The contact guide means of the plurality of guide members are arranged in a zigzag shape along the movement path of the rubber reinforcing fiber cords, and the rubber reinforcing fiber cords are alternately arranged in the contact guide means arranged in the zigzag shape. An apparatus for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement, which is moved while being bent and bent in a zigzag shape. In the apparatus for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement according to claim 1,
Displacement means for the guide member for displacing the guide member to move the contact guide means between a position where it does not contact the rubber reinforcing fiber cord and a zigzag arrangement position where the contact guide means is bent by contact. An apparatus for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement characterized by the above. In the apparatus for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement according to claim 2,
The apparatus for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement, wherein the displacement means is configured to change a displacement amount of the guide member and to adjust a push-in amount by which the rubber reinforcement fiber cord is pushed by the contact guide means. In the apparatus for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The apparatus for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement, wherein the contact guide means is a protrusion having a curved contact surface with the fiber cord for rubber reinforcement. In the apparatus for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement according to claim 4,
The apparatus for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement, wherein the guide member is a comb-like member in which the protrusions are arranged side by side on the surface of the fiber cord for rubber reinforcement. In the apparatus for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An apparatus for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement, comprising: a support body that removably supports the guide member; and a fixing means that fixes the guide member to the support body. An apparatus for manufacturing a single-wire rubber reinforcing fiber cord having no weft,
Supply means for supplying the fiber cord for rubber reinforcement;
Moving means for moving the rubber reinforcing fiber cord along a moving path;
A device for softening a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
An apparatus for manufacturing a fiber cord for rubber reinforcement, comprising: A rubber reinforcing fiber cord manufacturing method for manufacturing a single-line rubber reinforcing fiber cord having no weft using the rubber reinforcing fiber cord softening device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. There,
Supplying the rubber reinforcing fiber cord;
Moving the supplied rubber reinforcing fiber cord along a movement path;
Bending and flexing the moving rubber reinforcing fiber cord; and
A method for producing a rubber-reinforcing fiber cord, comprising:

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