JP2014054839A - Device for rotating bead region of tire - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for rotating bead regions of a green tire so that bead regions are arranged in a parallel and concentric manner in order to remove abnormality which perhaps occurs in the bead parts of the green tire during handling for pre-hardening, storage or molding with a tire press machine.SOLUTION: A tire device comprises the beads of the green tire arranged in a parallel and rectangular manner relative to each other so that the bead regions of the tire are arranged at their correct positions before hardening by rotating them. While the tire is installed into a tire mold, the bead parts of the tire are held at parallel positions. In addition, there are provided paddles which hold crown parts arranged outward of the tire and a tire loader comprising bead supporting rings.

Description

  The present invention relates to a tire and a tire device. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus for reducing the non-uniformity of green tires.

  Tire uniformity is important to overall performance. Non-uniformity can occur during the tire manufacturing process, during storage of the green tire, or during the formation of the green tire in the tire press prior to curing. One aspect of tire non-uniformity is when the opposing tire beads are not concentric and parallel to each other. As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional tire loader grips a tire from an upper bead and places it on a lower bead on a lower mold bead ring in a press. The upper bead then operates without adjusting its position relative to the lower bead, ie, the upper mold bead ring.

  The first problem with conventional loaders is that the lower sidewall bead area does not rotate to a cure position to engage the tapered lower bead ring, and the loader cannot improve this unwanted situation. is there. The second problem is that the green tire may not be mounted at the center of the lower bead ring in the loader or mold. A third problem is that the conventional tire loader is not a means of accurately holding the upper bead of the green tire concentrically and parallel to the lower bead.

  FIG. 2A shows a green tire having a bead seated on the lower mold ring 12 in a position where the mold is opened and before shape formation is performed. At this point, the dimension X is equal to the dimension Y. As shown, the lower sidewall bead region 14a is constrained by the lower mold bead ring 12, while the upper sidewall bead region 14b is not constrained. FIG. 2B shows the green tire while the shape is being formed by the hardened bladder. FIG. 2 (b) shows that the lower ply end A near the lower mold bead ring is confined between the bladder and the tapered lower mold bead ring, thereby rotating the lower sidewall region to the proper position. Indicates a severely restricted condition. Since the mold is not closed during shape formation by the bladder, the upper bead region is not constrained. As the molding pressure increases, the upper ply end B is dragged around the bead, resulting in an increase in dimension Y. Increasing the dimension Y may cause the tire centerline to shift laterally from the desired centerline by a distance L, and may also cause tire laterality (conicity). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2B, the dimension Y becomes larger than the dimension X, and as a result, non-uniformity of the tire occurs. When the press is closed, the upper mold bead ring engages the upper bead and pushes it into the upper bead area for rotation about the upper bead. The non-uniformity of the rotation of the object around the upper bead is similar to the lower bead. Even if the press is closed, the above problem is not solved, and a tire having a problem of uniformity may be cured.

  Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved apparatus for preforming green tires prior to mounting in a mold to ensure that the tire beads are concentric and parallel to each other. Furthermore, to provide an improved apparatus that ensures that the upper and lower bead areas are rotated to the proper cure position before being placed in the tire mold and when mounted in the mold. Is desired.

  The first aspect of the present invention is a green tire pre-forming apparatus that rotates to align the bead areas of the tire with each other, and the first of the green tires having first and second tire bead areas facing each other. A first support having a first bead ring that supports the tire bead region; a second support having a second bead ring that is positionable to engage the second tire bead region; First and second rotatable bead fasteners, wherein the first and second rotatable bead fasteners secure the first and second tire bead regions and the first and second beads Provided is a green tire preforming device arranged to be engaged with each ring.

  In a second aspect, the present invention provides a tire loader having a paddle and a bead support ring for gripping the outer crown portion of the tire.

It is a figure which shows the conventional loader which mounts a green tire on a tire press. (A) is a cross-sectional view of a green tire partially engaged with the bead ring of the lower mold before engaging the shape forming bladder and closing the mold, and (b) is a tire mold during shape formation by the bladder. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a green tire partially mounted on the lower bead ring and formed on the lower bead ring. It is front sectional drawing of the green tire preforming machine of this invention which shows the initial position where the green tire is not mounted. It is front sectional drawing shown with the green tire and the green tire loader of the green tire preforming machine of this invention. It is sectional drawing shown with the moving support ring of the bead ring support body of a lower mold. It is sectional drawing shown with the moving support ring of the bead ring support body of a lower mold. It is front sectional drawing shown with the green tire and the green tire loader of the green tire preforming machine of the present invention in the position where the green tire was mounted and lowered. FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the green tire preform of the present invention showing the loader's upper mold bead support ring engaging the upper bead or green tire before the material rotates around the bead. Front view of the green tire preforming machine of the present invention shown in the working / clamping position after the load area material is rotated around the upper and lower beads and before the loader grips the outer diameter of the green tire It is sectional drawing. It is front sectional drawing of the green tire preforming machine of this invention which shows the state by which both bead area | regions were rotated and the green tire was hold | gripped by the loader for conveyance. It is a figure which shows the green tire before shape formation is performed or before rotating a lower bead area | region. It is a figure which shows the green tire after rotating an upper part and a lower bead area | region and before shape formation is performed.

  The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Here, “bead” generally refers to the portion of the tire having an annular tension member, and the radially inner bead is associated with holding the tire on the rim. The bead is covered with a ply cord and may or may not be shaped with other reinforcing members such as flippers, chippers, apex or fillers, toe guards, chafers.

  “Chafer” means an elongated strip of material that is placed around the outside of the tire bead to protect the cord ply from being worn or cut by contact with the rim and to distribute the curvature above the rim To do.

  FIG. 3 shows a green tire preforming apparatus 200 of the present invention. The green tire preforming apparatus 200 helps to preform green tires, match the overall tire shape to the shape of the vulcanized tire, and concentrically and parallel the tire beads before being put into the mold. . The tire preforming apparatus 200 includes a support frame 202 having three or more support legs 204, and these support legs 204 are connected to each other by a stationary lower support plate 206. An annular central support outer column 220 extends vertically upward from the support plate 206 to guide the central support inner column 222. A lower spider ring 208 is slidably attached to the central support outer column 220. Support frame 202 further includes a stationary upper support plate 210 coupled to the lower support plate via a plurality of support frame columns 209.

  The green tire preforming apparatus 200 further includes a lower bead support ring 230. In FIG. 3, the lower bead support ring 230 is shown in a raised position suitable for mounting a green tire on a preforming device. As best shown in FIG. 5A, the lower bead support ring 230 has its lower surface mounted on the upper ring 231. As an optional feature, the upper ring may be connected to a rotatable bearing 237 so that it can rotate freely. The rotatable bearing 237 is connected to the bearing support plate 239. The lower surface of the bearing support plate 239 is attached to the end portion 232 of the moving rod 235. For this reason, the lower bead support ring can be moved up and down by the moving rod 235 and can be rotated radially around the central column by the rotatable bearing ring 237. In order to accurately position the lower bead support ring 230, the gear rack 243 is positioned to engage the rotatable bearing ring 237. Optionally, a programmable rotational positioning device 244 can be used to position the rotatable bearing ring 237.

  The lower bead support ring 230 shown in FIG. 5A has a bead support 232 that extends radially outward from the support ring 230. The bead support 232 has an annular lip 234 located on the inner side in the axial direction of the bead support. The annular lip 234 is straight and does not have a tapered portion. The bead support has a flat portion 236 located axially outside on the support ring. The bead support 232 further includes an inclined seating surface 238 that connects the annular lip 234 to the flat portion 236. The inclined seating surface 238 helps the material in the bead area ride up to the proper alignment position during curing. The green tire preform 200 further includes a top hat 245 that facilitates proper centering of the green tire beads and tires with the lower bead support ring of the green tire preform. FIG. 4 shows a green tire mounted on a green tire preforming apparatus. The support ring 231 is in a raised position where the bead region of the lower sidewall of the green tire is in meshing engagement with the lower bead support ring 230.

  As shown in FIG. 6, after the green tire is lowered on the green tire preforming apparatus 200, the green tire loader 100 is pulled down to the support / gripping position around the green tire as shown in FIG. The green tire loader 100 includes an upper support ring 102 that engages with and supports the upper bead of the green tire. As an optional feature, the upper support ring 102 may be rotatable as described in detail below. The loader 100 with the upper support ring 102 rotatably mounted is pulled down until the inner radial lip 106 of the upper bead support ring 102 engages the upper bead of the green tire. The green tire loader further includes a plurality of paddles or chucks 110 that engage the tire. Each tire chuck is independently movable in the radial direction on a rail support 112 connected to a hydraulically driven piston 114. Each tire chuck is lockable at its own unique tread radius position, thereby maintaining and maintaining concentricity of the upper tire bead with respect to the upper bead lip ring 102. FIG. 6 shows the upper bead support ring 102 attached to the support structure 116. This stabilizes the support ring, facilitates the formation of bead dimensions, allows for changes in ring dimensions, and allows the support ring 102 to be positioned in the vicinity of the chuck 110 that engages the tire.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the green tire preforming apparatus further includes upper and lower bead fasteners 300 and 400. These bead fasteners rotate to engage the inner tire bead regions 302, 402, thereby supporting the upper and lower bead supports until the green tire bead region members 302, 402 are firmly secured against the flat region 236. Rotate around rings 230, 102 (including inclined seat 238 and straight, non-tapered annular lips 234, 106). Since the support rings 102 and 230 are lips that are not provided with a tapered portion that prevents rotation, the bead region member can rotate around the bead ring. The bead region members 302, 402 are tire members that are rotated about the bead ring and include a rim strip, an inner liner, an apex, a ply, and typically a lower sidewall below the fold. Depending on the tire design, other members around the bead area may also be rotated.

  The plurality of upper and lower bead fasteners 300, 400 may be arranged in an annular shape and positioned to engage the tire bead region members 302, 402. The bead fasteners 300, 400 include curved or L-shaped fingers. The finger can be adjusted in length and has a function of gripping the tire bead region members 302 and 402 so as to engage with the support rings 102 and 230. The bead fasteners 300, 400 are hydraulically operated in multiple partial steps, and finally the tire bead region members 302, 402 rotate completely uniformly to engage the flat portion 236 of the bead support rings 102, 230. Are actuated sequentially to match. The bead fastener is pivotally attached to the support flanges 304,404. The lower bead fastener 400 is annularly disposed adjacent to the lower bead ring 230. The lower bead fastener rotates around the pin 408 of the flange 404. The flange 404 is attached to the support plate 210 of the tire preforming device. The lower bead fastener includes a bead fastener pivot 410 that includes an outer end that is rigidly connected to the bead finger 403 and an inner end that is pinned to the support flange 404. ing. The rotation of the bead fastener pivot 410 causes the bead finger 403 to rotate about the pin 408. The bead fastener pivot 410 has a distal end connected to the arm 430. The arm 430 is pinned to a lower spider ring 208 that slides over the central support outer column 220. Accordingly, the lower bead region rotates to a desired shape while the arm 430 is operated via the sliding spider ring 208 pushed by the hydraulic actuator 415.

  FIG. 8 shows the upper and lower bead fasteners after the bead area members 302, 402 have been rotated to a position that engages the upper and lower bead rings 102, 230. This position is maintained for a time sufficient for the green tire to retain its shape, typically between about 2 minutes and about 10 minutes. The time maintained is dependent on the individual tire size and the components used. The upper and lower bead fasteners are then unlocked, the upper and lower bead support rings are rotated an angle, and then the fasteners are actuated. The above steps are repeated until the green tire has made a complete turn.

  FIG. 9 shows the green tire mounted on the loader 100 after being removed from the preforming apparatus 200. The loader 100 grips the outer radial surface of the tread region of the green tire. The upper bead region of the green tire remains engaged with the rotatable upper bead ring support 102 so that the bead region 302 remains concentric with the center of the bead and the cured bladder during shape formation. It is guaranteed to be supported while inserting.

  The green tire loader 100 is adapted to engage the tire without adversely affecting the rotation of the lower bead region or the concentricity and parallelism of the beads. The tire loader 100 incorporates several features to enhance uniformity. First, when gripping a green tire for conveyance to a press machine, the tire chuck of the loader 100 grips only the crown outside the tread region. Conventional loaders grip the inside of the upper bead, causing the material to rotate backward around the upper bead. Typical conventional loader fingers do not consider the concentricity of either the upper or lower bead. Therefore, as a result, it is difficult to ensure the parallelism of the two beads. The loader 100 maintains the centered state of the lower bead by using a number of independently lockable cylinders that grip the tread crown without changing the positional relationship of the center of the upper and lower beads with the tread. To do. Finally, the loader 100 includes an upper bead ring support that maintains rotation, concentricity, and parallelism during shape formation by the curing bladder and during transport of the clean tire to the curing press.

  FIG. 10A shows a typical green tire before shape formation. The bead region of the green tire is curved to the opposite side with respect to the green tire of FIG. 10B. In FIG. 10B, the bead is positioned on the inner side in the axial direction of the tread shoulder, whereas FIG. The lower side wall of FIG. 10A forms an angle of about 120 ° with respect to the rotation axis, but the lower side wall of FIG. 10B matches the tire position at the time of curing and forms an angle of about 60 °. .

  While typical embodiments and details thereof have been described above to describe the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit.

100 Green tire loader 102 Upper bead support ring (second bead support ring)
110 Paddle (Chuck)
200 Green tire pre-forming device 230 Lower bead support ring (first bead support ring)
234 Annular lip 302 Upper bead region member (upper tire bead region, second bead region)
300 Upper bead fastener (second bead fastener)
400 Lower bead fastener (first bead fastener)
402 Lower bead area member (lower tire bead area, first bead area)
403 Finger

Claims (22)

A green tire preforming device that rotates to align tire bead areas with each other to a cure position,
A first support having a first bead support ring for supporting the first tire bead region of a green tire having first and second tire bead regions facing each other;
A second support having a second bead support ring positionable to engage the second tire bead region;
First and second rotatable bead fasteners,
The first and second rotatable bead fasteners are arranged to secure the first and second tire bead regions and engage the first and second bead support rings, respectively. Green tire pre-forming equipment.   The green tire preforming device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second supports are parallel to each other and separated from each other by a predetermined distance.   The green tire pre-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first support is movable.   The green tire pre-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second support is movable.   The green tire preforming device according to claim 1, wherein the first support is rotatable.   The green tire pre-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second support is rotatable.   The green tire preforming device according to claim 1, wherein the second support is attached to a tire loader.   The green tire pre-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second rotatable bead fasteners include at least eight equally spaced rotatable bead fasteners.   The green tire pre-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable bead fastener is L-shaped.   The green tire pre-former of claim 1, wherein the rotatable bead fastener includes one or more fingers.   The green tire pre-former of claim 10, wherein the fingers of the rotatable bead fastener are articulatable.   The said 1st and 2nd support body is the green tire preforming apparatus of Claim 1 which is mutually separated along the column support body.   A green tire preforming apparatus further including a centering mechanism.   The green tire pre-molding device according to claim 1, further comprising a tire loader having a plurality of paddles arranged to grip an outer portion of the green tire.   The green tire pre-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tire bead support ring has a flat upright portion forming a lip.   The said tire bead support ring is a preforming apparatus of the green tire of Claim 1 which does not have a taper part.   The green tire pre-forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the lip does not have a tapered portion.   The said tire bead support ring is a preforming apparatus of the green tire of Claim 1 which does not have a taper part.   When the mold is in the closed position during the curing cycle of the press, the first and second bead support rings are parallel and concentric with each other and are separated by a distance D defined by the distance between the mold bead rings. The green tire pre-forming apparatus according to claim 1. A support frame;
A plurality of tire engaging chucks attached to the support frame, arranged in an annular shape so as to grip the tire, and each movable in the radial direction;
A bead support ring;
The green tire preforming device according to claim 1, in combination with a tire loader including A support frame;
A plurality of tire engaging chucks attached to the support frame, annularly configured to grip a tire, and each movable in a radial direction;
A tire loader including a bead support ring.   The tire loader of claim 15, wherein the bead support ring is adjacent to the tire engagement chuck.

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