Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29D—PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE
  • B29D30/00—Producing pneumatic or solid tyres or parts thereof
  • B29D30/0016—Handling tyres or parts thereof, e.g. supplying, storing, conveying

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device for suspending tire carcasses; more specifically, the invention relates to a suspension device for holding raw carcasses during the manufacture of tires, while retaining their vertical axis.
• this type of suspension will be designated by the expression "vertical suspension”.
• the invention also relates to a method of making tires using said device.
• first stage or also called “manufacturing”
• second stage or also called “finishing”
• a cylindrical crown reinforcement, or belt and a tread are applied to this carcass; finally, the assembly is vulcanized in a mold.
• the raw carcass must be stored or possibly transported from the making machine to the finishing machine, in a state where it is very deformable, since the rubber is plastic, unvulcanized.
• the carcasses were hung on gallows, the axis of the carcasses being horizontal, but, under the effect of their own weight, they deformed into an oval; then the carcasses were placed flat, their axis being vertical.
• the upper sidewall sagged.
• US Pat. No. 4,452,655 describes a means for supporting a carcass of a raw tire comprising two beads, with its vertical axis.
• This means of support elliptical shape includes four vertical plates capable of accepting a certain elastic bending allowing them to engage under the upper bead to maintain the carcass, the plates being distributed over the two small arcs of the ellipse.
• Maintaining the carcass on the support is thus achieved by pressing the plates on said carcass below the upper bead, the carcass opposing a radial extension of the plates.
• the support means in order to accept carcasses of different dimensions, makes use of the flexibility of the plates, which means that the carcasses of smaller dimensions undergo greater efforts and therefore greater risks of deformation. To avoid this phenomenon, each dimension of tire requires a corresponding size of the device which is therefore no longer multidimensional.
• the “rough carcass” designates the raw blank as it results from the operations carried out according to the first step.
• the invention aims to overcome all of these drawbacks.
• the invention proposes a device for substantially vertical suspension of tire carcasses, comprising several articulated supports mounted on a handling plate comprising a longitudinal axis XX ′ around which the supports are distributed, these supports being capable of bearing inside a tire carcass, each of said supports also comprising a convex bearing surface of given length, each of the supports being able to assume a plurality of angular positions, so that for each given angular position corresponds a spacing different radial between the points of said radially furthest bearing surfaces from the longitudinal axis XX '.
• the supports and the bearing surfaces are arranged so that, at least in the position engaged on the carcass, the points of contact between the carcass to be suspended and the supports are located above the axes of rotation of the supports.
• a stop is capable of delimiting the axial position of the carcass to be suspended, so as to determine the location of the carcass where the bearing surfaces exert their clamping force. Preferably, this place is situated substantially at the level of the upper bead of the carcass.
• the stop is advantageously arranged so as to act in the normal axial path of the carcass to be inserted.
• the supports include a second cam-shaped part, used to control the positioning of the bearing surfaces. It is thus possible to control the positioning of the supports automatically or semi-automatically.
• a device for substantially vertical suspension of tire carcasses, comprising several articulated supports mounted on a handling plate comprising a longitudinal axis XX 'around which the supports are distributed, those - These being capable of being supported inside a tire carcass, the supports being arranged so as to allow a selection of the radial positioning of the bearing surfaces as a function of the diameter of the carcass to be suspended.
• each of the supports has a first curved part, the bearing surface extending circumferentially on a convex portion of this part, so as to offer, as a function of the angular position of the supports, a range of extreme radial positions bearing surfaces corresponding to a dimensional range of carcass diameters to be suspended.
• This arrangement allows the suspension device to be multidimensional. In fact, depending on the size of the carcass to be suspended, the positioning of the support surface varies along the convex side, and therefore radially.
• each support comprises first and second parts, each axis of rotation being mounted between said first and second parts.
• the first part of each support is curved and carries on its convex side the support surface.
• the actuation means comprise:
• the displacement of the movable plate which allows by its pushing action on the supports to authorize the unloading of the carcass, is actuated manually by means of a rod or automatically remotely by means of a control jack.
• a method of making a tire consisting in:
• the method is advantageously carried out with a device comprising mobile supports, for example mobile in rotation.
• a method of making a tire consisting in:
• This process is particularly advantageous since it makes it possible to optimize the uniformity of the tire.
• the movement of the supports makes it possible to remove the carcass very simply, inexpensively and ergonomically. It also becomes easy to automate the process.
• FIG. 1 is a double view in vertical section showing two embodiments of the device in two different positions;
• FIG. 2 is a top view, partially broken away, of the devices shown in Figure 1;
• FIGS. 3A to 3D are schematic representations of the operations for attaching and detaching a carcass, for the manual embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1.
• a first embodiment of the invention has been shown: we see the upper bead 1 of a raw tire carcass 2 whose axis of symmetry XX ′ is vertical. Inside this carcass are deployed six supports turned upwards and distributed around the axis XX ', such as 3 and 4. According to the invention, these supports are articulated around horizontal axes, such as 5 and 6, mounted on a handling plate 7 fixed horizontally under a bracket. This bracket is advantageously provided with a stop plate 8 which can, for example, be part of a conveyor of known type, not shown.
• Each support such as 3 or 4 consists of a rigid S curved part, the first convex main part of which, such as 10, bears on the inside of the carcass 2 at a support surface, while the second part, such as 11, more reduced, is curved in the opposite direction, the axis of rotation, such as 5 or 6, being mounted substantially at the point of inflection between the two parts.
• the convexity of the main part 10 makes it possible to vary the radial positioning of the bearing surface as a function of the size of the carcass and therefore to have a multidimensional suspension device. Indeed, on the left side of Figure 1 the carcass shown has a smaller diameter than that of the carcass shown on the right of the figure and it is clearly seen that the bearing surface 101 (on the left of FIG. 1) is not located at the same level of the convex part as the bearing surface 101 '( on the right of figure 1).
• the suspension device comprises a vertically movable plate 12, for example sliding on an axial tube 13, provided with heels, such as 14, capable of pushing simultaneously on the parts 11 of the supports 3, 4.
• the convexity of the smaller part 11 makes it possible to limit the size of the device by forming a cam which transforms the movement in translation of the movable plate 12 into pivoting of the supports 3, 4 in a multiplied manner.
• a cam which transforms the movement in translation of the movable plate 12 into pivoting of the supports 3, 4 in a multiplied manner.
• other shapes can also be chosen to make the reduced part 11.
• Each support 3 or 4 is provided with a return spring, for example a torsion spring such as 15 or 16, mounted around the axis of rotation 5 or 6, in order to put the support in the position for hooking the carcass.
• a return spring for example a torsion spring such as 15 or 16, mounted around the axis of rotation 5 or 6, in order to put the support in the position for hooking the carcass.
• a vertical rod 17 secured to the movable plate 12 makes it possible to manually pull the latter down to unhook the carcass.
• FIG. 3A the device is in the waiting position: there is no carcass, the rod 17 is free, the return springs keep the supports such that 3, 4 apart.
• FIG. 3B a carcass 2 is presented vertically under the device; as it goes up, its upper bead 1 pushes back the supports 3, 4 which fold back towards the axis of symmetry by opposing the forces of the return springs. The axial rise of the carcass is limited, as can be clearly seen, by the stop plate 8.
• the upper bead 1 is passed over the convex part 10 of the supports 3, 4 and in abutment on the abutment plate 8, and the return springs tend to apply the supports inside the carcass 2.
• the upper bead of the carcass passes above the point of contact with each convex part 10. Note that these contact points are above the axes of rotation 5, 6 of the supports 3, 4. Once the 'the carcass is released, the weight of the latter tends to help the tightening achieved.
• FIG. 3D the stalling of the carcass is shown: by pulling the rod 17 down, the movable plate 12 is lowered, the heels 14 pressing on the parts 11 of the supports 3, 4 causing the bearing surfaces 101 of the convex parts 10 towards the axis of symmetry, which has the effect of releasing the carcass 2.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Tyre Moulding (AREA)
• Tires In General (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Related Child Applications (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9530425

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Cited By (1)

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Citations (11)

Family Cites Families (1)

• 1999
  • 1999-09-13 DE DE69922406T patent/DE69922406T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-09-13 WO PCT/EP1999/006749 patent/WO2000015421A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 1999-09-13 BR BRPI9913676-7A patent/BR9913676B1/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1999-09-13 ES ES99969060T patent/ES2233102T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-09-13 JP JP2000569992A patent/JP4416326B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-09-13 EP EP99969060A patent/EP1137530B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2001
  • 2001-03-14 US US09/808,628 patent/US6591885B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (11)

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