Method for vulcanization molding of tire mold side pattern

Abstract

This invention relates to a vulcanization molding method for tire sidewall patterns using a split-type radial sliding combination mold. The method involves five sequential steps: mold preparation, guided mold closing, vulcanization, cooling and shaping, and demolding. Through dual limiting by a hinged block and guide groove, 10-14 circumferentially distributed mold units are driven to synchronously feed / retreat radially. The sliding surface angle between the bow-shaped seat and the hinged block is set to 15-20°. This method completely avoids scratching the pattern during demolding through pure radial sliding throughout the entire process. The pattern blocks can be replaced independently and quickly, significantly improving the uniformity of sidewall vulcanization, and greatly increasing mold life and production efficiency. It is suitable for the high-precision mass production requirements of various complex sidewall patterns for all tire sizes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of tire vulcanization technology, and particularly relates to a vulcanization molding method for the side tread pattern of a tire mold. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, in the field of precision molding of irregular three-dimensional relief contours, the industry generally adopts a split-assembly molding process: the raised features of the side wall area are processed into multiple independent parts, which are then assembled into a complete cavity contour after mold closing, thereby avoiding mold interference problems. However, this process is affected by inconsistent processing benchmarks of multiple parts and wear due to thermal expansion and contraction during operation. Misalignment gaps inevitably occur at the splicing and parting positions. After molding, obvious glue overflow seams will be left at the corresponding positions of the product, which will destroy the overall smoothness of the contour. Subsequent manual grinding and cleaning are required, which not only significantly increases the cost of post-processing but also easily damages the relief features themselves. This is a core common bottleneck for improving the yield of high-precision appearance parts in mass production.

[0003] If all the relief features in the side wall area are integrated into a single block on the same reference surface and machined as a whole, although the defects of the splicing seam can be completely eliminated, the outline of all the raised features protrudes completely from the basic parting surface of the block. The avoidance stroke margin of the conventional mold opening movement is not enough to completely avoid the raised outline. Hard interference and scraping will inevitably occur during the demolding action. The entire mold opening process is extremely stuck and has great resistance, making it impossible to achieve smooth and impact-free demolding. Summary of the Invention

[0004] (a) Purpose of the invention To overcome the above shortcomings, the purpose of this invention is to provide a vulcanization molding method for the side pattern of a tire mold, so as to solve the above technical problems.

[0005] (II) Technical Solution To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution provided in this application is as follows: A vulcanization molding method for tire sidewall patterns, characterized by using a split-type radial sliding combination mold to complete the integral vulcanization molding of the tire sidewall patterns, specifically including the following steps: S1 Mold Closing Preparation: Place the tire blank to be vulcanized stably on the corresponding station of the lower mold assembly, confirm that the tire blank is centered and without deviation, start the equipment mold closing command, and the upper mold assembly moves down synchronously with all the movable blocks. S2 Guided Mold Closing: As the upper mold assembly descends, the wedge-shaped guide plate gradually contacts the guide groove, driving 10-14 mold units distributed along the circumference to feed synchronously towards the center of the mold along the radial direction. The pattern blocks of each unit gradually close together to form a complete annular tire sidewall pattern cavity. S3 vulcanization operation: After confirming that all mold units are in place and the mold closing pressure reaches the set value, the installation airbag built into the lower mold assembly is filled with high-pressure expansion medium to apply uniform internal pressure to the tire blank from the inside. At the same time, the temperature regulation device integrated on the tread block is activated to precisely control the temperature of the tread block according to the preset vulcanization temperature rise curve. The tire completes the vulcanization reaction under the preset temperature and pressure conditions. S4: Cooling and Shaping: After vulcanization, the temperature control device automatically switches to cooling mode to cool the tread blocks at a constant temperature. After the tire sidewall is fully shaped and the deformation stress is fully released, the mold opening operation is ready. S5: Demolding and part removal: Drive the upper mold assembly to move slowly upwards, the bow-shaped seat slides outwards along the sliding surface of the movable block and the guide plate radially, all the pattern blocks are simultaneously withdrawn radially outwards, completely detached from the pattern formed on the tire sidewall, and finally the part removal robot smoothly removes the vulcanized tire product, completing a single production cycle.

[0006] Preferably, in step S2, there are 12 mold units distributed along the circumference. The 12 mold units are evenly distributed along the circumference of the mold, and each unit covers a 30° circumferential angle. When the mold is closed, each unit feeds synchronously and when the mold is demolded, it retracts radially outward synchronously.

[0007] Preferably, the guide plate of the mold unit is radially arranged and the inner side is wedge-shaped and inclined. By limiting the guide plate and the guide groove of the lower mold assembly, the guide plate defines the sliding path for the mold unit opening process, so that the movement direction of the bow-shaped seat is limited to the radial direction under the dual action of the movable block and the guide plate, and all external tension is concentrated in the radial sliding.

[0008] Preferably, the patterned block on the inner side of the bow-shaped seat is fixed to the bow-shaped seat by a locating pin and bolts.

[0009] Preferably, the angle between the sliding surface of the bow-shaped seat and the movable block and the vertical direction is set to 15-20°.

[0010] Preferably, the angle between the sliding surface of the bow-shaped seat and the vertical direction is set to 18°.

[0011] Preferably, the temperature regulating device is a combination structure of a circulating heat transfer oil channel and a temperature sensor integrated inside the activator block.

[0012] Beneficial effects: 1. Relying on the radial wedge-shaped sliding limit structure of the guide plate and guide groove, all patterned blocks are simultaneously radially withdrawn during mold opening, which increases the smoothness of mold opening from the physical structure level.

[0013] 2. The modular quick-assembly structure with an arc-shaped base independently supporting the pattern block is adopted. When changing the pattern style, only the corresponding pattern block needs to be replaced individually. There is no need to disassemble and calibrate the entire mold. The changeover operation is convenient and efficient.

[0014] 3. The inclined sliding pair of the bow-shaped seat and the movable block adopts an optimized mechanical angle design, with no additional loss in the force transmission path, and uniform and gentle wear on the sliding surface, which greatly extends the overall fault-free service life of the mold.

[0015] 4. Relying on the built-in full-area temperature regulating flow channel structure of the tread block, the heat is evenly covered in the entire cavity of the tread block, completely eliminating the vulcanization temperature difference at different positions on the tire sidewall, and the rubber vulcanization maturity is completely uniform. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the present invention in the mold-closed state; Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the present invention in its demolded state. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the following detailed embodiments are described in conjunction with the appendix. Figure 1-2 The present invention will be described in further detail below. It should be understood that these descriptions are merely exemplary and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, descriptions of well-known structures and techniques are omitted in the following description to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concept of the invention.

[0018] The vulcanization molding method for tire sidewall patterns provided by this invention uses a split radial sliding combination mold to complete the integrated vulcanization molding of tire sidewall patterns. The entire operation process does not require manual intervention and adjustment, and the entire process is fully automated. The operation stability and molding consistency are far superior to the traditional integrated mold vulcanization scheme.

[0019] In the initial stage of the operation, the mold preparation steps are performed. The operator places the tire blank to be vulcanized steadily on the corresponding station of the lower mold assembly. After confirming that the tire blank is completely centered and without deviation through visual alignment or mechanical limit, the equipment mold closing command can be started. The upper mold assembly 2, along with all the pre-fixed movable blocks 8, moves synchronously downward at a uniform speed along the guide column. The running speed and mold closing stroke can be flexibly customized and adjusted according to the parameters of different tire blank specifications.

[0020] The process then proceeds to the guiding and mold-closing stage. As the upper mold assembly 2 continues to descend, the wedge-shaped guide plate 6 gradually embeds into the guide groove 5 corresponding to the lower mold assembly 4 to complete the contact engagement. This drives 10-14 mold units evenly distributed along the circumference of the mold to synchronously feed towards the center of the mold along a preset radial trajectory. During the movement, the tread blocks 1 of each unit maintain equidistant synchronous movement, eventually gradually closing to form a complete annular tire sidewall tread cavity. The number of units within this range can be flexibly adjusted according to the tire size and tread complexity, making it suitable for a wide range of scenarios. As a preferred embodiment, the number of mold units distributed along the circumference in step S2 can be set to 12. The 12 mold units are evenly distributed along the circumference of the mold, with each unit covering a 30° circumferential angle. During mold closing, each unit feeds synchronously, and during demolding, they synchronously retract radially outward. This achieves the optimal balance between processing difficulty, uniform force distribution, and positioning accuracy, completely avoiding the defects of too few units leading to excessively large individual tread block sizes and high sliding resistance, and too many units leading to high assembly difficulty and large cumulative positioning errors.

[0021] The guide plate 6 is radially arranged and has a wedge-shaped inclination on the inner side, which facilitates its insertion and combination with the guide groove 5. The guide plate 6 is limited by the wedge-shaped inclined surface of the guide groove 5 of the lower mold assembly throughout the process. The guide plate 6 defines the sliding path for the mold unit opening process, so that the movement direction of the bow-shaped seat 7 is precisely limited to the radial direction under the dual action of the movable block 8 and the guide plate 6. All external pulling forces are completely concentrated in the radial sliding, and no lateral component force will be generated, which will cause the unit to deviate and jam.

[0022] The patterned block 6 inside the bow-shaped seat 7 is double-fixed to the bow-shaped seat 7 by positioning pins and bolts, which has high positioning accuracy and is easy to disassemble and assemble. When adjusting the pattern, only the corresponding patterned block 1 needs to be replaced individually without disassembling the whole mold.

[0023] The angle between the sliding surface of the bow-shaped seat 7 and the movable block 8 and the vertical direction is set within an optimized range of 15-20°. This angle range has been calibrated through mechanical simulation and extensive field testing. This ensures sufficient horizontal force for the radial sliding of the bow-shaped seat during mold opening, preventing the tread block from failing to retract properly and scratching the tire sidewall tread. It also prevents the radial force from being too high during mold closing, which could lead to decreased mold-locking stability and accelerated wear of the sliding surface. In the most preferred embodiment, the angle between the sliding surface of the bow-shaped seat and the vertical direction can be precisely set to 18°. Under this parameter, the force transmission efficiency of radial sliding reaches its maximum value, and the fault-free opening and closing life of the entire mold is effectively extended compared to traditional structures.

[0024] After confirming the mold closing position, the vulcanization process begins. The equipment automatically confirms that all mold units are in place and the mold closing pressure reaches the process setting value. The installation airbag built into the lower mold assembly is filled with high-pressure inert expansion medium, which applies uniform internal pressure from all directions inside the tire blank, ensuring that the stress on all parts of the tire blank is completely consistent and that there will be no local lack of rubber or deformation. At the same time, the temperature regulation device 9 integrated on the activator block 8 is activated simultaneously. This temperature regulation device 9 is a combination structure of circulating heat transfer oil channel and temperature sensor integrated inside the activator block 8. The temperature control accuracy can reach ±1℃. It can accurately control the temperature of the tread block according to the preset step vulcanization temperature rise curve. The tire completes a full vulcanization cross-linking reaction under stable temperature and pressure conditions throughout the process, completely avoiding the performance defects caused by uneven vulcanization of the tire sidewall and insufficient maturity of the tread position in traditional molds.

[0025] After the vulcanization reaction is completed, the cooling and shaping step begins. The temperature control device automatically cuts off the supply of high-temperature heat transfer oil and switches to a low-temperature cooling medium circulation mode to perform constant temperature gradient cooling on the tread block 1. After the tire sidewall is fully shaped and the internal deformation stress is fully released, the mold opening process begins. This gradient cooling process can effectively avoid the residual internal stress caused by rapid cooling of the sidewall and prevent potential problems such as sidewall deformation and cracking during subsequent tire use.

[0026] Finally, the demolding and part removal process begins. The servo system drives the upper mold assembly 2 to move slowly and uniformly upwards. The bow-shaped seat 7 slides radially outwards along the dual-limited trajectory of the sliding surface of the movable block 8 and the guide plate 6. All the pattern blocks 1 simultaneously retract radially outwards, completely separating from the pattern formed on the tire sidewall. The demolding resistance is extremely low throughout the process, with no scraping or pulling. Finally, the part removal robot smoothly removes the vulcanized tire product without any collision or damage to the mold structure. After completing a single production cycle, the process can directly proceed to the next round of operations. This entire method significantly improves the yield rate and production efficiency of tire sidewall pattern forming, reduces mold maintenance and changeover costs, and has extremely high industrial promotion value.

[0027] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0028] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vulcanization molding method for the side tread pattern of a tire mold, characterized in that, The tire sidewall tread pattern is integrally vulcanized using a split-type radial sliding combination mold, specifically including the following steps: S1 Mold Closing Preparation: Place the tire blank to be vulcanized stably on the corresponding station of the lower mold assembly, confirm that the tire blank is centered and without deviation, start the equipment mold closing command, and the upper mold assembly moves down synchronously with all the movable blocks. S2 Guided Mold Closing: As the upper mold assembly descends, the wedge-shaped guide plate gradually contacts the guide groove, driving 10-14 mold units distributed along the circumference to feed synchronously towards the center of the mold along the radial direction. The pattern blocks of each unit gradually close together to form a complete annular tire sidewall pattern cavity. S3 vulcanization operation: After confirming that all mold units are in place and the mold closing pressure reaches the set value, the installation airbag built into the lower mold assembly is filled with high-pressure expansion medium to apply uniform internal pressure to the tire blank from the inside. At the same time, the temperature regulation device integrated on the tread block is activated to precisely control the temperature of the tread block according to the preset vulcanization temperature rise curve. The tire completes the vulcanization reaction under the preset temperature and pressure conditions. S4: Cooling and Shaping: After vulcanization, the temperature control device automatically switches to cooling mode to cool the tread blocks at a constant temperature. After the tire sidewall is fully shaped and the deformation stress is fully released, the mold opening operation is ready. S5: Demolding and part removal: Drive the upper mold assembly to move slowly upwards, the bow-shaped seat slides outwards along the sliding surface of the movable block and the guide plate radially, all the pattern blocks are simultaneously withdrawn radially outwards, completely detached from the pattern formed on the tire sidewall, and finally the part removal robot smoothly removes the vulcanized tire product, completing a single production cycle.

2. The vulcanization molding method for the side tread pattern of a tire mold according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S2, there are 12 mold units distributed along the circumference. The 12 mold units are evenly distributed along the circumference of the mold, and each unit covers a 30° circumferential angle. When the mold is closed, each unit feeds synchronously and when the mold is demolded, it retracts radially outward synchronously.

3. The vulcanization molding method for the side tread pattern of a tire mold according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide plate of the mold unit is radially arranged and its inner side is wedge-shaped and inclined. Through the limiting of the guide plate and the guide groove of the lower mold assembly, the guide plate defines the sliding path for the mold unit opening process, so that the movement direction of the bow-shaped seat is limited to the radial direction under the dual action of the movable block and the guide plate, and all external tension is concentrated in the radial sliding.

4. The vulcanization molding method for the side tread pattern of a tire mold according to claim 1, characterized in that, The patterned block on the inner side of the bow-shaped seat is fixed to the bow-shaped seat by locating pins and bolts.

5. The vulcanization molding method for the side tread pattern of a tire mold according to claim 4, characterized in that, The angle between the sliding surface of the bow-shaped seat and the movable block and the vertical direction is set to 15-20°.

6. The vulcanization molding method for the side tread pattern of a tire mold according to claim 5, characterized in that, The sliding surface of the bow-shaped seat has an angle of 18° with the vertical direction.

7. The vulcanization molding method for the side tread pattern of a tire mold according to claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature regulation device is a combination structure of a circulating heat transfer oil channel and a temperature sensor integrated inside the activator block.

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