Heating press for vulcanizing a vehicle tire
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CONTINENTAL REIFEN DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-29
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-10
AI Technical Summary
Conventional heating presses require high energy to vulcanize vehicle tires, with a significant portion of energy being lost as heat to the environment.
An electrically heated heating press with thermally conductive materials and decoupling mechanisms to minimize heat loss, allowing for efficient heat transfer directly to the tire while reducing energy consumption and environmental heat release.
The solution enables low energy consumption and efficient vulcanization of vehicle tires by maximizing heat transfer to the tire and minimizing heat loss to the environment, resulting in reduced energy requirements and improved energy efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure DE2024200083_06022025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Description
[0002] Heating press for vulcanizing a vehicle tire
[0003] The invention relates to a heating press for vulcanizing a vehicle tire, comprising a heating press upper part and a heating press lower part. A container having a heated upper sidewall shell and heated profile segments is arranged on the heating press upper part. The heating press lower part has a heated lower sidewall shell. The heating press upper part is mounted so that it can move relative to the heating press lower part, and the heating press upper part, the container, and the heating press lower part are connected in such a way that the profile segments come into contact with one another when the heating press upper part approaches the heating press lower part. The heating press has a central mechanism with gas outlet openings for filling a green tire with a heating medium. The invention further relates to a method for operating such a heating press.
[0004] Conventional curing presses require a lot of energy to vulcanize vehicle tires. A significant portion of this energy is released into the environment in the form of heat.
[0005] Against this background, the object of the invention is to design a heating press and a method in such a way that low energy consumption is enabled when vulcanizing vehicle tires.
[0006] This object is achieved by a heating press according to the features of patent claim 1 and a method according to the independent claim. The subclaims relate to particularly useful developments of the invention.
[0007] According to the invention, a heating press for vulcanizing a vehicle tire is provided, comprising an upper heating press part and a lower heating press part. A container having a heated upper sidewall shell and heated profile segments is arranged on the upper heating press part. The lower heating press part has a heated lower sidewall shell. The upper heating press part is mounted so that it can be moved relative to the lower heating press part. The upper heating press part, the container, and the lower heating press part are connected in such a way that the profile segments come into contact with one another when the upper heating press part approaches the lower heating press part. The heating press has a central mechanism with gas outlet openings for filling a green tire with a heating medium.The profile segments and / or the upper side wall shell and / or the lower side wall shell are electrically heated by means of at least one heating element, wherein the at least one heating element is in contact with the profile segments and / or the upper side wall shell and / or the lower side wall shell directly or by means of a thermal conductor.
[0008] The center mechanism can be configured to directly fill a green tire with a heating medium or to fill it using a bellows. Electrical heating refers to heating by means of an electric current flow, which also includes an induced current flow.
[0009] Due to the very low thermal resistance with which the heating elements are connected to the tread segments or sidewall shells, a large portion of the heat energy released by the heating elements in the heating press is directed into the vehicle tire. The other areas of the upper and lower sections of the heating press heat up less, so less energy is required to heat the heating press. Furthermore, due to the lower temperatures on its surfaces, the heating press releases less energy into the environment.
[0010] A preferred embodiment provides that the heating element is a heating cartridge, in particular a helical tube heating cartridge, or a heating foil.
[0011] A further preferred embodiment provides that the at least one heating element is mounted so as to be separable from the profile segments and / or at least one of the sidewall shells, wherein the profile segments and / or at least one of the sidewall shells is preferably separable from the at least one heating element, wherein the at least one heating element is mounted on the upper part of the heating press or on the lower part of the heating press. A separable mounting of the heating elements from the profile segments and the sidewall shells is understood to mean a mounting that preferably enables immediate manual removal of the heating elements. Preferably, the profile segments and sidewall shells can be removed from the heating press, wherein the heating elements remain mounted in the heating press. A simple and time-consuming change of profile segments and sidewall shells is made possible.The heating elements can be used for various profile segments and sidewall shells.
[0012] A further preferred embodiment provides that the profile segments and / or at least one sidewall shell have at least two, preferably three, more preferably four heating elements. It has been shown that, particularly when using heating cartridges, a plurality of heating elements per profile segment or per sidewall shell is advantageous for heat distribution on the vehicle tire.
[0013] A further preferred embodiment provides for a temperature sensor to be arranged on at least one heating element and / or in at least one profile segment and / or in at least one sidewall shell. A temperature sensor arranged in this way allows the heating power to be adapted to the prevailing temperature, thereby enabling an improved temperature profile in the vehicle tire.
[0014] A further preferred embodiment provides that the thermal conductor is a conductive foil, in particular a compressible conductive foil, or a conductive paste. It has been found that conductive foils, in particular compressible conductive foils, are suitable for efficient, i.e. low-resistance, and reliable reproducible
[0015] To ensure the transfer of heat flow. Conductive pastes also enable efficient and reproducible heat flow transfer. A material is thermally conductive and therefore a thermal conductor if its thermal conductivity is significantly higher than the thermal conductivity of air, i.e., higher than 0.05 W / (m*K), preferably higher than 0.1 W / (m*K), and even more preferably higher than 0.2 W / (m*K).
[0016] A material is considered compressible if its initial volume can be reduced by 10%, preferably by 30%, more preferably by 50%, and most preferably by 70%, without damage during the assembly of profile segments or sidewall shells. Damage-free means that the material can repeatedly perform its heat transfer function in the compressed state and after compression without significant limitations.
[0017] A further preferred embodiment provides that the thermal conductor comprises graphite or a plastic, in particular silicone, or consists of graphite or a plastic, in particular silicone, and is preferably a conductive foil. It has been shown that the aforementioned materials have suitable thermal conductivity and mechanical properties, thus ensuring reliable, reproducible, efficient heat transfer.
[0018] A further preferred embodiment provides that the heating elements are thermally decoupled, in particular by means of air and / or insulation materials, preferably with fiber-reinforced materials, particularly preferably with glass-fiber-reinforced plastics, from at least one profile segment and / or at least one container, in particular the central mechanism. Thermally decoupling the heating elements from segment rings or containers leads to a reduction in the heat flow into the segment rings and containers, thereby further reducing heat loss to the environment.
[0019] A further preferred embodiment provides that the insulation materials have a heat transfer coefficient of less than 0.5 W / (m*K), preferably less than 0.4 W / (m*K), more preferably less than 0.3 W / (m*K), and even more preferably less than 0.28 W / (m*K). The space available for insulation is limited, so it has been found that insulation materials with particularly low thermal conductivity are particularly advantageous.
[0020] A further preferred embodiment provides for the profile segments to be thermally decoupled from the sidewall shells, particularly by means of air and / or insulation materials. Thermally decoupling the profile segments from the sidewall shells reduces the heat flow between these components, thereby increasing energy efficiency and enabling more targeted heating of individual areas of vehicle tires.
[0021] A further preferred embodiment provides that the sidewall shells are thermally decoupled from the center mechanism, in particular by means of air and / or insulation materials. The thermal decoupling of the sidewall shells from the center mechanism reduces the heat flow from the center mechanism into the sidewall shells. Overheating of the sidewall shells is avoided and energy efficiency is increased.
[0022] According to the invention, a method for operating an electrically heated heating press according to the invention is provided. The method for operating a heating press according to the invention enables particularly energy-efficient vulcanization of vehicle tires.
[0023] The invention permits numerous embodiments. To further clarify its basic principle, one of them is shown in the drawing and is described below. This shows in
[0024] Fig. 1 a heating press for vulcanizing a vehicle tire with electrically heated profile segments and sidewall shells.
[0025] Figure 1 shows a heating press 1 for vulcanizing a vehicle tire with a
[0026] Heating press upper part 2 and a heating press lower part 3. The
[0027] The upper part 2 of the heating press has profile segments 4 and an upper sidewall shell 5. The lower part 3 of the heating press has a lower sidewall shell 6. The inner surfaces of the sidewall shells 5, 6 and the profile segments 4 come into contact with the vehicle tire. The outer surfaces of the sidewall shells 5, 6 and the profile segments 4 are in surface contact with a thermal conductor 7 in the form of a silicone film. The silicone film serves to conduct a heat flow with a low thermal resistance from heating elements 8 into the sidewall shells 5, 6 and the profile segments 4. For this purpose, the heating element 8 is designed as a heating film that is in surface contact with the silicone film. The connection between the profile segments 4 and the sidewall shells 5, 6 to the silicone film is force-fitting and can be easily removed by removing the profile segments 4 and the sidewall shells 5, 6.
[0028] On the side facing away from the silicone foil, the heating foil is in surface contact with an insulating material 9. The insulating material 9, which is made of fiber-reinforced plastic with a material thickness of 40 mm, is designed to minimize heat flow into the segment ring 10 and the container. The electrical heating elements 8 are supplied with electrical energy via electrical lines 11.
[0029] In the illustrated collapsed state of the heating press 1, the side wall shells 5, 6 are in contact with the profile segments 4 in the area of their inner surfaces. In cross-section, an air gap 12 is formed between the side wall shells 5, 6 and the profile segments 4 in the direction of the outer surface in order to thermally decouple the side wall shells 5, 6 from the profile segments 4.
[0030] The side wall shells 5, 6 are thermally decoupled from the center mechanism 13 by means of a fiber-reinforced plastic in order to minimize heat flow from the center mechanism 13 into the side wall shells 5, 6.
[0031] Temperature sensors 14, which are arranged in the profile segments 4, determine the tread temperature of the vehicle tires.
[0032] heating press
[0033] Heating press upper part
[0034] Heating press lower part
[0035] Profile segment upper side wall shell lower side wall shell thermal conductor
[0036] heating element
[0037] Insulation material
[0038] Segment ring electrical cable
[0039] air gap
[0040] Center mechanism
[0041] Temperature sensor
Claims
Patent claims 1. A heating press (1) for vulcanizing a vehicle tire, comprising a heating press upper part (2) and a heating press lower part (3), wherein a container having a heated upper sidewall shell (5) and heated profile segments (5) is arranged on the heating press upper part (3), wherein the heating press lower part (3) has a heated lower sidewall shell (6), wherein the heating press upper part (2) is mounted so as to be movable relative to the heating press lower part (3), wherein the heating press upper part (2), the container, and the heating press lower part (3) are connected in such a way that the profile segments (4) come into contact with one another when the heating press upper part (2) approaches the heating press lower part (3), wherein the heating press (1) has a central mechanism (13) with gas outlet openings for filling a vehicle tire with a heating medium, characterized in thatthat the profile segments (4) and / or the upper side wall shell (5) and / or the lower side wall shell (6) are heated electrically by means of at least one heating element (8), wherein the at least one heating element (8) is in contact with the profile segments (4) and / or the upper side wall shell (5) and / or the lower side wall shell (6) directly or by means of a thermal conductor (7).
2. Heating press (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the heating element (8) is a heating cartridge, in particular a spiral tube heating cartridge, or a heating foil.
3. Heating press (1) according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the at least one heating element (8) is mounted so as to be separable from the profile segments (4) and / or at least one of the side wall shells (5, 6), wherein the profile segments (4) and / or at least one of the side wall shells (5, 6) is preferably separable from the at least one heating element (8), wherein the at least one heating element (8) is mounted on the heating press upper part (2) or on the heating press lower part (3).
4. Heating press (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the profile segments (4) and / or at least one side wall shell (5, 6) has at least two, preferably three, more preferably four heating elements (8).
5. Heating press (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a temperature sensor (14) is arranged on at least one heating element (8) and / or in at least one profile segment (4) and / or in at least one side shell (5, 6).
6. Heating press (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thermal conductor (7) is a conductive foil, in particular a compressible conductive foil, or a conductive paste.
7. Heating press (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thermal conductor (7) comprises graphite or a plastic, in particular silicone, or consists of graphite or a plastic, in particular silicone, and is preferably a conductive foil.
8. Heating press (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heating elements (8) are thermally decoupled, in particular by means of air and / or insulation materials (9), preferably with fiber-reinforced materials, particularly preferably with glass-fiber-reinforced plastics, to at least one profile segment (4) and / or to at least one container.
9. Heating press (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insulation materials (9) have a heat transfer coefficient of less than 0.5 W / (m*K), preferably less than 0.4 W / (m*K), more preferably less than 0.3 W / (m*K) and more preferably less than 0.28 W / (m*K).
10. Heating press (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the profile segments (4) are heated thermally, in particular by means of air and / or insulation materials (8) are decoupled from the side wall shells (5, 6).
11. Heating press (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side wall shells (5, 6) are thermally decoupled from the central mechanism (13), in particular by means of air and / or insulation materials (8).
12. Method for operating an electrically heated heating press (1) according to one of claims 1 to 11.