Tire Carcass Cord Splicing to Avoid Waste in Continuous Formation

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing methods for manufacturing tires with continuously wound reinforcing cords often result in decreased productivity due to waste, as the reinforcing cords may not be long enough to complete a tire, leading to incomplete green tires and inefficiencies in cord usage.

Innovation Solution

A forming system that joins the leading edge of a new reinforcing cord to the trailing edge of the previous one using a splice mechanism, ensuring continuous formation of the reinforcing member, even if individual cords are insufficient in length, and strategically positions the joint within the tire's more rigid areas to minimize performance impact.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a reinforcing cord of sufficient length is prepared to complete the entire tire formation, then the reinforcing member can be formed continuously without interruption, but the cord length becomes excessive and cannot be fully utilized when forming multiple green tires, resulting in material waste

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontinuous formation of green tireVSAvoidwaste of reinforcing cord
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The reinforcing cord is divided into multiple segments (first reinforcing cord and second reinforcing cord) that can be joined together. This allows the system to use shorter, manageable cord lengths while maintaining continuous formation capability, eliminating the need for excessively long cords that would be wasted.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The splice mechanism is prepared in advance to join cord segments before they are fully consumed in the formation process. By pre-positioning the splicing capability, the system can seamlessly transition between cord segments without interruption, maintaining continuous formation while using optimal cord lengths.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Duration of action of stationary object

If the reinforcing cord length is set to be sufficient for complete tire formation, then formation can continue without stopping, but the cord may shorten through use across multiple green tires, leaving insufficient remaining length and causing formation to stop

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontinuous formation processVSAvoidformation stoppage
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of stationary objectVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The splice mechanism is pre-positioned and ready to join cord segments before the formation process is interrupted. This preliminary preparation ensures that when a cord segment is exhausted, the transition to the next segment occurs without stopping the formation process, maintaining continuous production.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system maintains continuous formation action by seamlessly joining cord segments. The splice mechanism ensures that the transition between first and second reinforcing cords occurs without interruption to the green tire formation process, eliminating productivity loss from stoppages.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Loss of substance

If a splice mechanism is introduced to join reinforcing cord segments, then cord utilization efficiency improves and continuous formation is enabled, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereinforcing cord utilization efficiencyVSAvoidsplice mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The splicing function is extracted as a separate, dedicated splice mechanism rather than being integrated into the main formation equipment. This modular approach enables efficient cord utilization while keeping the added complexity isolated and manageable, rather than complicating the entire formation system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3842222B1Tire production method, molding system, and tire
Publication Date: 2023.12.13 THE YOKOHAMA RUBBER CO LTD
  • EP3842222B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3842222B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3842222B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method of manufacturing a tire, a forming system for the tire, and the tire are provided in which, in manufacture of a tire including a reinforcing member including a reinforcing cord continuously wound a plurality of times in a tire circumferential direction or wound in the tire circumferential direction while continuously extending in a tire width direction, a possible decrease in productivity can be avoided by using the reinforcing cords without waste. A preceding carcass cord (15a) from one feeding unit (3A) is used to form a carcass layer (15) while being fed to a forming drum (2), and a leading edge portion of a next carcass cord (15b) is paid out from another feeding unit (3B) in advance. At a time when a predetermined length of the preceding carcass cord (15a) is fed, a splice mechanism (8) is used to join the leading edge portion of the next carcass cord (15b) to the preceding carcass cord (15a) to make the leading edge portion of the next carcass cord (15b) continuous with the preceding carcass cord (15a). Then, with the next carcass cord (15b) fed to the forming drum (2), formation of the carcass layer (15) is continued to complete the carcass layer (15).