Microwave Heating Chamber With Slidable Covers For Selective Tyre Blank Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microwave heating technologies for rotatable articles, such as green tyre blanks, face challenges in achieving direct and selective heating without overheating non-critical areas, leading to undesirable creep phenomena and increased complexity in design due to the need for movable radiation sources and multiple sealing joints.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus features a heating chamber with vertically slidable covers that define a specific heating space, preventing microwave radiation from propagating outside, allowing direct and selective heating of only the desired portion of the rotatable article, while the non-heated portions are supported or suspended to prevent mechanical stress and overheating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If microwave radiation sources are arranged movably relative to the heated article to heat various portions, then heating coverage is improved, but device complexity and space requirements increase due to flexible cables, hoses, and chamber requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The heating chamber is divided into multiple zones with independent microwave radiation sources positioned at different locations (front, rear, sides). Each source can be independently controlled to heat specific portions of the article, eliminating the need for movable sources while achieving comprehensive heating coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of moving the radiation source around the article, the patent positions multiple stationary sources at different spatial dimensions (front, rear, left, right sides of the chamber). This multi-dimensional arrangement provides 360-degree heating coverage without requiring movable components or flexible connections.
2Reliability
If the source and heated article are placed in one chamber to meet safety and electromagnetic compatibility requirements, then safety is improved, but space requirements and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The chamber is segmented into multiple heating zones with independent microwave sources positioned at different locations. This allows the source and article to remain in the same chamber for safety while distributing the space requirement across multiple compact zones rather than requiring a single large chamber.
3Power
If microwave radiation heats portions of the tyre with different degree and rate, then heating efficiency is improved, but harmful effects occur due to undesired overheating in certain areas
Solution Approach 1:
Each microwave radiation source is equipped with independent power control, allowing different portions of the article to receive different heating intensities. Sources can be individually adjusted to compensate for variations in article thickness and material properties, ensuring uniform heating throughout while preventing localized overheating.
Solution Approach 2:
Temperature sensors are positioned at multiple locations within the chamber to monitor the temperature of different article portions in real-time. The control system uses this feedback information to dynamically adjust the power output of individual microwave sources, preventing overheating in specific areas while maintaining efficient heating overall.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables efficient, direct, and selective microwave heating of specific portions of rotatable articles, reducing the risk of creep and mechanical stress, and simplifies the design by eliminating the need for movable radiation sources and complex sealing joints, thereby improving heating homogeneity and productivity.
Implementation Method 1
at least one microwave radiation source (12), at least one wave guide (11)
Implementation Method 2
microwave heating of rotatable articles
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for and a method of microwave heating of rotatable articles includes at least one microwave radiation source, at least one wave guide and a heating chamber for receiving a rotatable article which comprises a material absorbing microwave radiation. Each microwave radiation source is connected to the heating chamber via at least one wave guide having at least one inlet in a lateral wall of the heating chamber. The heating chamber includes at least two covers in the form of an area defined by an inner and outer circumference. At least one cover is vertically slidable relative to the lateral wall of the heating chamber in combination with a stationary ring on the outer circumference of said area and at least one extendable portion on the inner circumference of said area. The method allows for direct and selective heating of the heated portion of the rotatable article, the non-heated portions of the rotatable article outside the heating space are not directly heated.