Tire Bead Band Valve Hole Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for reinforcing tire chafers around valve holes are complex and prone to errors, as they require additional external covering members that can be easily forgotten or misplaced, leading to potential damage and pressure loss due to insufficient protection against the rim.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating fibers or tissue particles into a rubber mixture, which is formed into a thin plate and cut into pieces, then inserted into the vulcanization mold, creating a sandwich construction with a soft standard chafer layer and a hard fiber-reinforced rubber layer around the valve hole, ensuring consistent reinforcement without the need for external fabric layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If additional metal or plastic cover pieces or vulcanized fabric are used to reinforce the bead band around the valve hole, then the protection against rim damage is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex and error-prone due to subsequent insertion steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the reinforcement function with the bead band itself by incorporating fibers or fabric particles directly into the rubber mixture that forms the bead band. This eliminates the need for separate reinforcement layers or cover pieces, as the reinforcement is integrated into the bead band's structure during the vulcanization process. The rubber mixture containing fibers is placed in the mold, and during vulcanization, it forms a unified structure that provides both the bead band function and the reinforcement function simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement fibers are pre-mixed into the rubber compound before vulcanization. This preliminary incorporation ensures that the reinforcement material is already positioned and integrated into the bead band structure before the vulcanization process begins, eliminating the need for subsequent insertion steps and ensuring consistent reinforcement without manual intervention.
2Reliability
If externally applied fabric layers are used for reinforcement, then the protective function is achieved, but the layers can shift or be misplaced leading to insufficient protection
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement fibers are merged into the rubber matrix during mixing, creating a homogeneous composite material. This integration ensures that the reinforcement is uniformly distributed and fixed within the bead band structure, eliminating the possibility of shifting or misplacement that occurs with externally applied layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a homogeneous mixture of rubber and reinforcement fibers before vulcanization. This homogeneous distribution ensures that the reinforcement properties are uniformly throughout the bead band, providing consistent protection without localized weak spots or misaligned reinforcement areas.
3Reliability
If vulcanized fabric layers are used for reinforcement, then the protective function is improved, but the manufacturing process requires additional materials and preparations at the plant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the reinforcement function into the bead band manufacturing process itself by incorporating fibers into the rubber mixture. This eliminates the need for separate reinforcement materials and their associated handling, storage, and application processes at the manufacturing plant, simplifying the overall manufacturing workflow.
Solution Approach 2:
The rubber mixture serves multiple functions: it forms the bead band structure, provides the reinforcement through embedded fibers, and undergoes vulcanization to create the final product. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate reinforcement materials and processes, making the manufacturing process more efficient and simpler.
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 method provides robust reinforcement of the chafer area, preventing damage and pressure loss by ensuring the reinforcing layer is uniformly integrated during the curing process, simplifying the manufacturing process and eliminating the risk of misplaced external layers.
Implementation Method 1
during the vulcanization of the bead strip a piece of the sheet is placed in the heating mold, so that during the vulcanization process the still flowable rubber mixture of the bead strip flows into the areas above and/or below the piece of the sheet and covers it
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
Bead band (1) for a vehicle pneumatic tire, which has a section (2a) of greater material thickness with reinforcement in the area of the valve hole (4). In the section (2a) around the valve hole (4), a reinforcing layer (5) made of fiber-reinforced rubber is vulcanized and therefore embedded.