Tire Manufacturing Method Using Extrusion Pre-forming
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing tire manufacturing methods using vulcanizing molds often result in distortion of the carcass and belt due to rubber flow, especially in tires with high lugs, leading to inefficiencies and increased production time, particularly when fitting lug members into molds.
Innovation Solution
A tire manufacturing method utilizing a vulcanizing mold with a tire molding portion, an extrusion preparing portion, and a rubber inflow path, where the unvulcanized rubber member is extruded into the tread molding portion, suppressing rubber flow and eliminating the need for shaping the rubber member to match the land portion, thus reducing distortion and manufacturing time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rubber is flowed into the concavities of the mold to form high lugs, then the traction performance is improved, but the carcass and belt become distorted due to local pressing and movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming the tread portion with land portions (lugs) outside the mold before vulcanization. The tread portion is prepared separately with the desired lug shape, then placed into the mold cavity. This prevents rubber from flowing into the mold concavities during vulcanization, thereby avoiding distortion of the carcass and belt while maintaining the required traction performance of high lugs.
2Manufacturing precision
If lug members are fitted into the mold one by one, then the land portion shape is achieved, but the manufacturing time increases and work efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the tread portion and land portions (lugs) into a single pre-formed component. Instead of fitting multiple separate lug members into the mold individually, the entire tread portion with all lugs integrated is placed as one piece. This significantly reduces the number of fitting operations required, decreases manufacturing time, and improves work efficiency while maintaining the required land portion shape accuracy.
3Productivity
If the unvulcanized rubber member is extruded through the rubber inflow path, then the alignment work is simplified and manufacturing time is reduced, but the rubber flow may cause distortion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming the tread portion with land portions outside the mold before vulcanization. The tread portion is prepared separately with the desired lug shape, then placed into the mold cavity. This prevents rubber from flowing into the mold concavities during vulcanization, thereby avoiding distortion of the carcass and belt while maintaining the required traction performance of high lugs.
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 effectively suppresses distortion of the carcass and belt, improves work efficiency, and reduces the time required for tire production by allowing easier alignment and faster vulcanization, while also reducing the need for costly rubber injection molding equipment.
Implementation Method 1
the temperature of the unvulcanized rubber member to be extruded rises due to friction against the surrounding members that is caused when the member flows or shear heating of the rubber itself
Implementation Method 2
the temperature of the unvulcanized rubber member to be extruded rises due to friction against the surrounding members that is caused when the member flows or shear heating of the rubber itself
Implementation Method 3
the pressing member is moved relative to the unvulcanized rubber member in the extrusion preparing portion to extrude the unvulcanized rubber member
Implementation Method 4
vulcanizing the extruded unvulcanized rubber member and the casing member together
Data Source
AI summary
A tire manufacturing method in which a vulcanizing mold (20) is provided with a tire molding portion (21) defining an outer surface shape of a tire (1), an extrusion preparing portion (22) in which an unvulcanized rubber member (5) that forms a tread portion (2) can be disposed, and a rubber inflow path (23) communicating between the tire molding portion (21) and the extrusion preparing portion (22), wherein vulcanization molding includes: loading a casing member (4) in the tire molding portion (21) and loading the unvulcanized rubber member (5) in the extrusion preparing portion (22); extruding the unvulcanized rubber member (5) to tread molding portions (21c), (21d) through the rubber inflow path (23), the tread molding portions formed in the tire molding portion (21) and defining an outer surface shape of a land portion of the tire; and vulcanizing the unvulcanized rubber member (5) and casing member (4) together.