Tire Mold Sectors with Insulating Spacing for Thermal Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sectored molds for curing tires face challenges in maintaining optimal heat transfer and temperature uniformity, as direct contact between shells and sectors promotes heat conduction, which can be incompatible with efficient tire curing.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating thermally insulating spacing means between sectors and shells to maintain different temperature levels, limiting heat transfer by conduction and allowing for non-uniform temperature distribution within the mold, with options for using materials like titanium or composite materials and incorporating cooling fluid flow through cavities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If direct contact between shells and sectors is maintained, then structural simplicity and ease of manufacture are improved, but heat transfer by conduction increases which compromises tire curing optimization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces spacing means as an intermediary element between the shells and sectors. These spacing means are made of thermally insulating material that prevents direct thermal contact while maintaining the structural closure of the mold. This mediator allows the shells and sectors to remain in mechanical contact for structural integrity while blocking harmful heat conduction, thus resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and temperature control.
2Temperature
If spacing means made of thermally insulating material are introduced, then temperature control and heat transfer limitation are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the thermal conductivity parameter of the spacing means. By selecting materials with specific thermal insulation properties (low thermal conductivity), the patent transforms the thermal behavior of the mold without fundamentally changing its mechanical structure. This allows temperature control improvement while keeping the added complexity minimal, as the spacing means simply replace direct metal-to-metal contact with insulated contact.
3Loss of energy
If uniform temperature distribution is maintained through direct contact, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but ability to maintain different temperature levels between shells and sectors deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful thermal conduction pathway by removing direct metallic contact between shells and sectors. By taking out the conductive heat transfer mechanism while maintaining structural contact through insulated spacing means, the patent prevents unwanted heat equalization. This allows independent temperature control of shells and sectors, enabling different temperature levels to be maintained without energy loss through unwanted conduction.
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 stable temperature differences between shells and sectors, optimizing tire curing by reducing heat transfer and allowing for controlled temperature distribution, thereby enhancing the curing process.
Implementation Method 1
Said spacing means are able to limit the heat transfer between the shells and the sectors in the closed position of the mold
Implementation Method 2
said spacing part internally delimits at least one cavity
Data Source
AI summary
A mold for a tire is disclosed herein. The mold includes first and second shells mold-able to lateral sidewalls of the tire, and a plurality of sectors that are distributed in the circumferential direction and are mold-able to the tread of said tire. The sectors are radially movable between an open position and a closed position of the mold. The mold also comprises at least one spacing interposed between each sector and each shell in order to keep said sector and the shells spaced apart in the radial direction in the closed position of the mold, such that the shells and the sectors are in contact in the radial direction only by way of the spacing. The spacing is also able to limit the heat transfer between the shells and the sectors in said closed position.