Tire Vulcanization Coating Agent Air Pocket Prevention

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing tire vulcanization methods often result in air remaining between the vulcanization mold and the unvulcanized tire, leading to defects like bareness, and there is a lack of effective techniques for ensuring a perfect fit between the tire and the mold.

Innovation Solution

Applying a coating agent comprising at least 70% carbon black, natural rubber latex, and a surfactant as a powder or liquid coating on the tire surface to prevent air pockets during the vulcanization process, ensuring a smooth fit and preventing bareness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a balloon-shaped bladder is inflated with high-temperature and high-pressure steam to push against the tire surface, then the vulcanization process can be performed, but air may remain between the mold and tire surface causing bareness defects

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevulcanization qualityVSAvoidair pockets causing bareness
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies a coating agent containing powder particles to the tire surface before vulcanization. This preliminary action modifies the surface properties to prevent air pocket formation, allowing the tire to fit the mold more effectively and eliminating the bareness defect without requiring mold modifications.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The coating agent acts as an intermediary substance between the tire surface and the mold. It facilitates better contact by modifying surface properties, enabling the tire to conform to the mold shape and preventing air entrapment during the vulcanization process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If the unvulcanized tire is directly placed in the mold without surface treatment, then the process is simple, but air remains between the tire and mold preventing proper fitting

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocess simplicityVSAvoidtire-mold fit accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

A simple surface coating step is introduced before vulcanization. This preliminary action applies a thin layer of coating agent containing powder particles to the tire surface, significantly improving mold contact and fitting precision while maintaining process simplicity and not requiring complex mold modifications.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Object-affected harmful factors

If vent holes or slots are added to the mold to prevent air entrapment, then bareness can be prevented in some areas, but the mold design becomes more complex and is restrictive

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair entrapment preventionVSAvoidmold structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the air entrapment problem from the mold design by addressing it at the tire surface level. Instead of modifying the mold structure with vent holes or slots, the coating agent on the tire surface prevents air pocket formation, maintaining simple mold design while effectively preventing bareness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The coating agent serves as an intermediary that eliminates the need for complex mold modifications. By modifying the tire surface properties, it prevents air entrapment without requiring vent holes or slots in the mold, thus maintaining structural simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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

The method effectively prevents bareness by ensuring the rubber composition fits the mold without air pockets, resulting in high-quality tires with reduced defects.

Implementation Method 1

The coating agent comprises carbon black, natural rubber latex and a surfactant and a content of the carbon black in the coating agent is not less than 70% by mass.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSurfactant: Surfactant

Implementation Method 2

Applying a coating agent comprising at least 70% carbon black, natural rubber latex, and a surfactant as a powder or liquid coating on the tire surface to prevent air pockets during the vulcanization process

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectWetting: Wetting

Data Source

PatentEP3109039B1Tire vulcanization method
Publication Date: 2018.02.07 SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES LTD

AI summary

An object of the present invention is to provide a tire vulcanization method in which there is no air remained between a vulcanization mold and an unvulcanized tire in tire vulcanization, the unvulcanized tire easily fits the vulcanization mold and an occurrence of bareness is prevented. The present invention relates to a tire vulcanization process comprising an application process of applying a coating agent comprising powder on a surface of an unvulcanized tire and a vulcanization process of vulcanizing the unvulcanized tire obtained in the application process, a tire production method comprising the vulcanization method, and a tire produced by the tire production method.