Tire Vulcanization Chamber With Split Nitrogen Flow
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vulcanization chambers are inefficient in vulcanizing tires with filamentary load-bearing elements due to obstructed heat-transfer fluid paths and risk of damaging these elements and the bladder, leading to poor-quality vulcanization.
Innovation Solution
A chamber design with a central circulation blower and directing means that divides the heat-transfer fluid into two equal flows using deflectors, ensuring uniform distribution and avoiding direct contact with filamentary elements, utilizing nitrogen as the heat-transfer fluid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a vulcanization bladder is used to place heat in contact with the tyre surface, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but the bladder cannot be expanded within the cavity of tyres with filamentary elements without risking damage to the filamentary structure and the bladder itself
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the vulcanization bladder from the system entirely. Instead of using a bladder to transfer heat, the patent employs direct circulation of heat-transfer fluid (nitrogen) through the tyre cavity, eliminating the intermediate bladder component that causes damage risks while maintaining effective heat transfer to the tyre surface and filamentary elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces nitrogen gas as an intermediary heat-transfer medium. Rather than using direct contact with a bladder or conventional air, nitrogen serves as a controlled intermediary that efficiently transfers heat from the heating means to the tyre and filamentary elements without causing mechanical damage, as it can be circulated in a controlled manner through the chamber.
2Device complexity
If heat-transfer fluid is circulated without a directing means, then the system is simpler, but the passage of nitrogen through the filamentary load-bearing elements is inefficient resulting in poor-quality vulcanization
Solution Approach 1:
The directing means segments the heat-transfer fluid flow into multiple directed streams using deflectors. This segmentation ensures that the nitrogen flow is distributed evenly across different regions of the tyre cavity, allowing efficient heat transfer to all areas including those obscured by filamentary elements, thereby achieving uniform vulcanization quality without excessive system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The deflectors act as intermediary elements that guide and redirect the nitrogen flow. These simple geometric components mediate between the heat source and the tyre, ensuring proper flow distribution through the filamentary elements without requiring complex control systems or additional active components.
3Device complexity
If the heat-transfer fluid flow is not divided, then the circulation system is simpler, but the flow cannot simultaneously and optimally reach the entire volume of the tyre masked by filamentary load-bearing elements
Solution Approach 1:
The directing means with deflectors segments the single heat-transfer fluid flow into multiple smaller streams. This segmentation allows the divided flows to simultaneously reach different regions of the tyre cavity, including areas obscured by filamentary elements, thereby maintaining high vulcanization efficiency without requiring a complex multi-source circulation system.
Solution Approach 2:
The deflectors utilize angular deflection to redirect the heat-transfer fluid flow in different spatial dimensions. By deflecting the flow at specific angles, the system achieves three-dimensional distribution of nitrogen throughout the tyre cavity, allowing optimal penetration into regions that would otherwise be inaccessible, thereby improving productivity without increasing system complexity.
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
Achieves efficient and uniform vulcanization of tires with filamentary elements within standard time frames without excessive energy consumption or element damage, maintaining quality.
Implementation Method 1
a circulation blower for circulating a heat-transfer fluid
Implementation Method 2
at least one heating means
Implementation Method 3
heat-transfer fluid
Implementation Method 4
each having an inlet end and an outlet end, each of said deflectors deflecting the flow of heat-transfer fluid by an angle α
Data Source
AI summary
A chamber for vulcanizing a tire comprises filamentary load-bearing elements arranged within the internal cavity, the chamber being delimited by an operating upper plate and a lower plate, the two beads of the tire being fastened to the circumference of the plates, the interior of the chamber having a vertical axis XX′ and horizontal axis YY′ passing through the center, and comprising at least one heater, a circulation blower for circulating a heat-transfer fluid, and a deflecting first portion and a second portion for directing the flow of heat-transfer fluid.