Trough Support for Uniform Tire Trough Roughening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for roughening the back of vulcanized flat tread strips with deep and wide grooves often result in uneven surface roughening, leading to inadequate adhesion between the tread and the binding rubber due to material sinking, which affects the quality of the retreaded tires.
Innovation Solution
A separate support device with supporting elements is positioned on the conveyor device to ensure uniform roughening, particularly in areas prone to sinking, using either a profiled mold insert or a separately manufactured plastic mold with extendable pins, designed to match the groove configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the tread strip is conveyed on a flat conveyor surface, then the conveying process is simple, but the tread material sinks in grooved areas causing uneven roughening
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor surface is segmented into multiple support elements (ribs or pins) arranged in patterns corresponding to groove locations. These discrete support elements provide localized support at the bottom of grooves without requiring a completely redesigned conveyor system, thus maintaining simplicity while preventing material sinking and ensuring uniform roughening.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of providing uniform support across the entire conveyor surface, support elements are strategically positioned only at critical locations where grooves occur. This localized support prevents material sinking in grooved areas while maintaining the overall simplicity of the flat conveyor design, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and roughening uniformity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If deep and wide grooves are present in the tread profile, then the tread design meets performance requirements, but the back side roughening becomes inadequate or impossible in grooved areas
Solution Approach 1:
Support elements are specifically positioned at the bottom of deep and wide grooves to provide localized support where needed. This allows the tread to maintain its performance-optimized profile with deep grooves while ensuring that the back side roughening is uniform and adequate even in these challenging areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution adds a vertical dimension to the support system by raising support elements (ribs or pins) from the conveyor surface to the height needed to support the tread at the bottom of grooves. This dimensional adjustment allows the tread to maintain its deep groove profile while preventing material sinking during roughening.
3Productivity
If the conveyor moves at high speed for productivity, then production efficiency increases, but the roughening quality may be compromised in grooved areas
Solution Approach 1:
The support elements are positioned in advance on the conveyor surface before the roughening process begins. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when the tread passes through the roughening zone at high speed, the material is already supported at critical groove locations, preventing sinking and ensuring uniform roughening even at high production speeds.
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 allows for a flat and high-quality roughening of the tread strip's rear side, enhancing the adhesion promoter application and ensuring a better bond between the tread and the binding rubber, thus improving the quality and uniformity of the retreaded tires.
Implementation Method 1
a rotating brush located above the conveyor... roughening the back side
Implementation Method 2
support elements extending along the course of grooves and supporting the tread strip at the bottom of these grooves
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for roughening the rear side (1b) of a vulcanized flat tread (1), which tread has, on the other side, a profile having grooves (3) and profile positives having outer surfaces, for the cold retreading of a tire. The tread (1) is supported at the outer surfaces of the profile positives of the tread during the roughening. The tread (1) is additionally supported at the base of grooves (3) during the roughening. The invention further relates to a device for use in the roughening of the rear side of the tread.