Tyre Bead Crimping Sleeve Preparation From Continuous Metal Strip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing rods to reinforce pneumatic tires using crimped sleeves are complex, lead to extra thickness and unbalance, and require cumbersome stock management, resulting in inefficiencies and material waste.
Innovation Solution
A crimping station that produces lightweight, U-shaped sleeves directly from a continuous ribbon, using a feeding, shaping, and cutting system to create preforms for crimping, allowing for automated, efficient, and reproducible production of rods with reduced material usage and simplified assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional crimped sleeves are used to join wire ends, then the wires are securely fixed, but the sleeves create excess thickness that promotes tire abrasion and causes imbalance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the sleeve from a conventional cylindrical shape to a specifically designed profile with a reduced-thickness section at the crimping zone. This parameter modification allows the sleeve to maintain its joining function while reducing the excess thickness that causes tire abrasion and imbalance, directly resolving the technical contradiction between secure fixation and harmful thickness.
2Reliability
If complex-shaped sleeves are used for crimping, then wire ends are securely joined, but the implementation becomes cumbersome and requires complex handling procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the sleeve structure into distinct functional zones: a first portion for insertion over the wire ends, a crimping portion with reduced thickness for joining, and a second portion for final positioning. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function optimally while simplifying the overall handling and implementation process, resolving the contradiction between joining security and operational simplicity.
3Productivity
If stock of preformed sleeves is maintained for production, then crimping operations can proceed continuously, but material waste increases and storage requirements grow
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by pre-forming the sleeve structure directly from metal strip in a continuous process before the crimping operation. The shaping device creates the specific sleeve profile with reduced thickness zones just in time for crimping, eliminating the need to maintain large stocks of preformed sleeves while ensuring continuous production capability. This resolves the contradiction between productivity and material waste.
4Ease of operation
If U-shaped cross-section preformed strips are used, then sleeves are easier to place on wire sections, but additional shaping equipment is required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the shaping function with the existing crimping station by integrating a shaping device that forms the U-shaped cross-section preformed strips directly at the crimping location. This integration allows the system to benefit from the ease of placement provided by the U-shaped profile while avoiding the need for separate, complex shaping equipment, thus resolving the contradiction between operational ease and device 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
The solution reduces crimping cycle time, saves raw materials, and eliminates the need for stockpiling sleeves, while ensuring precise and balanced rod production with minimal extra thickness, enhancing the efficiency and compactness of the crimping station.
Implementation Method 1
a shaping device arranged to plastically deform said strip in order to give said strip a concave curved cross-section
Implementation Method 2
said crimping pliers can apply and close by plastic deformation said sleeve preform into a sleeve
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a crimping station (1) comprising a set of crimping jaws (2) designed to crimp a sleeve (3) around a first end portion (5) of a wire (4) and a second end portion (6) of a wire (4), the crimping station comprising a sleeve preparation sub-assembly (10) which comprises a supply device (20) which provides a metal band (11) and which conveys the band as far as a shaping device (30) designed to plastically deform the band (11) in order to impart the band with a concave, inwardly curved cross-section (11S) so as to obtain a preformed band (11A), then as far as a cutting device (40) which is designed to sever a portion of the length of the preformed band (11A) in order to obtain a sleeve preform (12) which a loading tool (50) places inside the set of crimping jaws (2).