Vulcanization Mold Segment Design for Blade Durability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vulcanization molds for tires with circumferentially arranged sipes suffer from uneven wear and blade damage due to uneven rigidity and bending forces during tire removal.
Innovation Solution
A vulcanization mold with a specific number of segments (17-29) and three-dimensional blades of uniform thickness and height, reducing the angle difference between blade protrusion and segment movement, thereby minimizing bending forces and maintaining uniform tread rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the number of segment divisions is increased to reduce blade bending force, then blade damage is suppressed, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tread mold is divided into multiple segments (17-29 divisions) arranged circumferentially. This segmentation reduces the angle difference between blade protrusion direction and segment movement direction, thereby reducing bending force on blades during tire removal and suppressing blade damage.
2Strength
If blade thickness is increased to suppress curving and bending, then blade strength is improved, but tread rigidity uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The blade thickness is set to 0.6 mm or less uniformly across all blades in the tread mold. This local quality control ensures that all blades have consistent strength characteristics, which maintains uniform tread rigidity while the increased number of segment divisions compensates for the reduced individual blade thickness by reducing bending forces through geometry.
3Reliability
If the number of segment divisions is set to 17-29, then blade bending force is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The number of segment divisions is specifically set within the range of 17-29, with preference for prime numbers (17, 19, 23, 29). This parameter optimization reduces blade bending force while the uniform blade dimensions (thickness ≤0.6 mm, height 13.0 mm or more) and consistent positioning ensure manufacturability within standard precision capabilities.
4Stability of the object's composition
If uniform blade thickness and height are maintained across all segments, then tread rigidity uniformity is improved, but blade damage resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tread mold is divided into 17-29 segments, which reduces the angle difference between blade protrusion direction and segment movement direction. This geometric optimization reduces bending force on blades during tire removal, allowing uniform thin blades (thickness ≤0.6 mm) to maintain both tread rigidity uniformity and sufficient damage resistance.
Data Source
AI summary
A vulcanization mold is for a tire in which a plurality of sipes are arranged in a tire circumferential direction. The vulcanization mold includes a tread mold having a plurality a blades, for forming the sipes, provided on a tread forming surface. The tread mold is composed of a plurality of segments divided in the tire circumferential direction such that the segments are movable in a tire radial direction, and the number of divisions of the segments is 17 or more and 29 or less.