Segmented mold for a tire and related molding method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10239270-B2
Application number	US-201415101503-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2014
Priority date	Dec 4, 2013
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

A mold for a tire is disclosed herein. The mold includes first and second shells mold-able to lateral sidewalls of the tire, and a plurality of sectors that are distributed in the circumferential direction and are mold-able to the tread of said tire. The sectors are radially movable between an open position and a closed position of the mold. The mold also comprises at least one spacing interposed between each sector and each shell in order to keep said sector and the shells spaced apart in the radial direction in the closed position of the mold, such that the shells and the sectors are in contact in the radial direction only by way of the spacing. The spacing is also able to limit the heat transfer between the shells and the sectors in said closed position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A Mold for a tire with a tread and two lateral sidewalls, comprising:
first and second shells that are intended to mold the lateral sidewalls of the tire,
a plurality of sectors distributed in the circumferential direction that are intended to mold the tread of said tire, the plurality of sectors being radially movable between an open position and a closed position of the mold,
wherein a spacing is interposed between each sector and each of the first and second shells in order to keep said sector and the first and second shells spaced apart in the radial direction in the closed position of the mold, and
wherein the first and second shells and the sectors are in contact in the radial direction only by way of the spacing for, said spacing limiting the heat transfer from the first and second shells to the sectors and vice versa in said closed position of the mold.

2. The Mold according to claim 1 , wherein each spacing is made at least in part of thermally insulating material having a thermal conductivity lower than that of the materials of the sectors and of the first and second shells.

3. The Mold according to claim 1 , wherein each spacing comprises a spacing part made in the form of a section of a ring, the spacing being disposed such that the spacing parts form at least one ring between the sectors and each of the first and second shells.

4. The Mold according to claim 3 , wherein said spacing part internally delimits at least one cavity.

5. The Mold according to claim 4 , wherein said cavity is delimited in the radial direction by an inner wall and an outer wall of the spacing part, said walls being mounted in contact with the an associated shell of either the first and second shells and with an associated sector.

6. The Mold according to claim 4 , comprising: the cavity is supplied with cooling fluid, and
an outlet for the fluid is provided so as to obtain a flow of the cooling fluid along said cavity.

7. The Mold according to claim 3 , wherein the spacing comprises at least one fastening part extending substantially radially from the spacing part inside a hole formed in an associated one of the sectors or in an associated one of the shells.

8. The Mold according to claim 7 , comprising a fastening that is mounted in said hole and extends inside said fastening part.

9. The Mold according to claim 1 , wherein each spacing is radially in contact on one side with an associated shell of the first and second shells, and radially in contact on the other side with an associated sector.

10. The Mold according to claim 1 , wherein the spacing comprises a contact face for contact with the tire in the closed position of the mold.

11. The Mold according to claim 1 , wherein the spacing is made of a metal material or of a composite material.

12. The Mold according to claim 1 , wherein each sector comprises a support and a mold fitting fastened to said support.

13. The Mold according to claim 12 , wherein the spacing is fastened to the sectors and retain the mold fittings on the supports.

14. The Mold according to claim 1 , comprising at least one clamping ring that cooperates with outer faces of the sectors.

15. A Method for molding a tire with a mold,
providing the mold to mold a tire having a tread and two lateral sidewalls, the mold including:
first and second shells that are intended to mold the lateral sidewalls of the tire,
a plurality of sectors distributed in the circumferential direction, the sectors being intended to mold the tread of said tire, the plurality of sectors being radially movable between an open position and a closed position of the mold,
wherein a spacing is interposed between each sector and each of the first and second shells in order to keep said sector and the first and second shells spaced apart in the radial direction in the closed position of the mold,
wherein the first and second shells and the sectors are in contact in the radial direction only by way of the spacing,
said spacing limiting the heat transfer from the first and second shells to the sectors and vice versa in said closed position of the mold, and
wherein the first and second shells are heated to a temperature different from that to which the sectors of the mold are heated.

Assignees

• Michelin & Cie
• Michelin Rech Tech

Inventors

• Massoptier-David Mickael
• Simonelli Thomas
• Walrand Gilles

Classifications

• B29D2030/0677

  Controlling temperature differences · CPC title

• B29K2905/02

  Aluminium · CPC title

• B29K2995/0015

  Insulating · CPC title

• B29K2905/12

  Iron · CPC title

• B29D30/0629 Primary

  with radially movable sectors · CPC title