Tire repair method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11084233-B2
Application number	US-201716098904-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2017
Priority date	Jun 9, 2016
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

Repair materials made of at least unvulcanized rubber are applied on a repair site of a damaged part of a tire, heating pads are applied on surfaces of the repair materials, wood pieces or other stuffing members differing in size are stuffed inside the tire, in a tire circumferential in tire circumferential direction where the repair materials are applied. The tire circumferential is fastened and pressed from surroundings by bands, and the repair site is heated by the heating pads to vulcanize the unvulcanized rubber of the repair materials, to thereby repair the tire. This repair method provides a low-cost tire repair method capable of maintaining the shape of the tire at the time of pressing and vulcanization, in various kinds of tires.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tire repair method comprising:
depositing a repair material made of at least unvulcanized rubber in a damaged part of a damaged tire;
applying a heating pad on a surface of the repair material deposited in the damaged part of the tire;
stuffing a plurality of stuffing members in the tire in a circumferentially restricted part of the tire in which the repair material is deposited;
fastening the circumferentially restricted part of the tire from outside thereof to apply a pressure thereto; and
heating a repair site including the damaged part by heating the heating pad to vulcanize the unvulcanized rubber of the repair material, wherein
the repair material is deposited from a tire inside in a part facing the tire inside of the damaged part, and the heating pad is applied on an inside of the repair material; and
the stuffing members include pad-adjoining stuffing members stuffed in a periphery of the heating pad, the pad-adjoining stuffing members being smaller than other stuffing members in sectional area taken in a tire widthwise direction.

2. The tire repair method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the stuffing members includes central stuffing members cooperating with and pressing the repair material, and peripheral stuffing members cooperating with and pressing a tire part located along a peripheral edge of the repair material; and
the peripheral stuffing members have a thermal conductivity greater than that of the central stuffing members.

3. The tire repair method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the stuffing members are rod-like in shape, and
the stuffing members are stuffed inside the tire in such a posture that longitudinal directions of the rod-like stuffing members are perpendicular to a section of the tire along a tire widthwise direction.

4. The tire repair method according to claim 1 , wherein a band is wound around a circumferential part of the tire stuffed with the stuffing members, to apply a pressure to and fasten the tire.

5. The tire repair method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the damaged part of the tire is a tread section;
a molding material in a fluid state is prepared by mixing at least water and a water-insoluble material with calcined gypsum;
the molding material in the fluid state is filled in a groove of the repaired tread section formed by the repair material deposited in the damaged part including its surroundings;
the heating pad is applied and pressed on a surface of the tread section in the damaged part, after the molding material is cured and dried; and
the damaged part is heated by the heating pad to vulcanize the unvulcanized rubber.

6. The tire repair method according to claim 5 ,
wherein the damaged part is a tire widthwise end portion of the tread section;
a tire widthwise side surface of the damaged part is covered with the molding material, while groove or grooves in the surroundings of the damaged part are filled with the molding material; and
the damaged part is pressed and heated to vulcanize the unvulcanized rubber, after the molding material is cured and dried.

7. The tire repair method according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of rubber, wood, and metal is used as the water-insoluble material.

8. The tire repair method according to claim 5 ,
wherein after the heating pad is applied on the surface of the tread section in the damaged part,
the stuffing members are stuffed inside the tire in
the circumferentially restricted part thereof;
the circumferentially restricted part is fastened and pressed from outside; and
the damaged part is heated by the heating pad to vulcanize the unvulcanized rubber.

9. The tire repair method according to claim 1 ,
wherein a central heat transfer intermediary member is applied on a surface of the repair material applied on the damaged part of the tire;
peripheral heat transfer intermediary members lower in thermal conductivity than the central heat transfer intermediary member are applied on a tire surface of a peripheral edge of the repair material;
the heating pad is applied on surfaces of the central heat transfer intermediary member and the peripheral heat transfer intermediary members, to press the heating pad on the damaged part to be repaired with the repair material and surroundings thereof; and
the damaged part is heated by the heating pad to vulcanize the unvulcanized rubber of the repair material.

10. The tire repair method according to claim 9 , wherein the peripheral heat transfer intermediary members are larger in thickness than the central heat transfer intermediary member.

11. The tire repair method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the repair material made of at least unvulcanized rubber is deposited in the damaged part of the tire;
a heat transfer intermediary member is applied on a tire surface of a peripheral edge of the repair material deposited in the damaged part of the tire;
the heating pad is applied on a surface of the repair material and a surface of the heat transfer intermediary member;
surroundings of the damaged part to be repaired with the repair material are pressed; and
the repair site is heated by the heating pad to vulcanize the unvulcanized rubber of the repair material.

Assignees

• Bridgestone Corp

Inventors

• Yoshimura Koichi

Classifications

• B29C73/02 Primary

  using liquid or paste-like material (B29C73/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C73/04 Primary

  using preformed elements · CPC title

• B29L2030/00

  Pneumatic or solid tyres or parts thereof {(conveyor belts B29L2031/7092; drive belts B29L2031/7094; fourdrinier belts B29L2031/733)} · CPC title

• B29C73/10

  using patches sealing on the surface of the article (B29C73/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C73/305

  specially adapted for toroidal articles, e.g. tyres (B29C73/325 takes precedence) · CPC title