Apparatus for casting a non-pneumatic tire having a floating mold alignment mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9278494-B2
Application number	US-201214380119-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2012
Priority date	Feb 28, 2012
Publication date	Mar 8, 2016
Grant date	Mar 8, 2016

Abstract

This invention relates generally to an apparatus for rotationally casting a portion of a tire, and, more specifically, to an apparatus that has a floating alignment mechanism that allows a portion of a mold to move in the radial direction of the tire, which is at least partially formed by the mold, allowing the molding apparatus to omit the use of tie bars. The mechanism may comprise two set of needle roller bearings that are orthogonally arranged to allow radial movement of a portion of a mold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for molding a portion of a tire having a radial direction that includes a molding press and a mold, said apparatus further comprising:
first and second platens, said platens being operatively associated with said press for changing their position relative to each other for opening and closing said mold that is attached to said platens;
a first portion of the mold that is attached to the first platen of the molding press and a second portion of the mold that is attached to the second platen of the molding press; and
a floating mold alignment mechanism that is operatively associated with the first portion of the mold, the first platen and the molding press, said mechanism includes at least one sliding member that allows the first portion of the mold to freely translate in said radial direction a predetermined amount.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first portion of the mold is a mold half.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first portion of the mold is fixedly attached to the first platen and said press has a frame and said mold alignment mechanism is slidably attached to the frame and is also slidably attached to the first platen.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said mold alignment mechanism comprises a first slide and a second slide that are operatively associated with the first platen, the first mold portion and the molding press, said slides being arranged for orthogonal movement relative to each other.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein said mold alignment mechanism further comprises a first set of needle bearing linear guides that guide the movement of the first slide and a second set of needle bearing linear guides that guide the movement of the second slide.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said first set of needle bearing linear guides and said second set of needle bearing linear guides each comprises a v-shaped protrusion on each of two lateral sides of each slide, said mold alignment mechanism further comprising of a first set and a second set of v-shaped races, each v-shaped race comprising a set of needle bearings found on opposing sides of said each said v-shaped race, each said v-shaped race mating with one of said v-shaped protrusions of said first and second slides, providing four sets of needle bearings for guiding said first slide and four sets of needle bearings for guiding said second slide.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising two gibs for each slide for guiding the movement of each slide wherein the gibs have v-shaped grooves for retaining the v-shaped races and v-shaped protrusions of the slides.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined amount of radial movement is at least 0.5 mm.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the predetermined amount of radial movement is 1.0 mm-2.5 mm.

10. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said molding press is a vertical molding press, said first platen is an upper platen, said second platen is a lower platen and wherein said upper platen includes an opening that serves as a pouring slot when the mold is closed.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein said upper platen is pivotally connected to the molding press and said lower platen is translatably connected to the molding press in a vertical direction.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein said molding press further comprises an arm that extends from the frame and wherein said upper platen includes a central portion and an outer annular portion and the central portion is connected to the arm, said apparatus further comprising a connecting member that connects the outer annular portion to the central portion of the upper platen.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a freeplay adjusting mechanism that limits the movement of the floating mold alignment mechanism in at least one direction.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein said freeplay adjusting mechanism comprises an attachment member having an aperture and a stud, said stud passing through said aperture, said stud secured to said first portion of the mold, said attachment member secured to a portion of the apparatus that is not the first portion of the mold.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein said stud has threaded ends and a flange, one of said threaded ends being configured to be attached to a slide, said slide secured to a portion of the apparatus that is not part of the first portion of the mold, said stud being configured so that the flange is found adjacent the slide and the attachment member after said stud has been secured to the slide and passed through the aperture of the attachment member, said freeplay adjusting mechanism further comprising a nut that is attached to a free end of the stud that extends past the attachment member.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein said freeplay adjusting mechanism comprises an attachment member having an aperture and a stud, said stud passing through said aperture, said attachment member secured to said first portion of the mold, said stud secured to a portion of the apparatus that is not the first portion of the mold.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein said stud has threaded ends and a flange, one of said threaded ends being configured to be attached to said portion of the apparatus that is not the first portion of the mold, said stud being configured so that the flange is found adjacent to the attachment member after said stud has been secured to said slide and passed through the aperture of the attachment member, said freeplay adjusting mechanism further comprising a nut that is attached to the free threaded end of the stud that extends past the attachment member.

Assignees

• Anderson Scott Powell
• Wilson Brian D
• Michelin & Cie
• Michelin Rech Tech

Inventors

• Anderson Scott Powell
• Wilson Brian D

Classifications

• B29C41/042

  by rotating a mould around its axis of symmetry (for concrete B28B21/30) · CPC title

• B29C41/38

  Moulds, cores or other substrates · CPC title

• B29D30/02 Primary

  Solid tyres {; Moulds therefor} · CPC title

• B29D30/0601

  Vulcanising tyres; Vulcanising presses for tyres · CPC title

• B29D30/0605

  Vulcanising presses characterised by moulds integral with the presses having radially movable sectors · CPC title