Mold with sectors for a tire including insulating supporting plates, and associated molding method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9796149-B2
Application number	US-201415103473-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2014
Priority date	Dec 10, 2013
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A mold for a tire comprises first and second shells that are intended to mold lateral sidewalk of the tire, a plurality of sectors that are distributed in the circumferential direction and are intended to mold a tread of said tire, a first and a second support plate that each comprise a bearing face with which the associated shell is mounted axially in contact, and a plurality of first and second heating means for heating at least the first and the second shell, respectively.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mold for a tire including a tread and two lateral sidewalls, the mold comprising:
first and second shells mold-able to the lateral sidewalls of the tire,
a plurality of sectors that are distributed in the circumferential direction and are mold-able to the tread of said tire,
a first and a second support plate that each comprise a bearing face with which the associated shell is mounted axially in contact, a plurality of first heating and second heating means for heating at least the first and the second shell, respectively,
wherein each support plate comprises at least one body that is made of a thermally insulating material and delimits the bearing face of said plate, at least one recess being formed in said bearing face, the first or second heating means being accommodated in said recess.

2. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of spaced-apart recesses are formed in the bearing face of each support plate, one of the first or second heating means being accommodated inside each of said recesses.

3. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein each heating means is able to generate heat independently of the activation of the other heating means.

4. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein the recesses in each support plate are oriented axially towards the inside of said mold.

5. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein the recesses in each support plate are made in the form of annular and concentric grooves.

6. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second heating means each comprise at least one first group of heating means disposed axially facing the associated shell.

7. The mold according to claim 6 , wherein the first and second heating means ( 42 , 44 ) each comprise at least one second group of heating means disposed axially facing the sectors.

8. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein the sectors are mounted axially in contact with the bearing faces of the support plates in a closed position of said mold.

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

10. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein the body of each support plate is made of a thermally insulating material that has a thermal conductivity lower than that of the materials of the sectors and of the shells.

11. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein the body of each support plate is made of a non-metal material, notably of a composite material.

12. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein the body of each support plate has an axial thickness of between 35 mm and 60 mm.

13. The mold according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second heating means are electric.

14. A method for molding a tire with the aid of a mold according to claim 1 , wherein the operation of the first and second heating means is controlled such that they heat the two shells to a temperature different from that to which the sectors of the mold are heated.

Assignees

• Michelin & Cie
• Michelin Rech Tech
• Michelin & Cie
• Michelin Rech Tech

Inventors

• Massoptier-David Michaèl
• Simonelli Thomas
• Walrand Gilles

Classifications

• B29D2030/0677

  Controlling temperature differences · CPC title

• B29D30/0629

  with radially movable sectors · CPC title

• B29D30/0662 Primary

  Accessories, details or auxiliary operations · CPC title

• B29D2030/0674

  Heating by using non-fluid means, e.g. electrical heating · CPC title