Abstract:
A tire bundle is molded in a mold cavity formed by closing a mold having upper and lower mold halves with intermeshing fingers ( 20, 24 ) for enclosing bead wires and providing a molded bead ring for placing in a bead apex mold.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention related to molding a tire bead and especially to curing the rubber coating on the bead wires of a bead bundle which is held in a predetermined shape. The bead wires are held in place during the vulcanization so that when the bead ring is placed in a mold for injection molding of an apex on the bead, the mold will not be damaged by out of place wires. The bead bundle is also cured in a circular shape so that problems with pinching out of round beads are avoided during the closing of the bead apex mold. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Heretofore as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,127, a bead bundle of rubber coated bead wires has been placed in an apex mold and held in position by blades engaging the radially inner surface of the tire bead bundle. The apex-bead assembly is then formed by injection of rubber into the apex mold cavity of the apex mold. If the bead wires extend outwardly from the bead bundle, the mold may be damaged during closing causing shut down and costly repairs. With this method the unvulcanized bead bundle may be changed in shape by handling before placing in the apex mold. Also the bead bundle may be distorted and come apart during the injection process when rubber is being injected past the bead at high velocity and with great force. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a bead curing finger mold further characterized by the upper fingers and the lower fingers having sloped edges for guiding and compressing the bead bundle in a central position upon closing of the mold. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a bead curing finger mold further characterized by the upper fingers and the lower fingers having molding surfaces providing a circular molding member surface of the mold with a precise predetermined diameter of the bead bundle upon closing of the mold. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a bead curing finger mold wherein the bead bundle is a tire bead having a plurality of wires wrapped in a the bead bundle and coated with an elastomeric material further characterized by means for heating the mold for vulcanizing the elastomeric material. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a bead curing finger mold further characterized by the upper fingers and the lower fingers having extensions extending beyond the molding surfaces for guiding the bead bundle and providing recesses for receiving the extensions in the closed condition of the mold. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a bead curing finger mold further characterized by the lower finger mold half being raised to close the mold and the upper finger mold half has spaced apart spring loaded ejector fingers for retracting upon closing of the mold and for extension upon opening of the mold to transfer the bead bundle to the lower finger mold half. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a bead curing finger mold further characterized by the lower mold half having circumferentially spaced apart ejectors and bead holders extending upwardly through the lower finger mold half for holding the bead bundle in the lower position of the lower finger mold half prior to closing of the mold and ejecting the bead bundle upon lowering of the upper mold half after vulcanization of the bead bundle. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,115, an apex bead assembly mold for injection molding the apex assembly is shown where the rubber coated bead bundles are held in place on a cylindrical core by spaced-apart coaxial round rings arranged in side by side relation and engaging the axially extending inner surfaces and the radially extending inner surfaces of the beads so that when half molds are mounted around the core with the beads held in place, apex portions may be injection molded. Thereafter, the mold halves are removed and the bead apex assemblies pulled off the rings. During the injection process the unprotected bead bundle of unvulcanized rubber may be distorted or come apart due to high velocity movement of the rubber past of the bead. 
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a mold for heating and enclosing a circular member comprising a first mold member, a second mold member movable into engagement with the first mold member to provide a mold cavity characterized by the first mold member having a plurality circumferentially spaced first fingers, the second mold member having a plurality of circumferentially spaced second fingers movable into meshing engagement with the first fingers upon closing of the mold by movement of the first mold member towards the second mold member providing a circular mold cavity for the circular member. 
     This invention further relates to a bead curing finger mold characterized by a plurality of circumferentially spaced lower fingers disposed in a lower ring, a plurality of circumferentially spaced upper fingers disposed in an upper ring, the lower ring being positioned in a generally horizontal position for supporting a bead bundle, and the upper ring being positioned over the lower ring with the lower fingers interposed between the upper fingers in a closed position of the mold for containing and guiding the bead bundle and providing spaces along the lower fingers and the upper fingers to accommodate variations in size of the bead bundle. 
     This invention is also directed to the construction of a tire bead comprising multiple revolutions of metal wires coated with rubber and wound in a circular configuration to form a bead bundle characterized by the bead bundle being cured in a bead curing finger mold having a plurality of circumferentially spaced lower fingers disposed in a lower ring in a generally horizontal lower position for supporting the bead bundle, a plurality of circumferentially spaced upper fingers disposed in a generally horizontal upper ring positioned over the lower ring with the lower fingers interposed between the upper fingers in the closed position of the mold for containing and guiding the wires of the bead bundle and providing spaces along the lower fingers and the upper fingers to accommodate variations in size of the bead bundle during vulcanization of the bead upon application of heat to bead curing finger mold. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front view in perspective of a finger mold embodying the invention shown mounted in a press. 
     FIG. 2 is an elevation with parts broken away of the upper and lower mold halves shown in FIG. 1 removed from the press with the bead ring shown lifted from the lower mold. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the molds taken along the plane of line  3 — 3  in FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view of the lower mold half taken along the plane of line  4 — 4  in FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the spring for removing the bead from the upper mold half. 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary schematic sectional view of the upper and lower finger mold halves shown in FIG. 2 with the bead bundle held by the fingers without bottoming of the finger mold halves. 
     FIG. 7 is a view like FIG. 6 showing the bead ring after molding and before removal from the lower finger mold half. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a bead curing finger mold  10  embodying the invention is mounted in a hydraulic press  12  and has an upper finger mold half  14  and a lower finger mold half  16  movable together and apart upon opening and closing of the press. In the embodiment shown, the press  12  provides a pressure of 7 tons (7.11 metric tons) plus or minus 5 tons (5.08 metric tons) and the diameter of the bead is 22.50 inches (57.15 cm), however, with this press, medium radial truck tire beads of diameters having a range of 17.50 inches (44.45 cm) to 24.5 inches (62.23 cm) may be molded with finger molds of this type. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the lower finger mold half  16  is mounted on a bottom press plate  18  and includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart lower fingers  20 . Vertically movable ejector and bead holders  22  are mounted in the bottom press plate  18  at circumferentially spaced positions around the lower finger mold half  16  for holding a bead bundle  23  prior to closing the press  12  and ejecting the vulcanized bead after the curing cycle. 
     Referring to FIGS. 2,  3  and  5 , the upper finger mold half  14  has a plurality of circumferentially spaced upper fingers  24  mounted on a top press plate  26  of the press  12 . Four spaced apart upper ejector fingers  27  are individually slidably supported and are spring loaded on the upper finger mold half  14  and have four posts  28  slidably mounted in collars  30 , fastened to the upper finger mold half  14 . Coil springs  32  are disposed between the collars  30  and the upper ejector fingers  27  to urge the ejector fingers downward into engagement with the bead bundle  23  to eject the bead bundle and separate the bead bundle from the upper mold half  14  as the mold  10  opens. In operation, the press  12  is opened to the position shown in FIG. 1 with the ejector and bead holders  22  in a position above the lower finger mold half  16 . The bead bundle  23  is then placed over the lower fingers  20  on the bead holders  22 . The bead bundle  23  comprises a ring of bead wires wound and coated with rubber in a bead ring in a manner well-known in the art. The bottom press plate  18  is then raised vertically lifting the bead bundle  23  off the ejector and bead holders  22 . As shown in FIG. 7, tapered side surfaces  38  of the lower fingers  20  preferably have the same slope as a bead surface  40  relative to the axial direction A—A, which in this embodiment is an angle X of 15 degrees. However, in other embodiments, this angle may range from 0 to 45 degrees. The angle X is normally the same angle as the angle of the surface of the rim of the wheel on which the tire having this bead bundle  23  is mounted. 
     The press  12  is closed with the bottom mold plate  18  raised into a seating position with the top press plate  26 . The lower finger mold half  16  is raised into position so that the lower fingers  20  are in meshing engagement with the upper fingers  24  as shown in FIG.  6 . Steam or other heat transmitting material may then be provided in the press for vulcanizing the bead bundle  23  into a compact bead. 
     As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, during the closing operation the movement of the lower finger mold half  14  upward towards the upper finger mold half  14  is stopped by the compression of the bead bundle  23 . There is no bottoming out of the upper finger mold half  14  against the lower finger mold half  16 . This is advantageous because it provides a compact bead ring even though there may be variations in the size of the bead bundle  23 . Variations may be accommodated in spaces  40  at the edges of the upper fingers  24  and lower fingers  20 . 
     After vulcanization, the press  12  is opened and the springs  32  urge the ejector fingers  27  downward ejecting the bead bundle  23  as the press  12  opens. The ejector and bead holders  22  protrude through the lower finger mold half  16  and lift the vulcanized bead bundle  23  to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 as the bottom mold plate  18  is lowered. 
     While a certain representative embodiment and details have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. 
     Having thus described the invention it is now claimed: