Patent GB-793660-A (GB)
Title: Tyre curing press
IPC: B29D30/06
Filed: 1956-02-28
Abstract: 793,660. Tyre vulcanizing press. NATIONAL RUBBER MACHINERY CO. Feb. 28, 1956 [June 17, 1955], No. 6218/56. Class 87(2). A tyre curing press has a pair of relatively movable mould sections, a collapsible segmented bead pressing assembly adapted to press the beads of a tyre carcass against the mould sections when the latter are in mating engagement, and fluid means for expanding the carcass against the mould sections during mould closure and during the vulcanizing process. The mould sections 9, 15 with toe rings 11, 17 are attached to heating platens 8, 14 secured respectively to the press base 1 and a relatively movable press head 7. Between the bottom mould section 9 and heating platen 8 is a closure member 18 with fluid inlet and outlet pipes 19, 20. The bead pressing assembly as a whole, is moved relatively to the upper mould section 15, by a piston 28 attached to a tube 27, in a cylinder 29. The bead pressing segments 42 are attached to an upper head 25, secured to the tube 2.7, and to a relatively movable lower head 26, by links 45, 47, so arranged that movement of the lower head 26 relative to the upper head 25 will cause alternate segments 42 to swing inwardly and upwardly and inwardly and downwardly respectively. Attached to the lower head 26 is a tube 30 with a piston 31 acting in the tube 27. The tube 30 has an opening 34 beneath the piston 31 and is surrounded by a tube 35 above the piston 31 and inside the tube 27. With the mould sections fully apart and the bead pressing assembly collapsed and withdrawn, a pulley band carcass T is placed on the lower mould section 9 and is located by the toe ring 11. The upper press head assembly is then moved progressively downwards until the upper mould section 15 and toe ring 17 mates with the top of the carcass T. During further downwards movement of the upper press head assembly, compressed air is admitted through a pipe 19 to the carcass, causing it to expand. The collapsed bead pressing assembly is then moved downwards, relative to the upper mould section 15, by fluid pressure acting on the top of the piston 28 and the segments of the bead pressing assembly are erected by an upward movement of the lower head .26 relative to the lower head 25 caused by fluid pressure acting on the underside of the piston 31. With complete closure of the mould sections 9, 15 the carcass is gripped firmly around its beads by the said mould sections and the erected segments 42 of the bead pressing assembly which forms a continuous annulus. Curing fluid is then admitted to the interior of the carcass T, via the closure member 18 and passages 54 in the segments 42 causing it to expand and cure against the mould sections 9, 15. After curing and during the initial opening of the mould, the carcass is held against the upper mould section 15 by the bead pressing assembly, thus draining the curing fluid. During further upward movement the tyre is released firstly from the bottom mould section and then by downward movement of the bead pressing assembly from the top mould section. Collapsing of the bead pressing assembly then releases the tyre. In a modification, the segments of the bead pressing assembly are alternately connected to the upper and lower halves of the press, the operating method being similar to that described above.