Patent ID: 6856929

Claim:
A method for improving the uniformity of a tire comprising the steps of: (a) Determining a set of vector coefficients corresponding to the after cure radial force variation of a tire, comprising the sub-steps of: (i) Recording a loading angle of a tire carcass on a measurement fixture, (ii) Measuring the before cure radial runout of a plurality of finished tires, (iii) Recording a loading angle of said finished tires in a curing mold and curing said tires, (iv) Measuring the after cure radial force variation for each of said tires, (v) Extracting at least one harmonic of the radial runout and of the radial force variation of said tires, (vi) Determining a set of vector coefficients relating the before cure radial runout to the after cure radial force variation of said tires cured in said mold, (vii) Storing said vector coefficients, (b) Estimating the after cure uniformity of an individual tire comprising the sub-steps of: (i) Recording a loading angle of a carcass of said individual tire on said measurement fixture (ii) Measuring the before cure radial runout of said individual tire, (iii) Choosing a harmonic of radial force variation to be optimized, (iv) Extracting a harmonic of radial runout of said individual tire, (v) Estimating a tire room effect vector of the radial force variation corresponding to said harmonic, (vi) Estimating a curing room effect vector of the radial force variation corresponding to said harmonic, (c) Optimizing the after cure uniformity of an individual tire comprising the sub-steps of: (i) Determining an azimuth of said tire room effect vector and of said curing room effect vector, (ii) Aligning the angular position of said individual tire such that said azimuth of said tire room effect vector opposes said curing room effect vector, and (iii) Placing said individual tire so aligned in said curing mold and curing said tire.