JP6766491B2 - Tire bladder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tire bladder used in a tire manufacturing process, and more particularly to a tire bladder that enables easy and stable installation of any accessory on the surface of the bladder body.

In the process of molding a pneumatic tire, a bladder is placed inside the green tire and the internal pressure is applied to the bladder to support the green tire or deform the green tire itself. ing. Further, in the vulcanization process, the green tire is pressed against the molding surface of the mold by inflating the bladder inside the green tire, and the green tire is heated by the heat medium filled inside the bladder. Is being done.

The swelling of the tire bladder used in this way, that is, the non-uniform strain distribution, has a direct adverse effect on the quality of the product tire. Therefore, it is important to observe how the bladder swells during the tire manufacturing process. However, since the bladder is placed inside the green tire, it is not possible to check how the bladder swells from the outside of the tire.

On the other hand, in the vulcanization process, it is important to observe not only the strain distribution but also the temperature of the heat medium filled inside the bladder. However, it is more difficult to observe the temperature of the heat medium filled inside the bladder from the outside of the tire.

In order to solve such a problem, it is effective to install a sensor for measuring strain and temperature on the surface of the bladder. However, since the bladder is relatively thin and is mainly composed of rubber, it is difficult to stably install the sensor on the bladder.

On the other hand, as a method of measuring the temperature inside the bladder in the vulcanization process of a pneumatic tire, it has been proposed to integrally mold a protrusion on the inner surface of the bladder and attach a temperature sensor to the protrusion (). For example, see Patent Document 1). However, when an accessory such as a sensor is attached by using the protrusion formed on the inner surface of the bladder, the attachment work is troublesome and it is difficult to stably install the accessory.

JP 2015-223776

An object of the present invention is to provide a tire bladder that enables easy and stable installation of any accessory on the surface of the bladder body.

The tire bladder of the present invention for achieving the above object is a tire bladder used in a tire manufacturing process, and includes a cylindrical bladder main body and a hook-and-loop fastener attached to the surface of the bladder main body. It is characterized by.

In the present invention, by providing the surface fastener on the surface of the bladder body, any accessory can be easily and stably installed on the surface of the bladder body via the surface fastener. Since the accessories are stably installed on the surface of the bladder body, the accessories can be effectively used in the tire manufacturing process. For example, when the accessory is a temperature sensor, the internal temperature of the bladder can be measured in the tire manufacturing process, and when the accessory is a strain sensor, the strain of the bladder body can be detected in the tire manufacturing process.

The state of fixing the surface fastener to the surface of the bladder body is not particularly limited. For example, the surface fastener can be fixed to the surface of the bladder body by a suture member, a locking member or an adhesive. That is, the hook-and-loop fastener can be sewn to the surface of the bladder body with a sewing machine, the hook-and-loop fastener can be locked to the surface of the bladder body with staples or the like, or the hook-and-loop fastener can be adhered to the surface of the bladder body with an adhesive. The most preferable fixing state is to vulcanize and bond the hook-and-loop fastener to the bladder body, that is, to integrally fix the hook-and-loop fastener to the bladder body.

The hook-and-loop fastener is composed of a sheet-shaped base material, a plurality of engaging elements formed on one surface of the base material, and a plurality of anchor elements formed on the other surface of the base material. Is preferable. In this case, the anchor element is embedded in the bladder body to form a strong bond between the bladder body and the hook-and-loop fastener. The height of the anchor element is preferably 0.3 mm to 2.0 mm in order for the anchor element to bite into the bladder body and secure a mechanical coupling force.

It is a meridian sectional view which shows an example of the bladder (for molding) for a tire to which this invention is applied. It is a meridian sectional view which shows an example of the bladder for a tire (for vulcanization) to which this invention is applied. It is a meridian cross-sectional view which shows the bladder for a tire which comprises embodiment of this invention. (A) and (b) are notched perspective views showing a tire bladder according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the surface fastener is fixed to the surface of a bladder body by a suture member. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the surface fastener is fixed to the surface of a bladder body by a locking member. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the surface fastener is fixed with the adhesive to the surface of the bladder body. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the surface fastener was vulcanized and adhered to the surface of the bladder body. (A) to (d) are side views which show the modification of the hook-and-loop fastener, respectively.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of a tire bladder to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, the bladder 10 is used in the molding process of the green tire G. The bladder 10 has a cylindrical shape and is coaxially inserted inside the green tire G supported by the pair of bead support members 20, 20. Then, by inflating the bladder 10 inside the green tire G, it functions to deform the green tire G into a desired shape.

FIG. 2 shows another example of a tire bladder to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 2, the bladder 10 is used in the vulcanization step of the green tire G. The bladder 10 has a cylindrical shape and is coaxially inserted inside the green tire G inserted into the mold 30. Then, by inflating the bladder 10 inside the green tire G, the green tire G functions to press against the molding surface of the mold 30. In FIG. 2, the mold 30 is composed of a lower mold 31, an upper mold 32, and a sector 33. Further, the lower end of the bladder 10 is gripped between the lower mold 31 and the lower clamp ring 34, and the upper end of the bladder 10 is gripped between the upper clamp ring 35 and the auxiliary ring 36.

FIG. 3 shows a tire bladder according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is used as a tire molding bladder shown in FIG. 1 or a tire vulcanization bladder shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the bladder 10 includes a cylindrical bladder main body 11 and a hook-and-loop fastener 12 mounted on the inner surface of the bladder main body 11. Flange portions are formed at both ends of the bladder body 11 in the axial direction. On the other hand, another surface fastener 14 paired with the surface fastener 12 is attached to the accessory 13 to be attached to the inner surface of the bladder body 11. By engaging these surface fasteners 12 and 14 with each other, the accessory 13 is installed on the inner surface of the bladder body 11.

According to the tire bladder 10 described above, by providing the surface fastener 12 on the inner surface of the bladder body 11, any accessory 12 such as a sensor can be easily attached to the inner surface of the bladder body 11 via the surface fastener 12. It can be installed stably. When the accessory 13 is used as a temperature sensor, the internal temperature of the bladder 10 can be measured in the tire manufacturing process. Further, when the accessory 13 is used as a strain sensor, the strain of the bladder body 11 can be detected in the tire manufacturing process. For example, a strain sensor can be configured by mounting a conductive member on the pair of hook-and-loop fasteners 12 so as to straddle the pair of hook-and-loop fasteners 12 and measuring a change in the resistance value thereof.

In the tire bladder 10, the installation location of the surface fastener 12 can be appropriately selected. For example, in FIG. 4A, a strip-shaped surface fastener 12 extending in the circumferential direction of the bladder main body 11 is arranged at the central portion in the axial direction of the bladder main body 11. In this case, it is desirable that the surface fastener 12 itself has elasticity. In FIG. 4B, a plurality of surface fasteners 12 are arranged so as to be scattered on the inner surface of the bladder main body 11. In particular, it is preferable to reduce the area of each surface fastener 12 so as not to hinder the expansion and contraction of the bladder body 11, increase the number of surface fasteners 12 according to the required engaging force, and disperse them. For example, the area of each hook-and-loop fastener 12 is preferably 100 mm ² or less.

5 and 7 show a state in which the surface fastener is fixed to the inner surface of the bladder body. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the hook-and-loop fastener 12 is composed of a sheet-shaped base material 12A and a plurality of engaging elements 12B formed on one surface of the base material 12A. In FIG. 5, the hook-and-loop fastener 12 is sewn to the inner surface of the bladder body 11 by a suture member 15 made of suture thread. In FIG. 6, the hook-and-loop fastener 12 is locked to the inner surface of the bladder main body 11 by a locking member 16 which is a staple. Such a sewn member 15 or a locking member 16 is effective when the gauge of the bladder body 11 is thick. In FIG. 7, the hook-and-loop fastener 12 is adhered to the inner surface of the bladder body 11 with an adhesive 17.

FIG. 8 shows a state in which the surface fastener is vulcanized and adhered to the inner surface of the bladder body. As shown in FIG. 8, the hook-and-loop fastener 12 is provided on a sheet-shaped base material 12A, a plurality of engaging elements 12B formed on one surface of the base material 12A, and the other surface of the base material 12A. It is composed of a plurality of formed anchor elements 12C. In this case, the anchor element 12C is buried in the bladder main body 11, so that a strong bond is formed between the bladder main body 11 and the hook-and-loop fastener 12. In particular, when the surface fastener 12 is vulcanized and adhered to the bladder body 11, the surface fastener 12 can be easily and firmly fixed to the bladder body 11 based on the anchor element 12C. Even when the anchor element 12C is not provided, the hook-and-loop fastener 12 can be vulcanized and adhered to the bladder body 11.

The height of the anchor element 12C is preferably 0.3 mm to 2.0 mm. As a result, the anchor element 12C bites into the bladder body 11 and a sufficient mechanical coupling force can be secured. If the height of the anchor element 12C is too small, the anchor effect cannot be obtained, and conversely, if it is too large, the bladder body 11 may be damaged.

9 (a) to 9 (d) show modifications of the hook-and-loop fastener, respectively. In FIG. 9A, the surface fastener 12 includes a base material 12A and a loop-shaped engaging element 12B, and the surface fastener 14 paired thereto includes a base material 14A and a hook-shaped engaging element 14B. There is. In FIG. 9B, the hook-and-loop fastener 12 includes a base material 12A and a loop-shaped engaging element 12B, and the hook-and-loop fastener 14 paired thereto has a base material 14A and an engaging element 14B having a bifurcated tip. It has. In FIG. 9C, the hook-and-loop fastener 12 includes a base material 12A and an engaging element 12B having a rod-shaped base end and a spherically bulging tip, and the surface fastener 14 paired thereto has a base material 14A and a base end. It is provided with an engaging element 14B which is rod-shaped and has a spherical tip. In FIG. 9D, the surface fastener 12 includes a base material 12A and a loop-shaped engaging element 12B, and the surface fastener 14 paired with the base material 14A has a rod-shaped base end and an umbrella-shaped tip. It is provided with an engaging element 14B. In either case, the engaging elements 12B and 14B of the hook-and-loop fasteners 12 and 14 are engaged with each other.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the surface fastener 12 is attached to the inner surface of the bladder body 11 has been described, but in the present invention, the surface fastener 12 can be attached to the outer surface of the bladder body 11. When the hook-and-loop fastener 12 is attached to the outer surface of the bladder body 11, the accessory 13 comes into contact with the green tire G, but for example, it does not cause any inconvenience in a test process related to tire manufacturing.

Further, the present invention is preferably applied to a bladder inserted inside a tire as described above, but can also be applied to, for example, a bladder used when turning up a carcass member in a tire manufacturing process. is there.

10 Bladder 11 Bladder body 12 Hook-and-loop fastener 12A Base material 12B Engagement element 12C Anchor element 13 Accessories 14 Other hook-and-loop fastener 15 Suture member 16 Locking member 17 Adhesive

Claims (6)

A tire bladder used in a tire manufacturing process, which comprises a cylindrical bladder main body and a hook-and-loop fastener attached to the surface of the bladder main body. The tire bladder according to claim 1, further comprising any accessory attached to the surface of the bladder body via the hook-and-loop fastener. The tire bladder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hook-and-loop fastener is fixed to the surface of the bladder body by a suture member, a locking member or an adhesive. The tire bladder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hook-and-loop fastener is vulcanized and adhered to the surface of the bladder body. The hook-and-loop fastener is composed of a sheet-shaped base material, a plurality of engaging elements formed on one surface of the base material, and a plurality of anchor elements formed on the other surface of the base material. The bladder for a tire according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bladder is made. The tire bladder according to claim 5 , wherein the height of the anchor element is 0.3 mm to 2.0 mm.

Images