JPH0618699B2 - Vulcanization method and vulcanization apparatus for elastomer article - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a vulcanization method and a vulcanization apparatus for elastomer articles.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, when vulcanizing and molding an elastomer article (for example, a tire), temperature control of a vulcanization mold is performed by heating a hot plate called a platen plate with steam or an electric heater, and then vulcanizing the platen plate. By fixing the mold for contact closely and raising the temperature of the mold, or by heating with steam in a mold heating container called a dome, and then fixing the mold for vulcanization tightly on the dome, A method of increasing the temperature of the mold was used.

That is, when using a platen plate, as shown in FIG.
When the valve d is opened, steam is supplied from a steam supply source (not shown) to the upper platen plate a and the jacket b through the pipe e, and the steam is supplied to the pipe f.
Is supplied to the lower platen plate c via the
Is discharged from the pipe g. That is, the upper and lower platens a and c and the jacket b were controlled at the same temperature. Therefore, in this method, the temperature of the molds interposed between the upper and lower platen plates was almost the same at all parts. In the figure, h is a trap.

When using a dome, as shown in FIG. 11, the valve i is opened to supply steam from a steam supply source (not shown) into the dome k through the pipe j.
It is discharged through the pipe 1. That is, each part of the mold m in the dome k was controlled at the same temperature. Therefore, even in this method, the temperature of the mold fixed in the dome k was substantially the same at all parts.
In the figure, n is a trap.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

However, in recent years, tires (elastomer articles) have been required to meet various requirements such as driving stability, riding comfort, grip, and low fuel consumption from the viewpoint of improving vehicle performance (flatness 60%, 50%, etc.) or saving energy. Performance is required and its improvement is required. By the way, the constituent compounding material (hereinafter referred to as compounding rubber) used for the tire is generally composed of different compounding rubbers in the tread portion and the side wall part, and the performance peculiar to the different compounding rubber is derived. The optimum vulcanization temperature for each is different, but if the conventional vulcanization equipment is used, the vulcanization temperature will be the same in the tread part and the sidewall part, so the performance of either one must be sacrificed. There wasn't. For example, in a tire where steering stability performance is particularly required, the rubber compounded in the sidewall part is particularly important. Therefore, in order to effectively bring out the compounded rubber performance, the temperature of the mold should be adjusted to that of the rubber compounded in the sidewall part. A method is used so that the optimum vulcanization temperature is obtained, that is, lower than that of a general tire (e.g., 82% flatness). However, in the case of using the platen plate, lowering the temperature of the upper and lower platen plates and in the case of using the dome lowers the temperature of the dome, and since the temperature of the entire mold becomes low, the tread portion of slow vulcanization is generally used. There are disadvantages that the temperature is lowered, the vulcanization time is prolonged, and the productivity is remarkably lowered.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vulcanizing method and a vulcanizing apparatus that can bring out the performance required for each part of a tire and can improve the productivity.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a method of vulcanizing an elastomer article according to the present invention is a method of vulcanizing an elastomer article in which constituent materials are different for each part, and the elastomer article is a tire. At the same time, the temperature of the platen portion and the jacket portion were independently controlled to vulcanize the sidewall portion of the tire at a temperature according to the constituent compound material, and the tread portion of the tire was determined according to the constituent compound material. It is vulcanized at a temperature.

Further, another method for vulcanizing an elastomer article is a method for vulcanizing an elastomer article in which the constituent compounding material is different for each part, wherein the elastomer article is used as a tire and the temperatures of the dome portion and the jacket portion are respectively set. Independently controlling, the sidewall portion of the tire is vulcanized at a temperature according to its constituent compounding material, and the tread portion of the tire is vulcanized at a temperature corresponding to its constituent compounding material.

Further, the vulcanization apparatus for an elastomer article according to the present invention independently controls the temperatures of the platen portion and the jacket portion to vulcanize each portion of the elastomer article at a temperature according to its constituent compounding material. It is equipped with a temperature control system.

Further, the vulcanization device for other elastomer articles includes a temperature control system that independently controls the temperatures of the dome portion and the jacket portion to vulcanize each portion of the elastomer article at a temperature according to its constituent compounding material. Be prepared.

[Action]

In the present invention, each part of the tire which is an elastomer article (specifically, the sidewall part and the tread part).
Is vulcanized at a temperature corresponding to the constituent compounding material, so that each sidewall part and tread part can exhibit excellent performance peculiar to the compounding.

Further, among the parts of the elastomer article, for the part where the wall thickness is large and vulcanization is most delayed, the vulcanization temperature of only that part can be independently raised, so that the performance of other parts is not impaired, Vulcanization time can be significantly shortened and productivity can be improved.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments will be independently described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a simplified diagram of an independent temperature control system 30 in a tire vulcanizing apparatus according to the present invention. This apparatus uses a so-called split mold as shown in FIG. A platen section 3, an actuator 19 attached to the upper platen 1 and having a jacket 4 inside, and a platen section piping 5 for supplying steam from a steam supply source (not shown) to the platen section 3 via a valve 7. And a jacket pipe 6 for supplying steam from a steam supply source to the jacket part 4 through a valve 8,
The temperature of each part of the device is independently controlled. For example, as in the embodiment, the steam temperature supplied to the platen part 3 and the steam temperature supplied to the jacket part 4 are independently controlled. The steam supply source that supplies steam to the valve 7 and the steam supply source that supplies to the valve 8 may be the same or different. That is,
Steam temperature supplied to the platen section 3 and jacket section 4
It suffices to separately control the steam temperature supplied to the.

That is, the pipe 5 for the platen portion includes the valve 7 and the upper platen 1.
A supply unit 9 for connecting the upper platen 1 and the lower platen 2
A connecting part 10 connecting the lower platen 2 and the trap 13, a connecting part 24 connecting the discharging part 11 and the controller 23 for the platen part via the thermometer T, and a controller for the platen part. Return part 25 connecting 23 and valve 7
The jacket pipe 6 includes a supply unit 12 that connects the valve 8 and the jacket unit 4, a discharge unit 14 that connects the jacket unit 4 and the trap 13, and a thermometer T.
The connecting section 27 connects the discharge section 14 and the jacket section controller 26 via the return section 28 and the return section 28 that connects the jacket section controller 26 and the valve 8.

Further, as shown in the state of being closed in FIG. 2, the split mold 15 for the tire M as an elastomer article includes a side mold 16, a tread ring 17, and a tread sector 20.
And is interposed between the mold holders 18, 18. Also,
Steam is supplied to the jacket portion 4 of the actuator 19.

When the mold 15 is fully closed, the upper platen 1 abuts the upper mold holder 18, the lower platen 2 abuts the lower mold holder 18, and the actuator 19 having the jacket 4 therein is provided. Abuts the tread sector 20. Therefore, the side mold 16 is heated by the platen portion 3 (the upper platen 1 and the lower platen 2), and the tread ring 17 is heated by the jacket portion 4. That is, the tread portion 21 and the side wall portion 22, which have different constituent compounding materials, independently bring out the vulcanization temperature corresponding to each compounding material by the jacket part 4 and the platen part 3 respectively-the characteristics of each compounding material. It is possible to raise the temperature to the optimum vulcanization temperature.

Further, specifically, in order to control the temperature of the platen portion 3, a thermometer T is provided at the discharge portion 11 of the platen portion pipe 5.
When the measured value is lower than the set temperature, the controller 23 opens the valve 7 and closes the valve 7 in the opposite case, and adjusts the temperature of the platen section 3. Further, in order to control the temperature of the jacket part 4, as in the case of the platen part 3, the discharging part 14 of the jacket part 4 is controlled.
The temperature is measured by the thermometer T at 1, and when the measured value is lower than the set temperature, the controller 26 opens the valve 8, and in the opposite case, the valve 8 is closed and the temperature of the jacket portion 4 is adjusted. In other words, this vulcanization method selects the vulcanization temperature that can bring out the most targeted performance of the constituent compounding material of each part at each part, and controls the temperature by the independent separation method so that it becomes that temperature. They are vulcanized respectively.

The vulcanization temperature of the sidewall portion 22 (platen portion 3), which greatly contributes to tire performance such as rolling resistance, is controlled to be the optimum temperature to bring out its performance, and in general, the vulcanization is most delayed. If only the temperature of the thick tread portion 21 (jacket portion 4) is increased, the required tire performance can be maintained without over-vulcanizing the sidewall portion 22, and the vulcanization time can be shortened, thus improving productivity. Is improved.

Further, in the split mold, low temperature vulcanization of only the sidewall portion 22 can be performed at the same vulcanization time as that at the time of high temperature vulcanization to satisfy productivity and performance.

Next, in a tire using a sidewall composition that emphasizes low fuel consumption, the temperature of the jacket portion 4 and the platen portion 3 is raised at different temperatures using the above-mentioned mold 15 (split mold), and the results are as follows. Are shown in Table 1 and FIGS. 3 and 4.

That is, in Comparative Example I in which the jacket portion 4 and the platen portion 3 were set to the same temperature based on the vulcanization temperature of Comparative Example II in the table, the fuel economy performance was 5% by the low temperature vulcanization. Although improved, the vulcanization time increases by 3.5 minutes. However, as shown in the examples according to the present invention, when the temperatures of the jacket portion 4 and the platen portion 3 are different, the tread portion 21 which is delayed in vulcanization does not change the temperature at the time of vulcanization and the performance is improved. Since the sidewall portion 22, which is a point, is made to have a low temperature, it is possible to improve fuel economy without changing the vulcanization time.

Further, FIG. 3 shows the temperature of the tread surface. From this figure, the present embodiment shows the temperature of the tread portion 21 where vulcanization is delayed as a comparative example.
It can be seen that it can be almost equal to the temperature of II.

Further, FIG. 4 shows the temperature of the sidewall surface, and it can be seen that the present Example can be set to a temperature almost equal to that of Comparative Example I, which can maximize the performance of the sidewall formulation.

Therefore, by equalizing the temperatures of the tread portions 21 where vulcanization is delayed, only the sidewall portions 22 can be kept at a low temperature (without changing the vulcanization time), and tire performance and productivity can be made compatible.

Further, the independent temperature control system shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1 described above controls both of the pair of molds at a time, but instead of this, the platen section 3 and the jacket section 4 are supplied for each one of the molds. The side pipe and the discharge side pipe may be separated into the left and right sides as shown in FIG.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be freely changed without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, as a method of setting different temperatures in the tread portion 21 and the sidewall portion 22, so-called In a two-piece mold, steam piping or an electric heater is provided in the mold to give different heat from the platen side (sidewall part 22) and the mold side (tire tread part 21), and different mold parts are provided. It can also be set to the temperature. Further, since the sidewall portion 22 is generally located at a short distance from the platen portion 3, when the sidewall portion 22 and the tread portion 21 are made of the same constituent compound material, the sidewall portion 22 is
22 may be over-vulcanized, and in such a case, by using the device according to the present invention, it is possible to lower the temperature of the sidewall portion 22 and prevent over-vulcanization.

Next, FIG. 6 shows another embodiment. In this case, the dome portion 33 composed of the upper and lower bolster plates 31 and 32, and the actuator 39 attached to the upper bolster plate 31 and having the jacket portion 34 inside thereof. And a dome pipe 35 for supplying steam from a steam supply source (not shown) to the dome part 33 via the valve 37, and a valve from the steam supply source.
The jacket portion piping 36 for supplying steam to the jacket portion 34 via 38 is provided, and the temperature of each part of the device is independently controlled. For example, the steam temperature supplied to the dome part 33 and the steam temperature supplied to the jacket part 34 are independently controlled. Also in this case, the steam supply source supplying steam to the valve 37 and the steam supply source supplying to the valve 38 may be the same or different. That is, the steam temperature supplied to the dome portion 33 and the steam temperature supplied to the jacket portion 34 may be controlled separately.

Then, the pipe 35 for the dome part has a valve 37 and a dome part 33.
A supply unit 40 and a discharge unit 41 for connecting the discharge unit 41 and the dome controller 43 via the thermometer T; and a feedback unit for connecting the dome controller 43 and the valve 37. It consists of 45, and the piping for the jacket part
36 is a supply part 42 that connects the valve 38 and the jacket part 34.
And a discharge part 47 connecting the jacket part 34 and the trap 46.
And a connecting portion 49 for connecting the discharge portion 47 and the jacket controller 48 via the thermometer T, and a return portion 50 for connecting the jacket controller 48 and the valve 38.

Further, as shown in the state of being closed in FIG. 2, the split mold 15 for the tire M, which is an elastomer article, includes side molds 16, 16, a tread ring 17, and a tread sector.
20 and is interposed between the mold holders 18, 18. Further, steam is supplied to the inside of the jacket portion 4 of the actuator 19.

When the mold 15 (see FIG. 2) is fully closed, the upper bolster plate 31 contacts the upper mold holder 18 and the lower bolster plate 32 contacts the lower mold holder 18 and the jacket The actuator 39 having the portion 34 installed therein contacts the tread sector 20. Therefore, the side mold 16 is heated in the dome portion 33, and the tread ring 17 is heated in the jacket portion 39. That is, the tread portion 21 and the sidewall portion 22 having different constituent materials are respectively jacket portions 34.
By the dome portion 33 and the dome portion 33, the vulcanization temperature corresponding to each compound material-the optimum vulcanization temperature to bring out the performance peculiar to each compound material-can be raised.

Further, specifically, in order to control the temperature of the dome portion 33, the temperature of the discharge portion 41 of the dome portion pipe 35 is measured by the thermometer T, and when the measured value is lower than the set temperature, the controller 43 is used. , Open valve 37 and vice versa
Close 37 and adjust the temperature of the dome 33. Further, in order to control the temperature of the jacket portion 34, the temperature of the discharge portion 47 of the jacket portion 34 is measured by the thermometer T, and if the measured value is lower than the set temperature, the valve 48 is opened by the controller 48 and the reverse operation is performed. In this case, the valve 38 is closed and the temperature of the jacket 34 is adjusted. That is, similar to the device shown in FIG. 1, a vulcanization temperature that can bring out the most targeted performance of the constituent compounded material of each site is selected at each site, and the vulcanization temperature is independently controlled so as to reach that temperature. The vulcanization is performed by controlling the temperature.

In addition, the vulcanization temperature of the sidewall portion 22 (dome portion 33) that greatly contributes to tire performance such as rolling resistance is controlled so as to be the optimum temperature to bring out its performance, and in general, the vulcanization is most delayed. If only the temperature of the thick tread portion 21 (jacket portion 34) is increased, the required tire performance can be maintained without over-vulcanizing the sidewall portion 22, and the vulcanization time can be shortened, thus improving productivity. Is improved.

Further, in the split mold, low temperature vulcanization of only the sidewall portion 22 can be performed at the same vulcanization time as that at the time of high temperature vulcanization to satisfy productivity and performance.

Next, in a tire using a sidewall composition that emphasizes low fuel consumption, using the mold 15 described above,
The temperature of 34 and the dome portion 33 were raised at different temperatures, and the results are shown in Table 2 below and FIGS. 7 and 8.

That is, based on the vulcanization temperature of Comparative Example IV in the table, Comparative Example III in the table in which the jacket portion 34 and the dome portion 33 are at the same temperature.
So, low fuel consumption performance is 5% by low temperature vulcanization
Although improved, the vulcanization time increases by 4 minutes. However, as shown in the embodiment according to the present invention, in the case where the temperatures of the jacket portion 34 and the dome portion 33 are different, the tread portion 21 in which vulcanization is delayed does not change the temperature at the time of vulcanization and the performance is improved. Since the sidewall portion 22, which is a point, is made to have a low temperature, it is possible to improve fuel economy without changing the vulcanization time.

Further, FIG. 7 shows the temperature of the tread surface. From this figure, the present embodiment shows the temperature of the tread portion 21 where vulcanization is delayed as a comparative example.
It can be seen that it can be almost equal to the temperature of IV.

Further, FIG. 8 shows the temperature of the side wall surface, and it can be seen that the present example can be set to a temperature almost equal to that of the comparative example III, which can maximize the performance of the side wall formulation.

Therefore, by equalizing the temperatures of the tread portions 21 where vulcanization is delayed, only the sidewall portions 22 can be kept at a low temperature (without changing the vulcanization time), and tire performance and productivity can be made compatible.

Further, the independent temperature control system shown in the embodiment of FIG. 6 described above controls both of the pair of molds at a time, but instead of this, supply of the dome portion 33 and the jacket portion 34 for each one of the molds. The side pipe and the discharge side pipe may be separated into the left and right sides as shown in FIG.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and may be freely changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, as a method of setting different temperatures in the tread portion 21 and the sidewall portion 22, so-called 2 In the piece mold, steam pipes or electric heaters are installed inside the mold, and the dome part
It is also possible to apply different heat from the 34 side and the mold side (tire tread portion 21) so that different temperature is applied to each part of the mold. Also, hot water can be used as a heat source for the jacket portions 4 and 34. Further, as a method of cooling the tread portion 21 contrary to the above-mentioned embodiment, the platen portion 3 (or the dome portion 3) is attached to the jacket portion 4 (or 34).
3) Steam or hot water having a lower temperature can also be used.

〔The invention's effect〕

 The present invention has the following effects.

The sidewall portion 22 and the tread portion 21 of the tire are vulcanized at a temperature that can bring out the best performance,
It is possible to improve tire performance such as steering stability, riding comfort, grip, and fuel efficiency.

Further, it is possible to shorten the vulcanization time, prevent the temperature from rising more than necessary, and improve the productivity.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified view of an embodiment of an independent temperature control system in a vulcanizing apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a vulcanizing apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a method for vulcanizing by a method according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the result of the thermojunction test of the tread portion, FIG. 4 is a graph showing the result of the thermojunction test of the sidewall portion, and FIG. 5 is a simplified diagram of another embodiment of the independent temperature control system. , FIG. 6 is a simplified diagram of another embodiment of the independent temperature control system, FIG. 7 is a graph showing the result of the thermojunction test of the tread portion, and FIG. 8 is the result of the thermojunction test of the sidewall portion. FIG. 9 is a simplified diagram of yet another embodiment of the independent temperature control system. 10 and 11 are simplified diagrams of a conventional single temperature control system, respectively. 3 ... Platen part, 4, 34 ... Jacket part, 30 ... Independent temperature control system, 33 ... Dome part, M ... Elastomer article.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method for vulcanizing an elastomeric article M, wherein the constituent compounding material is different for each part, wherein the elastomeric article M is a tire and the temperatures of the platen part 3 and the jacket part 4 are independently controlled. do it,
The sidewall portion 22 of the tire is vulcanized at a temperature according to its constituent compounding material, and the tread portion 21 of the tire is vulcanized at a temperature according to its constituent compounding material. Sulfurization method. 2. A method of vulcanizing an elastomeric article M, wherein the constituent compounding material is different for each part, wherein the elastomeric article M is used as a tire, and the temperatures of the dome portion 33 and the jacket portion 34 are independently controlled. Then, the side wall portion 22 of the tire is vulcanized at a temperature according to its constituent compounding material, and the tread portion 21 of the tire is vulcanized at a temperature according to its constituent compounding material. Method of vulcanizing articles. 3. A temperature control system 30 for independently controlling the temperatures of the platen part 3 and the jacket part 4 to vulcanize each part of the elastomeric article M at a temperature according to its constituent compounding materials. A device for vulcanizing an elastomer article. 4. A temperature control system 30 for independently controlling the temperatures of the dome portion 33 and the jacket portion 34 to vulcanize each portion of the elastomer article M at a temperature according to its constituent compounding material. A device for vulcanizing an elastomer article.