The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Albert James Yovichin

Ronald Paul Homolak

James Alfred Benzing, Ii

George Michael Stoila

Richard Alan Thomas

William Allen Rex

Thomas Andrew Laurich

Daniel Patrick Hentosz

Timothy Michael Rooney

Robert Leon Benedict

Thomas Reed Oare

Daniel Ray Downing

Frederick Forbes Vannan, Jr

Andres Ignacio Delgado

Norbert Majerus

William Frank Dunn

Mary Beth Dombrosky

Mark Anthony Sieverding

John S Rambacher

William Randall Dutt

Larry Eugene Steidl

Bernard Byron Jacobs

Robert Albert Lammlein, Jr

Harold Aloysius Wolbert

Richard C Houck

David Lowell Wolfe

Larry E Chlebina

Harry R Swanson

Raouf Abdul Ridha

Mohammad Eghbal Sobhanie

Thomas John Rood

Thomas Eugene Brown

David D Hyde

Ronda Renee Thayer

Walter George Macesich

Shawn Derrick Knox

The method of building and transferring a tread belt structure on a portable and collapsible building drummounted coaxially on a building machinewith a rotatable shaftis disclosed. The method includes the steps of forming the annular tread belton the building drum, transferring the building drumwith the tread beltfrom the rotatable shaftonto a pivoting transfer device, pivoting the transfer deviceabout 90&#xb0; rendering the tread beltand axis of the building drumperpendicular to a horizontal plane, collapsing the building drum, separating the annular tread beltfrom the building drum, removing the tread belt, expanding the tire building drum, pivoting the building druminto coaxial alignment with the rotatable shaft, moving the building drumonto the shaft. The tread belthas one or more elastomeric components applied while hot and the equipment provides means for weighing the tread belt

Method and apparatus for building and transferring a tread belt structure

A method for applying a breaker or other reinforcement layer to a carcass strip by strip includes the steps of calculating an end gap based upon a nominal strip width, the size of the carcass, and the end count desired; calculating a distributed gap required to distribute the calculated end gap substantially equally between each strip; and applying the breaker strip by strip with each strip being separated from an adjacent strip by the distributed gap spacing.

Tire breaker strip application method and tire fabricated therefrom

Method for providing precured innerliners () having a predetermined cross sectional profile for use as part of a pneumatic tire assembly used in a bladder-less shaping and vulcanizing mold. The innerliner () is formed from a continuous strip of elastomeric material () hot formed using a calender assembly () with a profiled calender roller (). The formed strip is cured 'in-line' in a press () having a profile matching platen () before being wound onto a tire building drum (). After the pneumatic tire assembly is completed, the assembly is shaped and cured in a bladder-less mold, utilizing the precured innerliner as the impervious inner layer. Initially, the center region () of the innerliner is at least twice as thick as the lateral regions (). In the finished pneumatic tire, the innerliner exhibits a uniform thickness.

Hot forming system to produce pre-cured innerliners

A segmented annular mold for forming a tread belt having a reinforcing belt structure, the belt structure having a radial thickness (t) is disclosed. The mold has a plurality of radially movable and outwardly expandable inner segments for forming the inner surface of the tread belt and a plurality of radially movable and contracting outer segments for forming the outer tread belt surface. The radially inner and radially outer segments form a mold parting line at a location radially outward of a midpoint of the belt reinforcing structure of the tread belt at a location greater than 50% (t) as measured from the radially innermost surface of the belt reinforcing structure. The radially inner segments have upper and lower lateral edge forming portions extending outwardly to the parting line. Similarly, the radially outer mold segments have upper and lower lateral edge forming portions extending inwardly to the parting line. The parting line is located at least radially outwardly of a radially inner second belt layer of the belt reinforcing structure.

Mold for forming an annular tread belt

A rubber track T has a plurality of guide lugs arranged in two rows, one row being on each lateral edge. The guide lugs of the first row are circumferentially offset from the guide lugs of the second row. The track T is molded on an axially separating mold core D that is designed to form the radially inner guide lugs without requiring a radially collapsible core.

Mold for a rubber track

The present invention is directed toward an improved method of manufacturing a pneumatic tire using a bladderless curing system. The tire is built on an associated tire building drum ( ) by the layering of multiple tire components on the drum ( ); one of the components is an innerliner strip ( ). In accordance with the disclosed invention, the innerliner strip ( ) is formed with precured regions ( ). The precured regions ( ) are formed by curing the innerliner strip ( ) at one or more regions intermediate of the ends ( ) of the strip ( ). The strip ( ) is applied to the tire building drum ( ) and the ends ( ) are spliced to one another.

Continuous cured innerliner for tires

Rubber track and improved method and method for producing the track

A method of preparing a cylindrical-shaped innerliner ( ) for storage. The method involves converting the innerliner ( ) from a cylinder into a solid torodially-shaped donut ( A).

Method for storage, handling and application of precured tire innerliners

A mold,for curing a precured tread,to a tire casing,is disclosed. The mold,has a first annular portion,, a second annular portion,, a pair of annular portions,, and an inflatable bladder,for insertion into the casing,when enclosed in the cavity,of the closed mold,. The first annular portion,has a sidewall supporting member,, the sidewall supporting member,having a bead forming end,, and a tread supporting member,integrally attached and generally normal to the sidewall support member,. The tread supporting member,has a smooth axially contoured annular surface for contacting the radially outer surface of the precured tread,and a first end,in proximity to the tread lateral end,of the second annular portion,. The second annular portion,has a sidewall supporting member,and tread lateral end supporting member,the second portion,having a first end,and a second end,. The first end,is adjacent to the tread supporting member,of the portion,. The first end,is aligned with the first end,of the first annular portion,when the mold,is closed thus forming a cavity,for the precured tread,and casing,. The preferred mold,has the first end,of the tread supporting member,located at or near the lateral end,located adjacent relative to the tread support member

Mold for curing precured treads to tire casings

The invention relates to the manufacture of a tire (,) in a bladderless tire mold (,) that incorporates sealing rings (,) that enable the tire (,) to be easily and quickly installed within the tire mold (,) so that the pressurized gas or fluid used to inflate and vulcanize the tire (,) does not leak around the tire bead sections (,) of the tire (,) and escape into the mold cavity (,). An improved method of mounting the tire (,) into the bladderless tire mold (,) allows the tire (,) to be quickly and easily loaded in and unload from the tire mold (,) without the need of moving any mold parts into or out of the space between the tire bead sections (,).

Method for building pneumatic tires in an improved tire mold

Molds for injection molding tire components have controlled temperature passages leading to a manifold surrounding each mold cavity. The manifold is positioned to minimize weld lines in the injected tire component. In addition, a narrow gate opening between the manifold and mold cavity provides an elevated temperature of the injected material for decreasing the curing time of the tire component in the mold. Blade members may support and position tire components such as bead apex assemblies in the mold. These tire components may be unloaded by an unloader ring in communication with a source of vacuum for pulling the tire component out of the mold.

Injection molding of a tire component

An apparatus which uses a sensing device for measuring gauges of elastomeric or rigid articles, or runout of elastomeric articles, has a pivoting arm which holds a means for creating a signal, and is movable relative to the object being measured. The means for creating a signal provides a signal to the sensing device, and the magnitude of the signal depends on the position of the pivoting arm relative to the object being measured. Movement of the pivoting arm, caused by changes in the dimensions of the object, can be recorded and analyzed.

Low-cost runout sensor with high frequency response and negligible

In a method and apparatus for detecting ply defects in a pneumatic tire, measurements on the tire are obtained at two levels of tire inflation, and the data obtained in the two measurements are compared. Broken reinforcement cords in the tire cause changes in the peaks of the data obtained at the two inflations that are out of proportion when compared to data changes observed in non-damaged tires. The apparatus of the invention provides means for inflating tires to predetermined pressures and has displacement sensors for measuring peaks and valleys in the sidewall of a tire. The apparatus may also include a computer for collecting data, analyzing data, and providing a signal when a defective tire is recognized.

Method and apparatus for detecting ply defects in pneumatic tires

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Doylestown, OH, United States of America

Albert James Yovichin