Structural design and mechanical analysis of a new equipment for tire vulcanization

Abstract

Vulcanization is a pivotal process of tire manufacturing, endowing the uncured tire with exquisite surface pattern and superior performance by converting rubber property from plasticity to elasticity. However, the defects of incomplete expansion, asymmetric structure, and vapor condensation deposition in the existing vulcanization technology inferiorly affect the uniformity and dynamic balance performance of tires. In our paper, a novel tire curing equipment, i.e., vulcanized inner mold drum (VIMD) is designed to improve the traditional vulcanization process for automobile tires. The structure design of the drum tiles, the telescopic mechanism and the transmission mechanism, and the finite element simulation analysis and reliability check of the key components are carried out. The contraction ratio is obviously increased by increasing the number of drum tiles and adopting the structural design method of arranging the link mechanisms cross-symmetrically. The ingenious design of the dual cam link mechanism enables the movement of the mechanism to proceed in an orderly manner, effectively avoids complicated controlling design. The design of self-locking structure considerably reduces the force of the links and improves the overall dimensional accuracy. The results suggest that the VIMD has excellent dimensional accuracy and structural stability. Highlights A new type equipment for tire vulcanization is proposed. The contraction ratio is obviously increased by increasing the number of drum tiles, and adopting the structural design method of arranging the link mechanisms cross-symmetrically. The ingenious design of the cylindrical cam track enables the movement of the mechanism to proceed in an orderly manner, effectively avoiding the interference of parts. The design of the dual cam link mechanism avoids complicated controlling design and effectively improves space utilization. The design of self-locking structure considerably reduces the force of the links and improves the overall dimensional accuracy.