US 12,479,177 B2
Facility and method for manufacturing an annular tire on a lightweight monolithic core
David Bouchereau, Clermont-Ferrand (FR); Jean Mechin, Clermont-Ferrand (FR); Francois Rouyet, Clermont-Ferrand (FR); Jean-Claude Delorme, Clermont-Ferrand (FR); and Stephane Barjon, Clermont-Ferrand (FR)
Assigned to Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand (FR)
Appl. No. 18/268,500
Filed by Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand (FR)
PCT Filed Oct. 21, 2021, PCT No. PCT/FR2021/051851
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 20, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/136744, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 30, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2014013 (FR), filed on Dec. 23, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2024/0075701 A1, Mar. 7, 2024
Int. Cl. B29D 30/02 (2006.01); B29D 30/00 (2006.01); B29D 30/06 (2006.01); B29D 30/12 (2006.01); B29D 30/20 (2006.01)
CPC B29D 30/02 (2013.01) [B29D 30/005 (2013.01); B29D 30/0661 (2013.01); B29D 30/12 (2013.01); B29D 30/20 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A facility for manufacturing tires, said facility comprising;
an assembly station configured to place one or more tire components onto a core so as to form an uncured annular tire,
a curing station configured to receive the assembly formed by said core and the uncured annular tire and to heat said assembly during a curing operation so as to obtain a cured annular tire, and
an extraction station configured so as to separate, after the curing operation, the cured annular tire from the core,
wherein the core has a tubular wall extending along and around a central axis and which extends in thickness radially with respect to said central axis from a radially outer first annular face, referred to as “receiving face”, which is intended to receive the tire component or components, as far as a radially inner second annular face, referred to as “exchange face”, which surrounds the central axis and which is intended to allow exchanges of heat between the tubular wall of the core and thermal sources external to said core,
the curing station comprises a first, heating, thermal source which is designed to press against the exchange face of the core when said core is in said curing station so as to heat said core and the annular tire during the curing operation, and then dissociate from the core so as to leave the exchange face free again when the core and the cured annular tire leave said curing station and are transferred to the extraction station after the curing operation, and
said extraction station comprises a second, refrigerating, thermal source which is designed so that when the core and the cured annular tire are in the extraction station, it takes the place of the first thermal source in contact with said exchange face of the core so as to cool said core in such a way as to create a radial clearance between the receiving face of the core and the cured annular tire through differential radial contraction of the tubular wall of the core relative to the cured annular tire thus allowing an ejector member with which the extraction station is equipped to remove the cured annular tire axially from the core.