Claims
- 1. A process for making a tire, in which, before complete curing of the tire, the tread stock of the tire, which is curable by electron irradiation, is partially precured at least at one location by exposure to electron irradiation or other irradiation having the same curing effect on the tread stock, in a controlled manner utilizing appropriate shielding such that thick portions of the tread stock receive a greater degree of precuring than thinner portions, and as a result the total curing time of the completely assembled tire is reduced.
- 2. The process of claim 1 in which the irradiation is high voltage electron irradiation.
- 3. The process of claim 1 in which shielding elements of differing effectiveness are between the radiation souce and portions of the tread stock having different thicknesses.
- 4. The process of claim 3 in which the irradiation is high voltage electron irradiation.
- 5. The process of claim 1 in which the tread stock has tapered edges and maximum shielding is provided at the edges.
- 6. The process of claim 5 in which the irradiation is high voltage electron irradiation.
- 7. The process of claim 1 in which the different shielding elements are of different materials having different capacities for absorbing the radiation.
- 8. The process of claim 7 in which the irradiation is high voltage electron irradiation.
- 9. The process of claim 1 in which the shielding elements are present between the source of radiation and various portions of the tread stock for different periods of time.
- 10. The process of claim 9 in which the irradiation is high voltage electron irradiation.
- 11. The process of claim 1 in which the shielding elements presented between the source of radiation and different portions of the tread stock are of different thicknesses.
- 12. The process of claim 11 in which the irradiation is high voltage electron irradiation.
- 13. The process of claim 1 in which the tread stock moves in the direction of its length across the beam of irradiation, and a stationary shield reduces the radiation which reaches a portion of the tread stock.
- 14. The process of claim 13 in which the irradiation is high voltage electron irradiation.
- 15. The process of claim 13 in which the shield absorbs the major part of the irradiation striking it, and is shaped to expose one longitudinal zone of the tread stock for a longer time to irradiation than another longitudinal zone.
- 16. The process of claim 15 in which the irradiation is high voltage electron irradiation.
- 17. The process of claim 1 in which the tread stock is irradiated after its assembly on a tire carcass and before the tire is placed in a mold, by placing the tire with at least a portion of its green tread exposed to electron irradiation and with both edges of the tread sheilded to reduce the intensity of irradiation of the edges, and rotating the tire while so placed.
- 18. The process of claim 17 in which the irradiation is high voltage electron irradiation.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 627,136 filed Oct. 30, 1975 now abandoned which is a continuation of Ser. No. 395,346 filed Sept. 7, 1973 (now U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,553) which is a continuation of Ser. No. 321,421 filed Jan. 5, 1973 (now abandoned) which was a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 838,512 filed July 2, 1969 (now abandoned). U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,566 has matured from Ser. No. 454,207 which was a continuation of Ser. No. 321,421, supra.
US Referenced Citations (16)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2135302 |
May 1971 |
FRX |
1397036 |
Jun 1975 |
GBX |
Continuations (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
395346 |
Sep 1973 |
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Parent |
321421 |
Jan 1973 |
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Continuation in Parts (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
627136 |
Oct 1975 |
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Parent |
838512 |
Jul 1969 |
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