Kettle Used in the Retreading or Repair of Tires

The invention is particularly designed for kettles capable of accommodating a very large tire, or a plurality of smaller tires being repaired or retreaded, especially kettles in which a combination of steam and air, under pressure, are utilized in the heating and vulcanization of any vulcanizable material of the tire disposed within the kettle. Known prior art kettles have single inlets or several very widely spaced inlets through which the steam and air are admitted into the kettles. It is desirable to obtain a uniform mixture of air and steam within the chamber of the kettle to eliminate hot and cold spots within the kettle. Such spots have been tolerated in prior devices and overcome by rotating the tires within the kettle such that every portion of the tire passes through the same heat or temperature gradient, or by the use of blowers or fans to circulate the mixture of steam and air more evenly throughout the kettle. These systems have many disadvantages. For example, the rotation of large earthmover-type tires can, in some cases, cause a breakdown of the bead areas of the tire. The invention is directed to the provision of a highly improved kettle and means for obtaining a uniform mixture of steam and air within the kettle.

Briefly stated, the invention is in a kettle used in the retreading and repair of tires. The kettle comprises a plurality of parts which, when brought together, form a chamber which is sealed from the ambient atmosphere. Means are provided for simultaneously circulating steam and air, under pressure, within the chamber when it is sealed. Such means include multiple inlets in the chamber for both the steam and air, the inlets of the steam being sufficiently close to those of the air to produce a more nearly uniform mixture of steam and air within the chamber.

The following description of the invention will be better understood by having reference to the annexed drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a kettle with the top portion of the kettle shown in section to show the invention and the tires positioned within the kettle;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a diffuser ring for dispersing air and steam within the kettles;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section of a differently configured diffuser ring for distributing air and steam within the kettle;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the kettle of FIG. 1 with a different arrangement for distributing air and steam within the kettle; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of a horizontally disposed kettle which utilizes a number of spaced, vertically disposed diffuser rings.

With particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a kettle 5 for receiving retreaded or repaired tires; e.g. tires 6,7 which are each retreaded with a previously molded and vulcanized tread. The kettle 5 is of any suitable design, such as the Treadbonder curing device or kettle manufactured by the Vulcan Equipment Company, Ltd, of Toronto, Canada. Such a kettle 5 essentially comprises a base 8 on which the retreaded tires 6,7 are vertically stacked in horizontal relation, and a top cap or cover 9 which is movable into and out of sealing engagement with the base 8 and with the base 8 forms a chamber 10 which is sealed from the ambient atmosphere. The top cap 9 surrounds the retreaded tires 6,7 stacked within the sealed chamber 10.

A rubber envelope 11 covers the precured tread and bonding layer and extends over the sidewalls of the retreaded tires 6,7.

The base 8 and top cap 9 of the kettle 5 are provided with sealing rings 12,13. A third sealing ring 14 is provided between the retreaded tires 6,7 and acts as a spacer for them. the top cap 9, as it is moved into sealing engagement with the base 8, forces the sealing rings 12-14 against the rubber envelopes 11 which, in turn, compressively engage the sidewalls of the tire to form a seal therebetween, whereby the bonding layer between the tread and tire casing is sealed from the ambient atmosphere and mixture of steam and air, under pressure. The retreaded tires 6,7 are each mounted on a curing-type wheel rim 15 and inflated to a desired pressure during the subsequent heating and curing of the bonding layer, whereby the precured treads are permanently secured to the tire casings. A fluid outlet 16 if provided in the base 8 and coupled to a drain pipe 17 through which condensate of steam is removed from within the chamber 10.

For convenience and economy of operation and construction, a pair of diffuser rings 20,21 are annularly disposed on the base 8 in side-by-side relation concentrically about the center or longitudinal axis of the base 8, since the diffuser rings 20,21 could also be carried by the top cap 9 or intermediate spacer ring 14. The diffuser rings 20,21 are positioned adjacent the outer periphery 22 of the base 8 within the annular, doughnut-shaped space 23 formed between the retreaded tires 6,7 and adjacent cylindrical wall 24 of the top cap 9 of the kettle 5. The inner and outer diffuser rings 20,21, respectively, are designed to receive steam and air, under pressure, from a source of supply (not shown). The individual diffuser rings 20,21, as best seen in FIG. 2, are each provided with a number of spaced openings or fluid inlets 25 for directing jets of steam and air into the annular space 23 adjacent the outer peripheries of the retreaded tires 6,7. Any suitable temperature sensing probe 26 is provided for monitoring the temperature within the chamber 10 and controlling the input of steam into the kettle 5 to maintain the temperature within the annular space 23 in the preferred range of from 200.degree. F. to 325.degree. F. It was found that the use of the diffuser rings 20,21, rather than single inlets for the steam and air, reduced the temperature differential within the annular space 23 from 50.degree. F., at a curing temperature of 220.degree. F., to about 5.degree. F. which is highly desirable to maintain more nearly uniform curing temperatures which effect more efficient vulcanization of the vulcanizable components of the tire within the kettle 5, especially at curing temperatures below 212.degree. F. where steam and air, under pressure, are used as the curing medium. Such cures have been effected with a mixture of steam and air at a temperature of about 200.degree. F.

An integral diffuser ring 27 containing both steam and air, is illustrated in FIG. 3. This type diffuser ring 27 is provided with a pair of separated channels or conduits 28, 29 through which steam and air, under pressure, are circulated. The steam and air conduits 28,29 are each provided with a number of spaced openings or fluid inlets 30 for directing the jets of steam and air into the chamber 10 of the kettle 5, as previously described. The longitudinal axes of the fluid inlets 30 of the steam conduit 29 may be disposed at greater angles to the center or longitudinal axis of the kettle 5 than those of the air conduit 29, depending on the location or orientation of the conduits 28,29; i.e. whether they are vertically stacked or side-by-side in a horizontal plane.

The kettle 35 of FIG. 4 is essentially that of FIG. 1, except that the diffuser rings for distributing the steam and air within the sealed chamber 10 are not circular rings, but straight, diffuser pipes 36 which extend longitudinally of the kettle 35; i.e. they extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the kettle 35. The diffuser pipes 36 are equally, angularly spaced about the longitudinal axis of the kettle 35 adjacent the cylindrical walls of the kettle 35. It should be apparent that the diffuser pipes 36 can be individual pipes 36 like the individual diffuser rings 20,21 of FIG. 2, or a single composite pipe with separated conduits for the steam and air like the diffuser rings 20,21 of FIG. 3. In any case, it is important to keep the air inlets sufficiently close to the steam inlets to obtain a uniform mixture of steam and air within the sealed chamber of the kettle. Thus, there can be innumerable combinations for locating the air inlets in close proximity to the steam inlets, depending on the size, shape, and location of the kettle. For example, the kettle 37 of FIG. 5 is horizontally elongated, as distinguished from the vertically elongated kettles of FIGS. 1 and 4. Because of the size and length of the kettle 37, a number of pairs of vertically disposed diffuser rings 38,39 for steam and air, are spaced longitudinally within the chamber 40 of the kettle 37. The diffuser rings 38,39 can be of either of the aforementioned designs, or longitudinally extending diffuser pipes, rather than rings, and provided on the cylindrical walls of the kettle 37. Again, the important criteria being the positioning of the fluid inlets for the steam and air to obtain the best possible mixture of steam and air and consequent uniform temperature within the kettle.

Thus, there has been described a kettle which employs a novel mechanism for obtaining a more nearly uniform mixture of steam and air, under pressure, within the sealed chamber of the kettle, thereby eliminating or substantially reducing hot and cold spots which normally occur within the chamber when single and not multiple inlets for the steam and air are utilized.