Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Coil holder or support – Spool or core
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-08
2002-07-02
Rivera, William A. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Coil holder or support
Spool or core
C242S540000, C242S559400, C242S533300, C156S405100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06412730
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and a method for storing an elongated plastically deformable member which use a take-up reel on which an elongated plastically deformable member is taken-up in a state of being superposed together with a liner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in order to store unvulcanized, green rubber used for the tread or the sidewalls or the like of a tire, there are methods in which an elongated green rubber member, which is extruded from an extruder and has a constant cross-sectional configuration, is stored in a state of being taken-up (wound) on a reel.
At this time, because the green rubber is tacky, if it is taken-up as is, the outer side of one layer of the wound green rubber sticks to the inner side of another layer of the wound green rubber.
As a result, generally, the green rubber member extruded from the extruder is taken-up in layers via a liner. That is, the liner is disposed between the respective wound layers of the green rubber, which prevents the layers from sticking to one another.
Generally, because an unvulcanized, green rubber is plastic, it tends to deform when mechanical stress is applied thereto. When the green rubber is taken-up together with the liner, the configuration of the green rubber deforms due to the tension of the liner and the weight of the green rubber itself.
In particular, the deformation caused by the weight of the green rubber itself which is rolled in layers is great. Such deformation in the green rubber causes troubles in molding in a later process, and the uniformity of obtained products is markedly poor.
Thus, as illustrated in
FIG. 15
, an elongated member storing device has been proposed in which a spacer
102
is mounted to and integral with either end of a liner
103
. A space d is formed between the outer side portion of a green rubber member
101
, which is taken-up onto the reel via the liner
103
, and the inner side portion of the liner
103
, so as to prevent deformation of the green rubber member
101
.
Further as illustrated in
FIG. 16
, an elongated member storing device has been proposed in which receiving members
204
,
205
are provided, along a swirled line having a standard interval k around a center axis C of the reel, at opposing sides of a pair of opposing rotating members
202
,
203
. Due to the receiving members
204
,
205
, an elongated member
201
is wound via a liner
206
, and a space d is formed between the outer side portion of the wound elongated member
201
and the inner side portion of the liner
206
. In this way, plastic deformation of the green rubber product can be prevented.
In the device in which the spacers
102
are made integral at the both ends of the liner
103
(see
FIG. 15
) and the device provided with the pair of receiving members
204
,
205
disposed along a swirled line having standard intervals between respective wound layers (see FIG.
16
), plastic deformation of the green rubber product is prevented due to the space d being formed between the outer side portion of the wound elongated product and the inner side portion of the liner.
There are green rubber products of various different thicknesses, and thus, in the above-described storing devices illustrated in
FIGS. 15 and 16
, the spiral interval d is determined on the basis of the thickest green rubber product.
As a result, when a thinner green rubber member is wound, the interval d is large and the wound length of the green rubber member is short, and thus, the winding efficiency is poor.
In order to overcome this problem, a plurality of types of liners
103
whose spacers
102
have different thicknesses may be readied, or a plurality of types of devices having different spiral intervals d may be readied. However, this results in drawbacks such as increased costs and poor efficiency of use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforementioned, an object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method for storing an elongated plastically deformable member in which, even if an elongated plastically deformable member such as green rubber or the like is stored in a state of being wound in superposed layers, deformation of portions of the elongated plastically deformable member and non-uniform deformation of the elongated plastically deformable member can be suppressed.
In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a device for use in storing an elongated plastically deformable member wound on a take-up reel with a thin-plate-shaped liner superposed with the elongated plastically deformable member, the take-up reel having an axis which is substantially horizontal, the device comprising a rotating means adapted to rotate the take-up reel at least one of constantly and intermittently.
Further, a method of the present invention for storing an elongated plastically deformable member wound on a take-up reel together with a thin-plate-shaped liner superposed with the elongated plastically deformable member, the take-up reel having an axis which is substantially horizontal, comprises the step of rotating the take-up reel at least one of constantly and intermittently.
In this first aspect of the present invention, when a take-up reel, on whose outer peripheral surface are wound a superposed thin-plate-shaped liner and an elongated plastically deformable member, is set in a state in which the axis of the take-up reel is substantially horizontal with respect to a setting surface, the take-up reel is rotated at least one of constantly or intermittently by the rotating means.
Because the take-up reel is rotated constantly or intermittently, during storing, the load of the wound elongated plastically deformable member itself is applied uniformly to the entire wound circumference and does not concentrate at particular portions, even after time passes. Therefore, collapsing deformation caused thereby is made uniform along the longitudinal direction, and differences in a configuration of the elongated plastically deformable member between the respective wound layers do not arise.
Here, “always rotated” or “constantly rotated” means “continuously rotated”, but may include stopping for an instant such as when reversing rotation (a period of time in which configurational differences which adversely affect the uniformity of the product are not caused between the respective wound layers of the elongated plastically deformable member; this time varies in accordance with the wound amount, the flexibility, and the like of the elongated plastically deformable member).
In a second aspect of the present invention, in the device for use in storing an elongated plastically deformable member according to the first aspect, the rotating means rotates the take-up reel over a given angle in a first direction of rotation, and thereafter, the rotating mechanism rotates the take-up reel in another direction, and alternately repeats rotating in said first direction and said another direction of rotation.
Further, a method of the present invention for storing an elongated plastically deformable member wound on a take-up reel together with a thin-plate-shaped liner superposed with the elongated plastically deformable member, the take-up reel having an axis which is substantially horizontal, comprises the step of rotating the take-up reel at least one of constantly and intermittently.
The member which is being taken-up and stored with the liner is an elongated plastically deformable member such as a green rubber product. An unvulcanized green rubber is plastic, and is easily deformed when mechanical stress is applied thereto. Therefore, if, during storage, the take-up reel is continuously rotated in the same direction as the direction in which the green rubber product is wound, the winding of the wound green rubber product will tighten. If the take-up reel is continuously rotated in the direction opposite the direction in which the green rubber product is wound, the winding of the wound green rubber product will l
Bridgestone Corporation
Rivera William A.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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