Cutting – With means to stretch work temporarily
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-01
2004-06-29
Goodman, Charles (Department: 3724)
Cutting
With means to stretch work temporarily
C083S100000, C083S282000, C083S453000, C083S581000, C083S614000, C083S956000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06755105
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for cutting elastomeric materials at low skive angles, in particular cutting layered composites of elastomeric materials including layers containing reinforcing materials.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various methods and apparatus have been used for the cutting of sheets of elastomeric material. Such elastomeric material might consist of single sheets of the homogeneous material, or multiple layered sheets of materials having properties that are different from one another. In the case of multiple layered sheets of elastomeric material that, for various reasons, need to be cut, one or more of the layers might contain reinforcing cords or fibers made of metal or fabric. Such reinforcing cords or fibers might be simply aligned in such a way as to be parallel to one another. Furthermore, the elastomeric materials that are to be cut may or may not be cured or vulcanized at the time of cutting.
Prior art cutting methods and apparatus include cutting wheels, ultrasonic cutters, guillotine knives, wire cutters and vibrating scroll cutters whose active cutting principle is a saw blade or a blade or a tensioned wire.
While such prior art cutting methods are effective to varying degrees, each has disadvantages. For example, the guillotine knife is somewhat effective in cutting composite elastomeric materials, but it has the disadvantage of having a tendency to deform the cut surfaces of the elastomeric material as the knife penetrates the material. Such deformation of the cut edge increases the difficulty of subsequent splicing the ends of the elastomeric material. Moreover, the guillotine knife produces a continually degraded cut surface as the blade becomes dull and as small pieces of elastomer began to build up on the blade. Yet another disadvantage was the inability of the blade to cut at an angle less than 30 degrees relative to the plane of the material being cut. The guillotine blade also tends to generate heat during the cutting process such that, as numerous cuts are made, the temperature of the knife becomes sufficiently elevated in some cases to induce precuring of unvulcanized elastomer in the region of the cut, which then inhibits subsequent proper splicing along the cut edges.
Another prior art cutting system and method, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,732, employs a cutting wire. This system could not, however, be used to cut preassembled elastomeric composite sheets containing reinforcing cords because the reinforcing cords themselves, though aligned more or less parallel to the direction of the cut, get severed. This deficiency is actually inherent to nearly every prior art cutting technology including ultrasonic knives, that cut composite elastomeric preassemblies at relatively low skive angles. That is to say, nearly all prior art cutting methods tended to cut the parallel-aligned cords that are used to reinforce one or more layers of reinforced ply. The cut is ideally intended to be made between the parallel-aligned reinforcing cords. One prior art exception is the scroll cutter, which can cut at low skive angles without also risking cutting the reinforcing cords.
The scroll cutter cannot, however, initiate its cut at a low skive angle through a cord reinforced sheet of preassembled composite elastomeric sheets, because of its geometry, which includes a wire held at each end by a fixture. The scroll cutter must start its cut from the side of the preassembly, such that the cutting has difficulty entering the ply without splitting the reinforcing cords. Even at a 90-degree skive angle, the reliability of not splitting cords is in question. At low skive angles it becomes exponentially difficult to enter the ply without splitting a ply cord. Sometimes the reinforced ply end will be buried under the other layers, such as, in the case of tire manufacturing, the sidewall layer or other layers such as the extreme edge of the preassembly within the context of envelope construction. This adds another dimension of difficulty for the wire scroll cutter to cut reliably a preassembly with reinforced layers, such as specifically, the ply of tires.
Ultrasonic cutting systems as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,508, can cut stock material at low skive angles. However, they require that the material be secured to an anvil during cutting. Another system, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,774, employs an ultrasonic cutting device, which vibrates a knife that moves across an elastomeric strip. However, this system is limited to cutting angles of between 10 and 90 degrees, and it does not provide for cutting between parallel disposed, reinforcement cords within the strip, which is to say, the cords can get cut.
Various method have been attempted to cut through cord-reinforced composites employing ultrasonic knives. In PCT publication No. WO 00/23261, a pair of ultra sonic blades are employed wherein after the article to be cut is pierced in a central region the two blades cut in opposite directions toward each lateral edge of the composite.
In PCT publication No WD 00151810 an ultrasonic skive cuts above the cord reinforced member as a cutting knife follows making a second cut through the ply and between parallel cords thus forming an abutment surface for subsequent tire splicing of the cut to length segment. Each of these concepts requires multiple cutting mechanisms and are arguable complex to build and maintain the equipment.
A significant problem with the prior art cutting systems and methods is the inability to cut at angles less than 30 degrees relative to the plane of the elastomeric layers being cut without deformation or precuring the material. This can be a problem in, for example, automated tire building operations wherein the cutting has to be done precisely and quickly and where the cutter can also provide improvements to the cut surface which is subsequently to be spliced.
An ideal cutting method and apparatus should be able to make cuts at low angles relative to the plane of the elastomeric sheet being cut, and it should be able to do so without cutting the parallel-aligned reinforcing cords between which the cutter is ideally to move. It should also be able to make these low angle cuts rapidly and reliably.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method of cutting segments to desired lengths from the strip of elastomeric material as disclosed. The segments have a width W, elastomeric strips being formed of a plurality of tire components, at least one of the tire components being a cord reinforced component. The cords of the reinforced tire component are substantially parallel oriented in the direction of a cutting path formed across the width W.
The method has the step of moving an ultrasonic knife into cutting engagement of the elastomeric strip while supporting the strip along the cutting path. Cutting the segment at a skive angle &agr;. Impacting a cord of the cord reinforced component while cutting thereby lifting said cord over the ultrasonic knife as the segment is being cut. The impacted cord is at a cut end adjacent to the cutting path. The method further has the step of orienting a cutting edge on the ultrasonic knife inclined at an acute angle &thgr; relative to the strip-cutting path. In one embodiment of the invention, the method further has the step of movably restraining the strip ahead of the cutting.
The step of supporting the strip may further include supporting the strip at an angle &thgr;1 less than the skive angle &agr; on one side of the cutting path and at an angle &thgr;2 greater than the skive angle on the opposite side of the cutting path. This causes the location of the impacted cord to occur approximately at the location wherein the supporting angle changes from &thgr;1 to &thgr;2.
In another embodiment the step of positioning the cutting edge of the ultrasonic knife includes the step of setting a gap distance (d) above the support approximately slightly less than or equal to the thickness of the cord reinforced component, along the region wherein the support is oriented at the angle &thgr;2. The
Goodman Charles
King David L.
Rickey June E.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
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