Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Patent
1991-04-11
1993-04-27
Ball, Michael W.
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
156188, 156190, 156195, 1563042, 1563043, 156381, 156428, 156503, 425392, B29C 5370, B29D 2322
Patent
active
052058891
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for producing flexible tubes and to an apparatus therefor.
GB-A-906 810 discloses an apparatus for the production of flexible tubes comprising a wrapping machine for depositing strips of rubber around an elongate hollow cylindrical core and a vulcanizer, which are arranged in series on a common axis. The wrapping machine includes a trolley, which is provided with a motor for its movement on rails and has a through hole for the passage of the core in correspondence with the common axis, and a plurality of heads which rotate about the axis and carry reels bearing the strips to be deposited.
The vulcanizer has holes in its ends in correspondence with the common axis and contains an air bag, which is fed with compressed air by a duct surrounded by the hollow core.
In the operation, a portion of flexible tube is built over the core kept out from the vulcanizer, superposing therein several strips of rubber or reinforced rubber. Then the core is retracted, the deflated air bag is inserted into the portion of green tube just built and the previously vulcanized portion of tube is pulled out from the vulcanizer, pulling the green portion of the tube into the vulcanizer through tension, transmitted by a liner which adheres externally to both tube portions. The green portion is then vulcanized around the inflated air bag and this cycle of operations is repeated until the tube becomes as long as desired.
According to GB-906 810, the green portion of the tube has to be initially supported by the core during the wrapping operation and then by the air bag during the vulcanization operation. The transfer from the first to the second supporting means constitutes a delicate step, where the easily deformable still uncured portion of the tube may be permanently damaged due to applied stresses.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to overcome the above-mentioned drawback of the prior art, the present invention provides a method for the production of flexible tubes of rubber and/or fiber-reinforced rubber comprising the steps of:
filling an unvulcanized end of a previously wrapped first section of a tube onto a lateral surface of an end portion of an elongate cylindrical core, leaving the remaining portion of the lateral surface of the core uncovered;
covering the remaining portion of the core with a plurality of superposed strips of rubber so as to form, as an extension of the first section, a second section of tube having a first end adjacent the first section, an intermediate portion and a second end opposite the first end;
inserting into a vulcanizer a portion of the core covered by the unvulcanized end of the first section, the first end and the intermediate portion of the second section, leaving outside the vulcanizer a portion of the core covered by the second end of the second section;
vulcanizing the unvulcanized end of the first section, the first end and the intermediate portion of the second section inserted in the vulcanizer so as to join the first and second sections and to form a vulcanized portion of tube;
separating the vulcanized portion of tube from the core by blowing air into the core, so that air passes through holes formed in the surface of the core and works its way between the outer surface of the core and the tube to separate them;
expelling the core from the vulcanizer until the second end of the second section of tube is fitted onto the lateral surface of the end portion of the core, with the vulcanized portion of the tube remaining inside the vulcanizer; and
repeating the above steps until the tube has reached the desired length, using as the first section of tube at any time the entire portion of tube produced up to that time.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an apparatus for performing the above described method comprising a wrapping machine for depositing strips of rubber around an elongate cylindrical core, and a vulcanizer which are arranged in series on a common axis.
The wrapping machine compris
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Albertini Guido
Barbieri Stefano
Cioffi Giuseppe
Ball Michael W.
Maki Steven D.
Manuli Rubber Industries S.r.l.
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