Tire recapping process and apparatus

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR RECAPPING TIRES COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FORMING A STRIP CUSHION OF TRANSVERSE HEATING WIRES EMBEDDED IN RUBBER WITH A THIN METAL STRIP ALONG EACH EDGE THEREOF CONNECTED TO SAID WIRES, WRAPPING SAID STRIP CUSHION CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ABOUT A TIRE CASING, WRAPPING NEW TIRE TREAD ABOUT SAID CUSHION CIRCUMFERENTIALLY OF SAID TIRE CASING, SEALING THE EDGES OF SAID CUSHION TO SAID TIRE CASING AND TREAD OVER THE ENTIRE LENGTH THEREOF AND ALONG BOTH SIDES THEREOF WITH SEALING MEANS ENCOMPASSING A PART OF EACH OF SAID THIN METAL STRIPS, APPLYING AIR PRESSURE TO SAID TIRE CASING AND TREAD THEREABOUT, AND ELECTRICALLY ENERGIZING SAID THIN METAL STRIPS TO PASS AN ELECTRICAL CURRENT THROUGH SAID HEATING WIRES WHEREBY SAID TREAD IS BONDED BY HEAT AND PRESSURE TO SAID TIRE CASING.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 further defined by sealing said cushion to tread and casing by attaching a thin sealing strip of flexible material impenetrable by air along the upper and lower face of each cushion edge including a part of each of said thin metal strips, and adhering the sealing strips along the upper cushion edges to said tread and adhering the sealing strips along the lower cushion edges to said tire casing for precluding the intrusion of air between tread and casing.

Claim 4

The process of claim 1 further defined by removing said thin metal strips and sealing means by tearing same from opposite cushion edges about the tire casing.

Claim 5

The process of claim 1 further defined by sealing said cushion edges by applying a flowable plastic along said edges against both tread and tire casing and partially covering the thin metal strips.

Claim 6

A process of bonding new precured tread to a buffed tire casing comprising the steps of wrapping circumferentially about said casing a strip cushion of uncured rubber having transverse heating wires therein and a thin metal strip extending therefrom along each edge with said wires electrically connected between strips, wrapping said new tread circumferentially about said casing upon said cushion with the cushion edges extending laterally of the tread about the casing, sealing the cUshion edges to both tread and casing with the outer portion of the thin metal strips being uncovered by sealing means, applying air under pressure directly to all surfaces of tread and casing to force tread and casing together under pressure, passing an electric current through said heating wires from said thin metal strips to apply heat to said cushion, tread and casing whereby the tread is bonded to the casing, and stripping said thin metal strips and sealing means from bonded tread and casing.

Claim 7

A process of bonding new precured tread to a buffed tire casing comprising the steps of wrapping circumferentially about said casing a strip cushion of uncured rubber having transverse heating wires therein and a thin metal strip extending therefrom along each edge with said wires electrically connected between strips, wrapping said new tread circumferentially about said casing upon said cushion with the cushion edges extending laterally of the tread about the casing, sealing the cUshion edges to both tread and casing with the outer portion of the thin metal strips being uncovered by sealing means, applying air under pressure directly to all surfaces of tread and casing to force tread and casing together under pressure, passing an electric current through said heating wires from said thin metal strips to apply heat to said cushion, tread and casing whereby the tread is bonded to the casing, and stripping said thin metal strips and sealing means from bonded tread and casing.

Claim 8

The process of claim 5 further defined by sealing said cushion edges to said tread and casing by adhering to each cushion edge a pair of separate strips of rubber with one on the top and one on the bottom of each of said thin metal strips and said separate strips having the inner edges thereof extending upwardly and downwardly, respectively, from said cushion with adhesive on the inner faces thereof and attached thereby to tread and casing.