A heating press (1) for vulcanizing a vehicle tire under a vacuum, comprising a heating press upper part (3) and a heating press lower part (6), wherein a container (2) having the mold parts (14, 16, 17, 18, 21) of a segmented vulcanizing mold and a cylindrical hood upper part (4) enclosing said container are arranged on the heating press upper part (3), wherein the hood upper part (4) and the heating press upper part (3) can be moved independently of one another and relative to one another in the axial direction (P1), wherein the cylindrical hood upper part (4) has a length (23) which is sufficient to form a closed hood interior space (12) with the heating press lower part (6) and heating press upper part (4) when the heating press upper part (3) is open, wherein at least one respective vacuum-tight seal (5) is arranged on those surfaces at which the hood upper part (4) directly adjoins the heating press upper part (3) and—when the hood interior space (12) is closed—the heating press lower part (6), in order to make the closed hood interior space (12) sealable in a vacuum-tight manner, wherein, in the course of a first stroke (H.sub.1), the hood upper part (4) can be moved independently of the heating press upper part (3) in the axial direction P1 in such a way, wherein, in the course of a second stroke (H.sub.2), the heating press upper part (3) can be moved independently of the hood upper part (4) in the axial direction P1 in such a way that the vulcanizing mold can be completely closed under vacuum conditions in the interior space of the hood (12).

A gas flow can be provided together with a liquid jet guided laser beam to remove accumulated liquid on the processing surface. The gas flow can be configured to have minimum interference with the liquid jet guided laser beam, while functions to blow away liquid generated by the liquid jet. Keeping the surface free from accumulated liquid can improve the efficiency of the liquid jet guided laser processing.

A pneumatic tyre includes a tread portion being provided with a land portion divided by a main groove extending continuously in a tyre circumferential direction. The land portion is provided with two or more sipes having a width less than 1.5 mm on a ground contacting surface of the land portion and two or more groove elements having a width equal to or more than 1.5 mm on the ground contacting surface. Lengths in a tyre axial direction of the groove elements are equal to or less than 15% of a maximum width in the tyre axial direction of the ground contacting surface of the land portion, and at least one of the sipes is in communication with one of the groove elements.

A plurality of segments for molding a tread part of a tire are easily opened and closed by a mold for tire molding of a simple structure. The plurality of segments (5) are energized toward an outside (R2) in the tire radial direction (R). The segments (5) each have a first contacting part (5B) which comes into contact with an outer ring (6) moved toward one side in the tire width direction, and a second contacting part (5C) which comes into contact with the outer ring (6) moved toward the other side in the tire with direction (W). The outer ring (6) has a first sliding part (6D) which pushes the first contacting part (5B) toward the inside (R1) in the tire radial direction (R) and a second sliding part (6E) which pushes the second contacting part (5C) toward the outside (R2) in the tire radial direction (R).

A tire includes a projection disposed between a tread end and a maximum width position on a side surface. The projection includes a groove that extends through an outer side surface in a circumferential direction. The tire is preferably produced by using a mold which has a first part and a second part and in which a dividing line between the first and the second parts extends in the circumferential direction and comes into contact with the side surface, and the groove preferably overlaps an imaginary line, on the side surface, corresponding to the dividing line. A width of the groove is preferably not less than 1.5 mm and preferably not greater than 3.0 mm.

A pneumatic tire includes a longitudinal ridge extending along the tire radial direction and projecting outward from the surface of the tire side portion toward an outside of a tire width direction. A plurality of longitudinal ridges are provided along the tire circumferential direction, and a tire radial direction inner end of the longitudinal ridge is located outside the tire radial direction than the maximum width position. The tire radial direction outer end of the longitudinal ridge is located outside the tire radial direction than a straight line L2 orthogonal to a straight line L1.

A vulcanizing device of a vehicle tire includes a lower plate, on which segments shoes are fitted, the segment shoes profile segments are arrangeable in order to form a tread pattern in the tire blank, and a closure ring for moving the segment shoes in the radial direction of the closure ring, which is placed around the segment shoes against the back surfaces of the segment shoes. The closure ring includes wear plates coated with a ceramic coating layer and arranged on the inner surface of the closure ring so that the ceramic coating layers are fitted against the back surfaces of the segment shoes, and/or the lower plate includes wear plates, which are coated with a ceramic coating layer. The wear plates are arranged on the surface of the lower plate so that the ceramic coating layers are fitted against the lower surfaces of the segment shoes.

The tire mold comprises lower 12 and upper portions 14 which are movable relative to one another between a close-together position for molding the tire and a distanced position for extracting said tire from the mold, and a plurality of central sectors 16 which are in axial contact with the lower 12 and upper portions 14 in their close-together molding position. For each sector 16, the mold comprises an upper member 22 for permanently coupling said sector to the upper portion 14, and a lower member 20 for temporarily coupling said sector to the lower portion 12, said coupling members 20, 22 being configured so as to obtain, during an axial distancing movement of the lower 12 and upper portions 14 from their close-together molding position, a radial displacement of said sector 16 toward the outside followed by an angular pivoting.

A tire vulcanizing method comprises: a step of causing a connecting body, at which an upper mold of a vulcanization mold is supported and that connects together upper end portions of upper tubes of a plurality of supporting pillars, the supporting pillars being disposed so as to be apart in a peripheral direction at a periphery of the vulcanization mold, which is formed from a lower mold and the upper mold, which is set above the lower mold, and the supporting pillars having lower tubes that are hollow and the upper tubes, which are hollow and are slidably engaged with the lower tubes, and the supporting pillars extending in a vertical direction, to, together with the upper tubes and the upper mold, approach the lower mold, and close the vulcanization mold; and a step of vulcanizing an unvulcanized tire that is accommodated at an interior of the vulcanization mold that is closed, wherein the causing the connecting body, the upper tubes and the upper mold to approach the lower mold is carried out by operating raising/lowering mechanisms that are accommodated at interiors of the supporting pillars.

In a tire vulcanization device,a vertical position of a container ring is locked at a closed position by a lock mechanism. A pressurizing mechanism is operated so as to decrease a vertical gap between an upper plate and a lower plate. The lower plate is moved upward so that a segment is moved toward a center mechanism by a container ring and sector molds are assembled in an annular shape. A state where a predetermined vertical gap is formed between the container ring and a bolster plate by a vertical connection mechanism is created. An upper side mold disposed on a lower surface of the upper plate is closed by being pressed against an upper surface of each of the sector molds while maintaining a state where the sector molds are assembled in an annular shape.