A tire is molded in a mold having elements movable to bring the mold into an open or into a closed position. The mold includes first and second sidewall mold plates and tread mold segments capable of forming a mold cavity. The segments are radially. The process comprises: bringing the mold from an open position into a first intermediate position wherein the segments remain separated radially from the tire by a radial clearance; creating an axial clearance between the tire and the first or second sidewall mold plate so as to bring the mold into a second intermediate position; drawing a vacuum on the mold cavity while the mold is in the second position; bringing the mold from the second position into the first position by axially moving the first or second sidewall mold plate; and moving the segments radially inwardly and bringing the mold into the closed position.

An adjustable tire mold for use with molds of various diameters and widths is provided. In one embodiment, an adjustable tire molding system is provided, the adjustable tire molding system, comprising: an annular mold assembly including at least one mold segment; an adjuster ring assembly including at least one adjuster engaged with the at least one mold segment, wherein the adjuster ring assembly is oriented radially outwardly of the annular mold as and an outer side plate, wherein the at least one mold segment and the adjuster ring assembly are operatively connected to the outer side plate.

A tire vulcanization mold including a sector mold divided into a plurality of pieces along a circumferential direction of a green tire, the sector mold configured to vulcanization mold a tread portion of the green tire into a predetermined shape, and an upper mold and a lower mold disposed on both sides of the green tire so as to sandwich the green tire therebetween in an axial direction of the green tire, the upper mold and the lower mold configured to vulcanization mold a side portion of the green tire into a predetermined shape. The sector mold has a relief groove in a vicinity of a fitting portion between the sector mold, and the upper mold and the lower mold.

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 mold equipped with features for protecting the tread mold segments from damage is described. One or more impact absorbers are positioned between tread mold segments and operate to preclude contact between the shoulders of the tread mold segments when such are biased back into their original position as a tire is removed from the tire mold. By precluding such contact, the tread mold segments are protected from damage that can affect the appearance of the cured tire.

A mold for vulcanizing and molding a tire, the tire having a tread delimited by two sidewalls, at least one of which is provided with a complex protuberance, the mold having a ring for molding the tread of the tire and two shells for molding the sidewalls, the mold having an annular insert that separates the mold into at least two portions, namely a ring portion and a shell portion in the radially lower region of the sidewalls, the insert having two adjacent concentric elements that are intended to mold the complex protuberance, namely a radially outer element associated with the ring, and a radially inner element associated with the shell.

A tire is molded in a mold having elements movable to bring the mold into an open or into a closed position. The mold includes first and second sidewall mold plates and tread mold segments capable of forming a mold cavity. The segments are radially. The process comprises: bringing the mold from an open position into a first intermediate position wherein the segments remain separated radially from the tire by a radial clearance; creating an axial clearance between the tire and the first or second sidewall mold plate so as to bring the mold into a second intermediate position; drawing a vacuum on the mold cavity while the mold is in the second position; bringing the mold from the second position into the first position by axially moving the first or second sidewall mold plate; and moving the segments radially inwardly and bringing the mold into the closed position.

An upper side mold is lowered without mechanical combination between the mold and a lowering force application device. A tire vulcanizing apparatus 1 includes a mold 2, a lowering force application device 25, and an attachment 4. The mold 2 includes a tread mold 6, an upper side mold 7U, and a lower side mold 7L. The lowering force application device 25 is disposed above the mold 2 and includes a rod 25a extending downward. The attachment 4 is fixed to an upper portion of the mold 2 without mechanical combination with the rod 25a. The attachment 4 includes a body 35 and an upward-downward movable portion 36 fixed to the upper side mold 7U. The upward-downward movable portion 36 lowers the upper side mold 7U upon receiving a lowering force F from the rod 25a.

A tire tread mold which has a tread mold portion which is divided in into a plurality of mold segments having an inner face curved along the circumferential direction according to an arc angle , each of the mold segments including laterally extending blades forming projections from their inner face; wherein the mold segments have a first end portion, a second end portion and a central portion; wherein laterally extending blades of the central portion extend in the operating direction, and wherein laterally extending blades of the end portions are inclined blades that extend in a direction forming an angle with the operating direction, with angle being less than half of angle .

A mold (20) for vulcanizing tires comprises an upper part (24) and a lower part (26), the upper part and the lower part being able to move axially between an open position and a closed position in which the lower part and the upper part meet along a joint line (31). A mold part (24, 26) has at least one sipe blade (50), all or some of the sipe blades extending substantially axially or helically on the radially internal surface (30) of the mold, all or some of the sipe blades being: contiguous at one of their ends with a protruding element (46) and contiguous at the other of their ends with a recessed element (44) or with the other part of the mold, and able to move relative to the tire in the wake of the protruding element (46), during opening of the mold.