A method of manufacturing a tire is provided that includes curing the tire (10) in a curing press (12) and applying microwave energy at a given frequency band into the tire. The interaction between the microwave energy and the tire is monitored to obtain a complex reflection coefficient. A root-mean-squared error is calculated using the measured complex reflection coefficient and a reference reflection coefficient. The reference reflection coefficient is from a fully cured tire made from the same material as the tire. Continuous monitoring of the interaction takes place to obtain the complex reflection coefficient along with continuous calculation of the root-mean-squared error at different times during the curing of the tire in the curing press. The calculated root-mean-squared errors are used to determine whether to stop the curing of the tire in the curing press.

The vulcanizing apparatus for rubber article includes a mold to mold an unvulcanized rubber article, a holding body to hold the mold, a heating means to heat the holding body and an inhibition part. The vulcanizing apparatus for rubber article vulcanizes the rubber article by heat transferred from the holding body to the mold. The inhibition part is formed in a part between the mold and the holding body so as to inhibit transfer of the heat from the holding body to the mold.

A heat insulating plate includes a base material and a reinforcement member attached to the base material. The base material is obtained by forming a sheet-shaped glass fiber cloth having a thickness of 0.5 mm. Further, twelve reinforcement members are attached to one base material. The reinforcement members have a role of ensuring the strength of the heat insulating plate by being in contact with the plate and the platen on the upper and lower end faces. The reinforcement members are formed in a stripe shape and are formed of a metal material having a thickness of about 1 to 10 mm, The metal material having excellent compressive strength and bending strength, such as iron, stainless steel, or titanium alloy, may be adopted.

Tire mold subject to least energy loss from heat dissipation during a curing process and thus capable of improving a curing efficiency, the tire mold has hollow cavities therein and a heating medium that circulates inside the hollow cavities, thereby heating a tire through the mold.

Provided is a tire vulcanization mold including an upper side plate and a lower side plate configured to mold tire side portions, an upper bead ring and a lower bead ring respectively having a profile surface configured to mold a bead portion and a non-profile surface positioned on an inner diameter side of the profile surface, and a thermocouple pullout passage configured to make the non-profile surface and an inner space positioned on an inner diameter side of the lower bead ring communicate with each other and to pull out a vulcanization temperature measuring thermocouple, wherein a first passage extending from the non-profile surface to a lower side plate side is formed in the lower bead ring, and at least a portion of the thermocouple pullout passage is configured by the first passage.

A tire vulcanizer is provided which is capable of arranging a sector at a specified position during closing of a mold and suppressing a vulcanization molding defect. The tire vulcanizer includes: the sector that shapes a tread of a tire; paired upper and lower side plates that shape sidewalls of the tire; a segment to which the sector is fixed and which causes the sector to move in a tire radial direction; and mold parting surfaces defined by the sector and the side plates. Mold inner ends of the mold parting surfaces are arranged on the tread, and the mold parting surfaces extend outward in the tire radial direction from the mold inner ends. The sector includes paired upper and lower flange sections which respectively abut the paired upper and lower side plates in a state where the adjacent sectors in the tire circumferential direction tightly contact each other.

A tire vulcanization mold disclosed herein includes sectors 13 divided in a tire circumferential direction and molding a tread portion 1 of a tire, and a pair of upper and lower side plates 11 and 12 molding a sidewall portion 2 of the tire. Mold parting lines 16a and 17a formed by the sectors 13 and a pair of the upper and lower side plates 11 and 12 are located in the tread portion 1. The mold parting lines 16a and 17a are set within a range PR which accounts for up to 7.5% of a width BW of an outermost belt 5a of the tire on each of an outer side and an inner side than belt end positions BP of the outermost belt in a tire width direction.

A method of manufacturing a tire is provided that includes curing the tire (10) in a curing press (12) and applying microwave energy at a given frequency band into the tire. The interaction between the microwave energy and the tire is monitored to obtain a complex reflection coefficient. A root-mean-squared error is calculated using the measured complex reflection coefficient and a reference reflection coefficient. The reference reflection coefficient is from a fully cured tire made from the same material as the tire. Continuous monitoring of the interaction takes place to obtain the complex reflection coefficient along with continuous calculation of the root-mean-squared error at different times during the curing of the tire in the curing press. The calculated root-mean-squared errors are used to determine whether to stop the curing of the tire in the curing press.

Provided is a tire vulcanizing method enabling an optimum vulcanization operation for each tire by measuring the temperatures of the inner surface and the outer surface of a tire until the demolding timing without damaging the tire and by determining the vulcanized state of the tire accurately based on the measured temperature data to efficiently produce uniformly vulcanized tires especially under conditions where the temperature of a mold fluctuates. During vulcanization of a tire G, the temperatures of the inner surface and the outer surface at a plurality of principal portions representing the tire G are measured, and the demolding timing is determined according to the equivalent degree of vulcanization indicating the degree of progress in crosslinking reaction calculated based on the temperature data measured.

A process for manufacturing a tire by the steps of producing and assembling the tire structural elements on a toroidal support to form a green tire, and the step of precuring at least an inner surface of the green tire by heating the toroidal support. The radially inner surface of the toroidal support is provided with a plurality of protruding elements to reduce the time required for the outer surface of the toroidal support to reach a temperature which is suitable for ensuring a uniform and homogeneous precuring of the inner surface of the green tire, preferably of the inner surface and the bead regions of the green tire.