Device for making pneumatic tires

Claim 1

A mold assembly for making a pneumatic tire having a high lug or deep tread pattern, comprising an outer mold defining a tire-shaping cavity therein and having an upper half and a lower half separably joined along a mid-circumferential plane of the tire-shaping cavity, tread pattern recesses arranged in a circumferential direction at positions corresponding to the tread portion of said tire, said outer mold having an inflatable bladder secured to one of the mold halves so as to be positioned at a central portion of the tire-shaping cavity formed in said outer mold, and annular recesses at the joined portion of said mold halves, said annular recesses being spaced from said tire-shaping cavity a determined distance for arranging rubber rods to be formed into lugs, said annular recesses being wedge-shaped in cross-section and having inner surfaces substantially at right angles to said mid-circumferential plane; and an annular core replaceably positioned in the inside of said tire-shaping cavity, said annular core having a mold surface of the same shape as the inner surface of said tire-shaping cavity in the region of said tread pattern recesses and being adapted to fit substantially in close contact with said inner surface of said tire-shaping cavity, said mold surface having a width in the axial direction of the tire which is substantially the same as the width of said tread portion of the tire, said mold surface being formed on a radially outer peripheral surface of the core and adapted to close the tread pattern recesses in said cavity, said mold surface of the core being plated with a chromium layer of 1/100 mm to 4/100 mm thickness and being smoother than the opposed inner surface of the tire-shaping cavity, said core having an annular flange integrally extending radially outwardly from a central outer surface so as to be positioned between said mold halves at said joined portion, said annular flange being provided with wedge-shaped projections extending from both sides of the flange so as to snugly fit within said wedge-shaped annular recesses, and said mold halves having a number of vent holes communicating with said tire-shaping cavity in the area opposed to said mold surface of the core.