Molding cord-reinforced, treaded rubber caterpillar belt for versatile tracked vehicle employs mold halves with asymmetric mold joint line

摘要

A mold (10) is formed from cylindrical halves (11, 12) advancing into mutual contact on the same axis to meet at a joint (14), forming a surface (100) molding the inside of the belt. Regularly-spaced cavities (103) mold the driven studs of the belt, each being axially-delimited by two walls (111, 121), each belonging to one half of the mold. The joint surface of the halves is axially closer to the first wall than the second, at the outer molding surface. The cavities (103) are filled with at least one mixture suitable to form the driven studs. The belt components are added, i.e. the rubber mixtures and the reinforcements. They are placed on the mold, radially outside the studs, assuring contact between the rubber mixtures of belt and studs. Tread rubber is added to the radially-outer surface of the belt, to form the tread blank of the caterpillar. This is transferred into an internal mold formed by a number of sectors. Their internal surfaces will shape the tread. The external mold is closed by radial approach towards the axis of rotation of the external mold sectors. Molding and vulcanization takes place. The external sectors are then opened. The internal mold carrying the caterpillar, is taken to a molding extraction unit. One of the mold halves is axially-held, and the other is pulled axially away, separating it completely and leaving the caterpillar on the other half. The caterpillar is then axially-held and the other mold half is pulled away. An Independent claim is included for the corresponding extraction unit which separates the completed caterpillar track from the mold.