WO2019022704A1

WO2019022704A1 - Support roller for buffing operations in retread tire manufacturing

Info

Publication number: WO2019022704A1
Application number: PCT/US2017/043508
Authority: WO
Inventors: Steven BEASLEY
Original assignee: Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin
Priority date: 2017-07-24
Filing date: 2017-07-24
Publication date: 2019-01-31

Abstract

A support roller (10) for use in a buffing stage for retread bands (12) is provided that has an outer surface (14) with an engagement zone (16) configured for engagement with a tread surface (22) of the retread band (12). The engagement zone (16) is free from contact with an underside surface of the retread band that is buffed. At least one groove (28) is located within a width of the tread surface and extends from the tread surface towards the underside surface. The outer surface (14) in the engagement zone (16) has a diameter size that corresponds to a profile of the tread surface across the width of the tread surface. The diameter (36) size of the outer surface in the engagement zone does not correspond to a profile of the at least one groove across a width of the at least one groove.

Description

SUPPORT ROLLER FOR BUFFING OPERATIONS IN RETREAD TIRE

MANUFACTURING

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to support rollers in the manufacturing of bands for retread tires. More particularly, the present application involves a support roller that supports the band when the underside of the band is buffed.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Retreaded tires are those that have a new tread section placed onto a carcass of the tire after the tread section currently on the tire is worn down. To make this replacement, the tread currently on the tire may be removed, and the outer surface of the carcass treated for acceptance of the new tread. A layer of adhesive, such as cushion gum or rubber cement adhesive, can be applied to the surface of the carcass and the new tread section may be applied to this adhesive layer. The adhesive layer can be cured in order to cause the new tread section to be attached to the carcass.

[0003] The new tread section can be a cured piece of rubber that is formed by a mold and a press. This piece of cured rubber is often referred to as a band or a retread band. Once molded, the band is transferred between a brush and a support roller in which the underside surface of the band is buffed. The buffing causes a roughening of the underside surface across the width of the underside surface. The band can be run through several buffing stations to achieve a desired level of roughening of the underside surface. After buffing, the band is transferred between an adhesive application roller and a support roller in which the underside surface of the band engages the adhesive application roller, and the tread surface of the band engages the support roller. Adhesive is poured or otherwise transferred onto the underside surface or the application roller and pressure from the application roller functions to spread the adhesive evenly over the underside surface. The roughened underside surface functions to increase the adhesion of the underside surface to the carcass when the band is attached to the carcass.

[0004] The underside surface often is not flat and has a curved profile. In order to address this issue so that the underside surface obtains a rough texture evenly across its width, a series of stacked plates may be used to correct for variations in thickness of the band. The stacked plates may be bolted onto the side of the conveyor and then float over the conveyor acting as a bump that lifts the tread up and pushes it against the buffing head. Although capable of correcting for some variation in tread thickness, this method results in jambing of the tread between the conveyor and the buffing head, and the resulting tread profile is not accurately followed so the tread was not fully supported across its width and was not buffed evenly across its width.

[0005] It is sometimes the case that the ends, or wings, of the tread band are not buffed uniformly because they are thinner than the tread block sections of the tread bands. To correct this, a pair of automatically adjusting chains are used to lift the edges of the wings. However, these chains are not shaped to follow the edge or wing profile of the tread bands resulting in buffing that is not uniform. Further, the chains function to rip or tear the wings thus resulting in the scrapping of tread bands. Although mechanisms of correcting for tread band variation to improve the buffing process exist, there remains room for variation and improvement within the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, which makes reference to the appended Figs, in which:

[0007] Fig. 1 is a top view of a retread band supported by a support roller.

[0008] Fig. 2 is a side view of the retread band and support roller of Fig. 1 with the addition of a brush that buffs the underside surface of the retread band.

[0009] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

[0010] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a support roller in accordance with another exemplary embodiment.

[0011] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a support roller and transport roller assembly. [0012] Fig. 6 is a top view of the support roller and transport roller assembly of Fig. 5.

[0013] Fig. 7 is a front view of the support roller and transport roller assembly of Fig. 5.

[0014] Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a support roller, brush, and transport rollers.

[0015] Fig. 9 is a top view of Fig. 8 with the brush absent from the figure.

[0016] Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF REPRESENTATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield still a third embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations.

[0018] The present invention provides for a support roller 10 that is used in a buffing stage in the production of retread bands 12. The retread band 12 is transferred over the support roller 10 and supported thereon as the brush 26 engages the underside surface 24 of the retread band 12 and creates a roughened surface 102 on the underside surface 24. The support roller 10 has an engagement zone 16 that engages a tread surface 22 of the retread band and has a profile that matches the profile of the tread surface 22. The tread surface 22 has one or more grooves 28 that are within the width 34 of the tread surface 22 that engages the engagement zone 16.

However, the profile of the engagement zone 16 at the grooves 28 is not the profile of the grooves 28. The support roller 10 raises the underside surface 24 so that high and low spots on the underside surface 24 are eliminated to allow the brush 26 effect brushing in a more consistent and even manner across the underside surface 24.

[0019] Fig. 1 shows a buffing stage of the retread process in which a pressed and cured retread band 12 is transported on a plurality of transport rollers 98 to the buffing stage. The brush 26 and the roughened surface 102 are not shown in this figure for purposes of clarity. In the buffing stage the retread band 12 is engaged by the support roller 10 on one side, and by the brush 26 on the opposite side. The retread band 12 can move in the direction of the arrows A in Fig. 1 across the support roller 10. The underside surface 24 of the retread band 12 is shown in Fig. 1, and it is this surface onto which the brush 26 engages and effects buffing, which is a roughening or texturing of the underside surface 24 to allow subsequently applied adhesive to better adhere to the tire carcass so that the retread band 12 is more securely attached to the tire carcass. The support roller 10 may have a shaft 80 that extends in the axial direction 18 of the support roller 10. The drive shaft 80 can be mounted onto bearings 100 to allow the drive shaft 80 to rotate. The shaft 80 is not a driven shaft, but in other embodiments it may be a driven shaft in which a motor and belt or other mechanisms are employed to cause rotation.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a side view of the buffing stage of Fig. 1 without the bearing 100 being shown for purposes of clarity. The brush 26 is shown and engages the underside surface 24 as the underside surface 24 moves in the direction of arrow A. The brush 26 may be a driven component in some embodiments, or may not be a driven component in other embodiments. The brush 26 can have steel bristles and engages the underside surface 24 with enough force to cause the underside surface 24 to be scraped or roughed up to aid in adhesion to the carcass. The brush 26 may be a single brush or could be multiple brushes aligned next to one another at this stage. Further, additional buffing stations could be present so that the retread band 12 is brushed at additional locations downstream or upstream from the particular buffing station illustrated.

Although described as being made of steel, the bristles of the brush that engage the underside surface 24 to create the roughened surface 102 may be made of any material in other

embodiments. Further, although described as having bristles, the brush 26 may instead simply be a roller with a textured surface that engages the underside surface 24. As such, it is to be understood that the brush 26 can be any component that engages the underside surface 24 and is capable of roughening the underside surface 24 to form the roughened surface 102, and need not have a particular structure. The underside surface 24 before engaging the brush 26 is smoother than the roughened surface 102.

[0021] The tread surface 22 does not engage the brush 26 and is on a side of the retread band 12 opposite from the underside surface 24. The support roller 10 engages the retread band 12 directly opposite from the engagement of the brush 26 to the retread band 12. The transport rollers 98 engage the tread surface 22 on opposite sides of the support roller 10 in the direction of travel A, and any number of transport rollers 98 may be present on both or one side of the support roller 10 in the A direction. In some instances, no transport rollers 98 are present. The transport rollers 98 may be driven rollers or non-driven rollers in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0022] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the support roller 10 with the supported retread band 12 and brush 26. The support roller 10 has an outer surface 14 that extends in the axial direction 18 of the support roller 10 between a first terminal end 50 and a second terminal end 52. The engagement zone 16 is the portion of the outer surface 14 that is configured to engage the tread surface 22. The engagement zone 16 does not extend across the entire outer surface 14 but is spaced some amount from the first terminal end 50 in the axial direction 18, and is spaced some amount from the second terminal end 52 in the axial direction 18. In other instances, the engagement zone 16 may extend across the entire outer surface 14.

[0023] The profile of the outer surface 14 in the engagement zone 16 is the diameter 36 of the outer surface 14 as it extends across the engagement zone 16 in the axial direction 18. The diameter 36 is not the same across the entire engagement zone 16 but instead changes so as to be larger and smaller at different axial locations in the engagement zone 16. The diameter 36 is the distance of the outer surface 14 perpendicular to the axial direction 18 through the axis of rotation of the support roller 10. The profile may be the same in some portions of the

engagement zone 16 but not in all portions of the engagement zone 16. In this regard, some axial length of the engagement zone 16 may have the same diameter 36 but at some point it will change so that the diameter 36 is different for some other length of the engagement zone 16. The diameter 36 is the same in the circumferential direction 20 completely about the outer surface 14 at any given axial location of the outer surface 14 in the engagement zone 16.

[0024] The outer surface 14 features a first ear 54 and a second ear 56 that are spaced from one another in the axial direction 18. The ears 54, 56 have diameters 36 that are

significantly larger than the other areas of the outer surface 14 and thus appear to be prominent features of the support roller 10. Although two ears 54, 56 are present, any number of ears can be present in other versions of the support roller 10 - such as one ear, three ears, or even zero ears. The two ears 54, 56 are located on opposite ends of the engagement zone 16 in the axial direction 18. The engagement zone 16 has a first terminal end 46 that is located at the first ear 54. A second terminal end 48 of the engagement zone 16 is located at the second ear 56.

Portions of the first ear 54 and the second ear 56 may form part of the engagement zone 16, while other portions of the first ear 54 and the second ear 56 do not form part of the engagement zone 16 and are outboard from the engagement zone 16 in the axial direction 18. The greatest diameter 36 of the outer surface 14 may be at one of, or at both of the ears 54 or 56.

[0025] The engagement zone 16 has an interior section 58 that spans the distance between the first ear 54 and the second ear 56 in the axial direction 18. The diameter 36 of the interior section 58 is less than the diameter 36 of the ears 54, 56. However, in some

embodiments, the diameter 36 at certain locations of the interior section 58 may in fact be greater than the maximum diameters of one or both of the ears 54, 56. Also, at certain portions of the interior section 58 the diameter 36 may be greater than the diameter 36 of one or more portions of the ears 54, 56. The diameter 36 at the interior section 58 varies across the total length of the interior section 58 in the axial direction 18, although it may be the same at certain locations and for certain lengths in the axial direction 18.

[0026] The retread band 12 has a retread band width 44 that is oriented in the axial direction 18 as the retread band 12 moves through the adhesive application stage. The tread surface 22 has a width 34 that extends the entire retread band width 44 so that both of these widths 44, 34 are the same distance. In other versions, the width 34 of the tread surface 22 is less than the full width 44 of the retread band 12. The width 34 of the tread surface 22 may be the same as the width of the engagement zone 16 so that the tread surface 22 is engaged by the outer surface 14 along the entire width 34. The diameter 36 across the width of the engagement zone 58 is selected based upon the profile of the tread surface 22 along its width 34 so that support is given to the retread band 12 to lift the underside surface 24 the proper amount to present a flat surface onto which the brush 26 can engage. The low spots of the tread surface 22 are thus supported up a required amount to achieve this level underside surface 24. The ends of the retread band 12 that are the two outboard ends are often referred to as wings, and these two wings may have a tendency to curl downward thus causing the support roller 10 to feature the two ears 54, 56 that have a greater diameter 36 than other areas in order to support the two wings to achieve a level underside surface 24.

[0027] The profile of the outer surface 14 in the engagement zone 16 is thus sized to match the profile of the cross-section of the retread band 12. The exception to this lies in the grooves 28 of the retread band 12. The groove 28 is open at the tread surface 22 and closed in the direction towards the underside surface 24 which is in the radial direction in Fig. 3. The groove 28 is defined by a pair of tread blocks 40 that are located on opposite sides of the groove 28 in the direction 42 which is the direction of the width 34 of the tread surface 22. The direction 42 is the same direction as the axial direction 18 as shown in Fig. 3. The groove 28 is thus any opening on the tread surface 22 that extends towards the underside surface 24 bordered by tread blocks 40 on either side in the direction 42. The groove 28 may extend in the circumferential direction 20 around the entire tire when the retread band 12 is attached to the carcass. The profile of the outer surface 14 in the engagement zone 16 does not match the profile of the groove 28 in the engagement zone 16. The outer surface 60 of the engagement zone 16 is identified in Fig. 3, and the diameter 36 at the outer surface 60 may be the same across its entire width 38, or the diameter 36 can change along the width 38 so that it is larger and smaller at different locations in the axial direction 18. As shown in Fig. 3, the diameter 36 is the same across the entire width 38 of the groove 28.

[0028] The outer surface 14 extending in the axial direction 18 from the first ear 54 to the second ear 56 changes in diameter 36 to match the shape of the tread surface 22 until reaching the groove 28. The outer surface 62 is the location of the outer surface 14 immediately adjacent the outer surface 60 and has a diameter 36 that still matches the profile shape of the tread surface 22. The diameter 36 of the outer surface 60 may be the same size as the diameter 36 of the outer surface 62. As such, once reaching the groove 28, the diameter 36 of the outer surface 14 may continue on as the same size across the full width 38 and then resume changing in size based upon the profile of the tread surface 22 outside of the groove 28. Although described as having the same diameter 36 across the entire width 38 of the groove 28, it is to be understood that the diameter 36 at the outer surface 60 may change across its length in the axial direction 18 so as to be greater or smaller at various points in accordance with other exemplary embodiments.

[0029] The outer surface 14 upon extending beyond the groove 28 in the axial direction 18 may resume assuming a complimentary shape to the tread surface 22 such that its diameter 36 will change. Any number of grooves 28 can be present in the tread surface 22 in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. In the embodiment shown, the groove 28 is a first groove 28, and a second groove 30 and a third groove 32 are also shown. Second and third grooves 30 and 32 are defined by a pair of tread blocks 40 on either side and are open at the tread surface 22 and are closed at their ends proximate to the underside surface 24. The outer surface 14 at the location of the second and third grooves 30, 32 is not profiled to match the shape and size of the second and third grooves 30, 32 but is straight and at a diameter 36 that is the same as the outer surface 14 engaging the tread surface 22 located immediately adjacent each one of these grooves 30, 32. The outer surface 14 at the second and third grooves 30, 32 may be arranged in the manners previously discussed with respect to the outer surface 60 at the first groove 28 and a repeat of this information is not necessary.

[0030] It is to be understood that in some embodiments of the support roller 10, that the outer surface 14 at one or more of the grooves 28 does in fact have a profile that matches the profile of the one or more grooves 28 and engages the retread band 12 at these locations.

However, the support roller 10 is designed so that at least one of the grooves 28 corresponds to a section of the outer surface 14 that is not sized and shaped to match the size and shape of the at least one groove 28. The support roller 10 results in a design in which the profile of the outer surface 14 in the engagement zone 16 matches the complimentary profile of the tread surface 22 along a portion of the width 34 of the tread surface 22 but not along all of the width 34 of the tread surface 22.

[0031] In order to construct the profile of the engagement zone 16, a laser profilometer scan of the tread surface 22 may be conducted. This scan can then be used to cut the engagement zone 16 into the support roller 10 by the use of a lathe. The engagement zone 16 can then have a negative profile of the tread surface 22, with the exception of portions related to the groove 28. The 3D scan of the tread surface 22 allows for a precise and consistent lifting of the retread band 12 by the support roller 10 as the engagement zone 16 is constructed to precisely match the profile of the tread surface 22 other than locations including the grooves 28. Although the profile of the tread surface 22 may change in the machine direction, the profile of the

engagement zone 16 of the support roller 10 does not change but remains the same as the profile measured at a particular cross-section of the tread surface 22. In this regard the diameter 36 is the same about the engagement zone 16 for 360 degrees about the support roller 10 at a particular location in the axial direction 18 of the engagement zone 16. The support roller 10 may thus have a surface that mimics the shape of the profile of the tread surface 22 in addition to the wings of the retread band 12. The support roller 10 creates a precise support that cradles the tread surface 22 as the brush 26 drops down and makes contact with the underside surface 24. This raising of the underside surface 24 allows the brush 26 to make even contact across the entire profile without deflecting certain unsupported portions of the retread band 12. The shape of the support roller 10 allows the rubber to move naturally under the brush 26 which greatly decreases the setup time and the rate of torn or damaged tread band 12 edges.

[0032] The support roller 10 can be a single piece that is mounted to the bearings 100, or may be made of multiple pieces. For example, the main body of the support roller 10 can be one component with the shaft 80 a separate piece that is attached to this main body. Fig. 4 shows another arrangement of the support roller 10 in which it is made from multiple components. The support roller 10 includes a tube 66 onto which a collar 64 is mounted. The collar 64 may be attached to and removed from the tube 66 as desired. The engagement zone 16 is located on the collar 64 so that when a different type of retread band 12 with a different tread surface 22 profile is desired to be run through the buffing stage, the collar 64 can be removed from the tube 66 and a new collar 64 with the complimentary engagement zone 16 attached. The shaft 80 is a single component that extends in the axial direction 18 through the axis of rotation of the support roller 10. A first side insert 82 and a second side insert 88 are mounted to the exterior 86 of the shaft 80 and are free from engagement with one another and are spaced from one another in the axial direction 18. The inserts 82, 88 are attached to the shaft 80 so that they are rigidly mounted onto the shaft 80 and do not rotate relative to the shaft 80. A tube 66 engages and is mounted to the first and second side inserts 82, 88 and rotate with the inserts 82, 88 as they are rotated. The interior 84 of the tube 66 engages the first and second side inserts 82, 88, but is spaced in the radial direction from and does not engage the exterior 86 of the shaft 80. Attachment to the inserts 82, 88 may be through interference fit, or through the use of mechanical fasteners.

[0033] If the shaft 80 is driven, rotation of the shaft 80 is communicated through the first and second drive side inserts 82, 88 to the drive tube 66 to in turn cause it to rotate. A step 68 is defined on the exterior surface of the tube 66, and no portion of the exterior surface of the tube 66 is shaped so as to be complimentary with the profile of the retread band 12. The step 68 is an area of lesser diameter of the exterior surface of the tube 66 than other areas of the exterior surface of the tube 66 on either side of the step 68 in the axial direction 18. The collar 64 rests within the step 68, and the areas of the tube 66 on either side of the step 68 in the axial direction 18 prevent the collar 64 from sliding along the exterior surface of the tube 66 in the axial direction 18. Four socket head cap screws 70 extend through the collar 64 and into the drive tube 66 but do not extend to the shaft 80 or into the first and second side inserts 82, 88. The socket head cap screws 70 prevent rotation of the collar 64 relative to the tube 66 in the circumferential direction 20. In this regard, the socket head cap screws 70 prevent the collar 64 from spinning relative to the tube 66 onto which the collar 64 is mounted.

[0034] The collar 64 can be made of two pieces with each one extending 180 degrees about the tube 66 in the circumferential direction 20. The collar 64 has a first hose clamp recess 72 and a second hose clamp recess 74 on either side of the engagement zone 16 in the axial direction 18. The engagement zone 16 is not located at either the first hose clamp recess 72 or at the second hose clamp recess 74. The recesses 72, 74 extend completely around the collar 64 in the circumferential direction 20, and the socket head cap screws 70 are located in the recesses 72, 74 and extend through the collar 64 at these locations. A first hose clamp (not shown) may be located in the first hose clamp recess 72 and squeezes the collar 64 at this location to cause the collar 64 to be attached to the tube 66 to prevent it from falling off of the tube 66. A second hose clamp (not shown) is located within the second hose clamp recess 74 and functions to hold the collar 64 onto the tube 66 at this point to likewise aid in preventing the collar 64 from detaching from the tube 66. The hose clamps along with the socket head cap screws 70 can be applied and disengaged by the user to attach and remove the collar 64 to and from the tube 66 as desired in order to render the collar 64 releasably attachable to the tube 66. The outer surface 14 is thus made up of both the outer surface of the collar 64 and a portion of the outer surface of the tube 66. The collar 64 may be made from 6061 aluminum, and the shape of the outer surface 14 of the collar 64 may be imparted using a CNC lathe to achieve the desired diameter 36.

[0035] The support roller 10 causes the underside surface 24 to be built up at necessary locations so that it presents an even surface to the brush 26 for the even roughening of the underside surface 24. A more consistent roughening is performed at the buffing stage, and the retread band 12 will be better adhered to the carcass when manufacturing a retread tire. The use of a support roller 10 with a known positioning of the engagement zone 16 may result in a more uniformly constructed retread tire as the retread band 12 will be supported in a consistent and known manner. By leaving the engagement zone 16 at the at least one groove 28 not profiled with the shape and size of the at least one groove 28, while profiling the rest of the engagement zone 16, Applicants have unexpectedly discovered that the roughening of the underside surface 24 is evenly conducted over the underside surface 24 to develop a roughened surface 102 for a uniform and consistent connection between the retread band 12 and the tire carcass. [0036] Figs. 5-7 illustrate another embodiment of the buffing station that includes a support roller 10 that can be arranged as previously discussed. The buffing station has a frame 106 onto which eight transport rollers 98 are mounted. Four of the transport rollers 98 are before the retread band 12 reaches the support roller 10, and four of the transport rollers 98 are positioned after the retread band 12 leaves the support roller 10. The transport rollers 98 are mounted onto flanges that extend from a horizontal surface of the frame 106. The bearings 100 are mounted onto the horizontal surface of the frame 106, and the frame 106 has a through opening into which the support roller 10 is positioned so that the outer surface 14 is located generally at the outer surfaces of the transport rollers 98. However, as shown in Fig. 7, the outer surface 14 at the ears 54, 56 is located higher than the surfaces of the transport rollers 98. The opening of the horizontal surface of the frame 106 can be located both forward and rearward of the outer surface 14 in the direction of travel of the retread band 12. The brush 26 is not shown in Figs. 5-7 but would be located right above the support roller 10 so that a nip is formed through which the retread band 12 travels when being brushed.

[0037] Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate another embodiment of the support roller 10 incorporated into a buffing station. The support roller 10 may be arranged as previously described and a repeat of this information is not necessary. The support roller 10 is rotationally mounted via bearings 100 to the frame 106 along with several transport rollers 98 both forward and rearward of the support roller 10 in the machine direction. The brush 26 is mounted above the support roller 10 and the retread band 12 is passed through the nip formed by the brush 26 and the support roller 10. The brush 26 may be rotatable about its axis, or may be stationary to cause roughening by having the underside surface 24 dragged across the brush 26. The brush 26 is not mounted to the frame 106, but could be mounted onto the frame 106 in other embodiments. The buffing station also includes a pair of side panels 108 spaced from one another in the lateral direction, and the frame 106 is mounted on both of the side panels 108. Additionally, transport rollers 98 are rotationally mounted on both of the side panels 108 both forward and rearward of the support roller 10. In addition, a larger transport roller 104 is rotationally mounted onto the side panels 108 rearward of the support roller 10. The larger transport roller 104 has a greater diameter than the transport rollers 98. Further, downstream from the transport rollers 98 and support roller 10, a second larger transport roller 104 is rotationally mounted to the side panels 108. The retread band 12 may run across the larger transport roller 104 and transport rollers 98 and onto the support roller 10 at which location it is roughened by the brush 26. After brushing, the retread band 12 moves across the downstream transport rollers 98 from the support roller 10 and then across the downstream larger transport roller 104. The buffing station may be said to include all of these components in certain embodiments.

[0038] While the present invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the subject matter encompassed by way of the present invention is not to be limited to those specific embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended for the subject matter of the invention to include all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A support roller for use in a buffing stage for retread bands, comprising: an outer surface that has an engagement zone that extends in an axial direction of the support roller and that extends 360 degrees about a circumferential direction of the support roller, wherein the engagement zone is configured for engagement with a tread surface of the retread band, wherein the engagement zone is configured to be free from contact with an underside surface of the retread band that is configured to receive buffing, wherein at least one groove is located within a width of the tread surface and extends from the tread surface towards the underside surface, wherein the outer surface in the engagement zone has a diameter size that corresponds to a profile of the tread surface across the width of the tread surface, wherein the diameter size of the outer surface in the engagement zone does not correspond to a profile of the at least one groove across a width of the at least one groove.

2. The support roller as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one groove is a plurality of grooves.

3. The support roller as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein all of the grooves are located between tread blocks of the retread band in a direction of the width of the tread surface that is configured to be parallel to the axial direction of the support roller.

4. The support roller as set forth in any one of claims 1-3, wherein the retread band has a retread band width, and wherein the width of the tread surface extends across the entire retread band width.

5. The support roller as set forth in any one of claims 1-4, wherein the engagement zone has a first terminal end and a second terminal end, wherein the first terminal end is spaced from the second terminal end in the axial direction, wherein the outer surface extends in the axial direction past both the first terminal end and the second terminal end such that the engagement zone is spaced inboard from a first terminal end of the outer surface and a second terminal end of the outer surface in the axial direction.

6. The support roller as set forth in any one of claims 1-5, wherein the engagement zone has a first terminal end and a second terminal end, wherein the first terminal end is spaced from the second terminal end in the axial direction, wherein the greatest diameter size of the outer surface in the engagement zone extends in the axial direction from the first terminal end or the second terminal end.

7. The support roller as set forth in claim 6, wherein the engagement zone has a pair of ears that have the largest diameters of the engagement zone, wherein a first one of the ears extends in the axial direction from the first terminal end of the engagement zone, wherein a second one of the ears extends in the axial direction from the second terminal end of the engagement zone, wherein an interior section of the engagement zone has a smaller diameter than the diameters of the first ear and the second ear.

8. The support roller as set forth in any one of claims 1-7, wherein the entire width of the tread surface is configured for engagement with the engagement zone except for the at least one groove within the width of the tread surface.

9. The support roller as set forth in any one of claims 1-8, wherein the diameter of the outer surface configured to be at the same axial location as the at least one groove is the same size as the diameter of the outer surface immediately adjacent one axial side of the outer surface configured to be at the same axial location as the at least one groove.

10. The support roller as set forth in any one of claims 1-10, further comprising: a collar, wherein the outer surface is located on the collar; and a tube, wherein the tube defines a step that has a smaller diameter than

immediately adjacent portions of the tube on opposite sides of the step in the axial direction of the support roller, wherein the collar is located on the step and is carried by the tube.

11. The support roller as set forth in claim 10, further comprising a plurality of socket head cap screws that extend through the collar and into the tube, wherein the socket head cap screws prevent relative rotation between the collar and the tube in the circumferential direction of the support roller.

12. The support roller as set forth in claim 10 or 11, wherein the collar has a first hose clamp recess and a second hose clamp recess, wherein the engagement zone is located between the first hose clamp recess and the second hose clamp recess in the axial direction of the support roller; and further comprising: a first hose clamp received within the first hose clamp recess, wherein the first hose clamp applies clamping pressure to the collar and the tube to affix the collar to the tube; and a second hose clamp received within the second hose clamp recess, wherein the second hose clamp applies clamping pressure to the collar and the tube to affix the collar to the tube.

13. The support roller as set forth in any one of claims 10-12, further comprising: a shaft that extends through the tube; a first side insert that engages an interior of the tube and an exterior of the shaft; and a second side insert that engages the interior of the tube and the exterior of the shaft, wherein the first and second side inserts are free from engagement with one another and are spaced from one another in the axial direction of the support roller, wherein the shaft engages the first and second side inserts, wherein rotation of the shaft is translated through the first and second side inserts to rotate the tube and the collar.

14. The support roller as set forth in any one of claims 1-13, wherein the support roller is a non-driven roller, and further comprising at least one bearing onto which the support roller is mounted.