FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970) & THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (See section 10, rule 13) 1. Title of the invention: LUMP BREAKER SYSTEM
2. Applicant(s)
NAME NATIONALITY ADDRESS
CEAT LIMITED Indian RPG House, 463, Dr. Annie Besant
Road, Worli, Mumbai-Maharashtra 400007, India
3. Preamble to the description
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it
is to be performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter relates, in general, to compounding and
mixing components in a process of manufacturing of tires and, particularly but not exclusively, to lump breaker system for the compounding and mixing in manufacturing of tires.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Compounding and mixing is a first stage of a tire manufacturing process.
In the compounding and mixing stage, constituents of a tire is generated by way of chemical and physical treatment and combination of raw materials, to achieve desired properties of the constituents. The composition of the tire is a mixture of diverse raw materials. Rubber, both natural rubber and synthetic rubber, forms a base raw material in the composition of the tire. The composition of the tire, in addition to rubber includes tire fillers and additives. Carbon black and silica are most commonly used tire fillers. Further, the additives are used to slow degradation of the tire and enhance lifetime of the tire. Some examples of the additives include antioxidants, antiozonants, and anti-aging agents. Thus, quality, longevity, and durability of the tire is dependent on the composition or constituents of the tire.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0003] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying
figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
[0004] Fig. 1 illustrates side view of rubber lump breaker system for tire
manufacturing, in accordance with an implementation of the present subject matter.
[0005] Fig. 2 illustrates front view of the rubber lump breaker system for the tire
manufacturing, in accordance with another implementation of the present subject matter.

[0006] Fig. 3 illustrates blades of the rubber lump breaker system for the tire
manufacturing, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0007] Fig. 4 illustrates mesh of the rubber lump breaker system for the tire
manufacturing, in accordance with another embodiment of the present subject
matter.
[0008] Fig. 5 illustrates blade and mesh arrangement of the rubber lump breaker
system, in accordance with an implementation of the present subject matter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] The present subject matter relates to aspects relating to granularization of
rubber lumps by a rubber lump breaker system in compounding and mixing stage of tire manufacturing process.
[0010] A mixer assembly used in compounding and mixing stage of tire
manufacturing may have at least one shaft with stirring components mounted on the shaft. Raw materials to be mixed may be fed in the mixer assembly, such that the raw material moves around in a first gap between the shaft and the stirring components and in a second gap between the shaft and the walls of the mixer assembly. However, in mixer assemblies the first and the second gaps are narrow. For example, the first and the second gaps may be in a range of 5mm-10mm. Hence, for seamless operation of the mixer assemblies, raw material to be mixed needs to be fed in granulated form.
[0011] Since, rubber has a property of turning sticky during various treatments in
compounding stage, rubber has a tendency of forming lumps large in size due to agglomeration. The agglomerated lump is often difficult to feed a mixer assembly owing to the above-explained narrow gaps in the mixer assembly. To use the agglomerated lump, granules of rubber are chipped off from the agglomerated lump by labor manually. The manual chipping off is time consuming, costly and requires extensive human effort. For example, in accordance with a case study, it may take 48 hours for one person to chip off granules from the agglomerated lump of 25 kg

rubber block. The 25 kg rubber is consumed in one hour of tire manufacturing process.
[0012] Some conventional automated granulation machines for chipping off the
granules are also known. The conventional automated granulation machines have a shaft with blades mounted on the shaft for granulation of agglomerated lumps. However, the blades mounted on the shaft are susceptible to wear and frequent change as the blades are mounted on the shaft, and when the agglomerated lumps are fed to the blades, the agglomerated lumps fall on the blades and due to large weight of the agglomerated lumps shape of the blades and alignment of the blades gets affected. Additionally, after coming in contact with the agglomerated lumps upper edge of the blades tends to achieve in state of rest due to high inertia of the agglomerated lumps. However, lower edge of the blades mounted on top of the shaft tends to stay in state of motion due to rotation of the shaft. Thus, the blades mounted on top of the shaft suffer non-uniform distortion stress, high friction and pressure, amounting to distortion in shape of the blades, poor chipping off by the blades, and misalignment of the blades. Additionally, due to high friction, significant amount of heat is generated leading to melting of rubber and hindrance to granulation. Thus, certain conventional granulation systems include a cooling system to combat heat generated due to the friction. However, addition of such sophisticated systems in the granulation system, enhances complexity of the system and also adds to cost of manufacturing and maintenance of the system. Further, skilled labor is required for operation and maintenance of the system. Also, the blades in the conventional systems are mounted as a single panel, hence, in a scenario when some blades need replacement, complete panel has to be replaced, amounting to increase in downtime of the conventional system and high maintenance and operational cost. Further, certain conventional systems include flat mesh, known in the art to hold the agglomerated lumps, while the blades chip of the granules. However, the flat mesh distorts in shape due to weight of the agglomerated lumps. Due to the distortion,

operation of the blades is affected and the chipping off is affected. Thus, conventionally known mechanisms for reducing size of the agglomerated rubber are inefficient and non-reliable. Further, the manufacturing, operation, and maintenance of the conventional systems is required high time, effort, and cost.
[0013] A rubber lump breaker system to granulate lumps of rubber is described
in the present subject matter. In an embodiment, the rubber lump breaker system may overcome the above-described problems associated with manufacturing, operation and maintenance of the conventional granulation systems.
[0014] In accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter, a rubber
lump breaker system to granulate lumps of rubber may include a feed unit. The feed
unit may be configured to receive the lumps of rubber. The rubber lump breaker
system may further include a reduction unit. The reduction unit may include plurality
of blades operable to reduce size of the lumps of rubber. The rubber lump breaker
system may further include a unidirectional mesh of a predetermined curvature
formed around the plurality of blades. The unidirectional mesh is positioned at an
intersection of the feed unit and the reduction unit, to hold the lumps of rubber
incoming from the feed unit. The unidirectional mesh has groves of predetermined
dimension to accommodate movement of the plurality of blades, along with
facilitation of granules of rubber reduced by the plurality of blades to pass.
[0015] In operation, when the rotatable shaft is actuated, the multiple blades on
the shaft also actuate. As a result of actuation of the multiple blades, the lumps of rubber received from the feed unit resting on the unidirectional mesh, are granulated due to chipping off by the blades. Further, the chipped of granules transfer to the storage tray after passing through the holes of the unidirectional mesh.
[0016] Thus, the present subject matter discloses the rubber lump breaker system
that provides a mechanized process of reduction in size of rubber lumps for use in a mixer assembly of a tire manufacturing process. The rubber lump breaker system disclosed in the present subject matter overcomes disadvantages of conventional

lump breaking systems. Specifically, the rubber lumps from the feed unit is transferred to the reduction unit under influence of gravitational force experienced by the rubber lumps due to mass of the rubber lumps, thus, operator does not need to feed the rubber lumps to the blades, as role of the operator ends after feeding the rubber lumps to the feed unit, amounting to enhanced operational safety for the operator and reduced probability of accidents. Further, the complete process of granulation is carried out without human intervention, hence human errors are obliviated in the rubber lump breaker system of the present subject matter. Also, the mounting the unidirectional mesh with a predetermined curvature around the plurality of blades prevents misalignment of blades under weight of the rubber lumps, as the unidirectional mesh hold the rubber lumps and the plurality of blades making the blades are protected against weight of the rubber lumps, amounting to more sturdy and long lasting blades. Additionally, pressure and friction applied on the plurality of blades are low, leading to reducing wear to the plurality of blades and longevity of life of the blades, making the rubber lump breaker system robust and reliable. Also, due to low friction, insignificant amount of heat is generated and the rubber does not get affected, hence, the rubber lump breaker system of the present subject matter does not require any cooling system. Thus, manufacturing and maintenance of the system is easy and less costly over conventional system. Further, the blades are detachably placed on the rotatable shaft, thus, blades can easily be replaced in case of wear to the blades after prolonged usage, making the system flexible. Additionally, since multiple blades simultaneously are involved in granulation of the rubber lumps the process of the granulation is faster, seamless, and involving minimal human interaction, making the rubber lump breaker system efficient. Further, due to simplification of manufacturing and operation of the system, requirement of skilled labor is also eliminated.
[0017] These and other advantages of the present subject matter would be
described in greater detail in conjunction with the following figures. While aspects of

the rubber lump breaker system can be implemented in any number of different configurations, the embodiments are described in the context of the following device(s) and method(s).
[0018] Figs. 1-5 illustrate different view of the rubber lump breaker system 100
and its various component. For sake of brevity, Figs. 1-5 have been detailed together. Fig. 1 illustrates side view of rubber lump breaker system 100 for tire manufacturing, in accordance with an implementation of the present subject matter. Fig. 2 illustrates front view of the rubber lump breaker system 100 for the tire manufacturing, in accordance with another implementation of the present subject matter.
[0019] The rubber lump breaker system 100, in an implementation of the present
subject matter, includes a feed unit 102, a reduction unit 104 and a collection unit 106. The feed unit 102 of the rubber lump breaker system 100 receives rubber lumps 108 fed to the rubber lump breaker system 100. In an example, the rubber lumps 108 may be fed to the rubber lump breaker system 100 by an operator of the rubber lump breaker system 100. The feed unit 102 transfers the rubber lumps 108 received, to the reduction unit 104. The reduction unit 104 reduces size of the rubber lumps 108 by chipping granules 110 off of the rubber lumps 108. Thus, the reduction unit 104 convert the rubber lumps 108 to granules 110.
[0020] As for an example, size of the granules 110 may be compatible with size
of raw materials that can be fed to a mixer assembly of tire manufacturing process. Rubber granules 110 chipped off by the reduction unit 104 are transferred to the collection unit 106. In an example, the collection unit 106 may collect the granules 110 for use in consecutive stages of the tire manufacturing process.
[0021] In an embodiment, the feed unit 102, the reduction unit 104 and the
collection unit 106 of the rubber lump breaker system 100 may be aligned along single longitudinal axis, i.e. Y-axis, such that the reduction unit 104 is positioned below the feed unit 102 and above the collection unit 106. It may be understood that such an alignment of the feed unit 102, the reduction unit 104, and the collection unit

106 enable seamless movement of rubber from one unit to the other under gravitational force, obliviating requirement of a transfer mechanism making the rubber lump breaker system 100 simple, cost-effective, and easy to manufacture and operate.
[0022] In an implementation of the present subject matter, the feed unit 102 may
include a hopper 112 and a door 114. In an example, the door 114 covers the ingress end of the hopper 112, such that the door 114 is a lid for the hopper 112. In an embodiment, the door 114 may be detachable from the hopper 112. The door 114 being detachable facilitates unobstructed feeding of the rubber lumps 108. Further, the detachable door 114 of the hopper 112 may be light weight, such that the detachable door 114 can be easily removed for feeding of the rubber lumps 108 and placed back on the hopper 112 after the feeding. Commonly the rubber lumps 108 fed in the rubber lump breaker system 100 have high weight, thus, feeding of the rubber lumps 108 by human operator or a labor requires excessive effort. In such a scenario, the detachable and light weight door 114 of the hopper 112, is easy to operate and reduces effort of feeding the rubber lumps 108.
[0023] In an embodiment, the hopper 112 may be a passage for ingress of the
rubber lumps 108. In an example, the hopper 112 may be a conduit. While one end of the hopper 112 allows ingress of the rubber lumps 108, the other end of the hopper 112 facilitates egress of the rubber lumps 108 from the hopper 112 to the reduction unit 104. In an example, the hopper 112 may be positioned above the reduction unit 104, such that shape and configuration of the hopper 112 is inline with shape and configuration of the reduction unit 104. The alignment of the shape and configuration of the hopper 112 and the reduction unit 104 enables seamless passage of the rubber lumps 108 from the hopper 112 to the reduction unit 104 under the impact of gravitational force, without need of a transfer mechanism.
[0024] In an embodiment of the present subject matter, a conveyor mechanism
may be implemented between the hopper 112 and the reduction unit 104, such that

the conveyor mechanism carries the rubber lumps 108 from the feed unit 102 to the reduction unit 104 for granulation. In an example, conveyor belts, conveyor chains, rollers, and the like may be used as the conveyor mechanism. In another example, dimension of the hopper 112 may be in accordance with dimension of the rubber lumps 108, as the rubber lumps 108 tend to have large dimension and the hopper 112 has to accommodate the rubber lumps 108.
[0025] In an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter, the hopper
112 may be made of a material that facilitates smooth passage of the rubber lumps
108 and not impact momentum of the passage of the rubber lumps 108 due to sticky
nature of the rubber lumps 108. In an example, the material may be stainless steel.
[0026] In an implementation of the present subject matter, the reduction unit 104
may include a rotatable shaft 116 and a cutting hub 118. The cutting hub 118 may include a plurality of alignment rods 120, and a plurality of blades 122. In an example, the rotatable shaft 116 may be a spline shaft. In another example, the rotatable shaft 116 may be a cylindrical shaft known in the art. In yet another example, the rotatable shaft 116 may be six point spline shaft. In an embodiment, the rotatable shaft 116 may be rotated by an actuator 124. In an example, the actuator 124 may be external to the rubber lump breaker system 100. In another example, the actuator 124 may be internal to the rubber lump breaker system 100. The actuator 124 may be a single motor, say a servo motor, a stepper motor or an assembly including a motor and a gear box.
[0027] In an embodiment, the cutting hub 118 may be a spline hub. Further, the
cutting hub 118 may be mountable on the rotatable shaft 116. In an embodiment, the plurality of alignment rods 120 may be mounted on the cutting hub 118. The plurality of alignment rods 120 may be mounted on the cutting hub 118 to cover circumference of the cutting hub 118 along length of the rotatable shaft 116. In an example, the alignment rods 120 may be welded to the cutting hub 118. In another

example, the alignment rods 120 may be mounted at predetermined distance from each other along the circumference of the cutting hub 118.
[0028] In an implementation of the present subject matter, the plurality of blades
122 may be mounted on the alignment rods 120. Thus, the alignment rods 120 may be mounted beneath the plurality of blades 122. In an example, the plurality of blades 122 may be detachably mounted on the alignment rods 120. The alignment rods 120 ensure that the plurality of the blades 122 do not get misaligned to avoid any possibility of misalignment of blades 122 during operation of the rubber lump breaker system 100 which may lead to abnormal wear in shape of the plurality of blades 122 which may in turn lead to and frequent repair or replacement of the blades 122.
[0029] In an example, the plurality of blades 122 may be mounted by way of a
fixture resembling spline hub structure, such that spline hub structure is mounted on a spline shaft. Such an arrangement enables prevention of lateral movement during operation of the rubber lump breaker system 100. On each of the alignment rods 120, multiple blades 122 are mounted, such that the blades 122 cover entire length of the alignment rod. The detachable mounting of the plurality of blades 122 on the alignment rods 120 ensures simple and easy replacement and maintenance of the blades 122. In a scenario when some blades 122 on an alignment rod need replacement due to wear, the entire shaft does not need to be replaced, as each can individually be detached and replaced. Such an arrangement of the plurality of blades 122 reduces cost and effort of management of the device and improves tire manufacturing process. In an example, the plurality of blades 122 may be hook shaped blades. In another example, the plurality of blades 122 may be double sided hook shaped blades, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The hook shape of the plurality of blades 122, leads to a curved profile of the plurality of blades 122. The curved profile of the plurality of blades 122 reduces friction between the rubber lumps 108 and the

plurality of blades 122 and also provide a better angle of cutting to the blades 122, making the process of granulation seamless and faster.
[0030] In an implementation of the present subject matter, the collection unit 106
may include a unidirectional mesh 126 and a storage tray 128. A part of the collection unit 106 may be positioned below the reduction unit 104, while another part of the collection unit 106 may be positioned above the reduce unit, in an example. In particular, the unidirectional mesh 126 may be positioned above the rotatable shaft 116 and the storage tray 128 may be placed below the rotatable shaft 116. The unidirectional mesh 126 may have a predetermined curvature. Further, the unidirectional mesh 126 may be formed around the blades 122 and the unidirectional mesh 126 may be positioned at intersection of the feed unit 102 and the reduction unit 104, to hold the lumps of rubber 108 incoming from hopper 112. In an example, the unidirectional mesh 126 may have groves of predetermined dimension to accommodate movement of the blades 122, along with facilitation of granules 110 of rubber reduced by the plurality of blades 122 to pass. In another example, the unidirectional mesh 126 may be formed by plurality of lateral strips, such that the lateral strips are placed in plane parallel to plane of rotation of the plurality of blades 122. In an embodiment, the unidirectional mesh 126 may be placed above the reduction unit 104 and the predetermined curvature of the unidirectional mesh 126 may project the shape of the unidirectional mesh 126 as a dome shape, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The dome shape of the unidirectional mesh 126 obliviates possibility of clogging during operation of the reduction and reduces stress and friction on the plurality of blades 122. Further, gap between the lateral strips of the unidirectional mesh 126 may form through groves of predetermined dimension, Also, the plurality of through groves allow transfer of rubber from the reduction unit 104 to the storage tray 128. Since, the unidirectional mesh 126has through groves of predetermined dimension, rubber granules 110 of dimension equivalent or less than the predetermined dimension can only pass through the groves to the storage tray 128 .

In an example, the predetermined dimension of each of the through grove may be 5 mm – 10 mm. The storage tray 128 collects the granules 110 of rubber passing through the unidirectional mesh 126. In an example, the collected granules 110 may be used for consecutive stages of tire manufacturing process, such as mixing in a mixer assembly.
[0031] In operation, an operator may feed lumps of rubber 108 to the hopper
112. The lumps of rubber 108 may pass through the hopper 112 and reach the unidirectional mesh 126 under influence of gravitational force. Before the lumps of rubber 108 reach to the unidirectional mesh 126, the actuation of the rotatable shaft 116 is initiated. As a result of actuation of the rotatable shaft 116, the plurality of blades 1220 also rotate along with the rotatable shaft 116. The lumps resting on the unidirectional mesh 126, come in contact with the plurality of blades 122 and granules 110 of rubber are chipped off from the lumps of rubber 108. When the granules 110 of rubber are reduced by the plurality of blades 122 a predetermined dimension, equivalent to the predetermined dimension of the through groves of the unidirectional mesh 126 , the granules 110 pass through the unidirectional mesh 126 . After passing through the unidirectional mesh 126, the granules 110 get collected in the storage tray 128 . Thus, the lumps of rubber 108 are reduced to granules 110 by the rubber lump breaker system 100 without human intervention and effort, obliviating disadvantages of manual granulation.
[0032] Fig. 5 illustrates schematics of the reduction unit 104 of the rubber lump
breaker system 100 for the tire manufacturing, in accordance with an implementation of the present subject matter.
[0033] As illustrated in Fig. 5, the rotatable shaft 116 is fixed in an enclosure 130
which holds the rotatable shaft 116 and the plurality of blades 122. Further, the unidirectional mesh 126 may be placed in dome shape on top of the enclosure 130. In an example, the enclosure 130 128 may be rectangular in shape. The enclosure 130 forms wall around the rotatable shaft 116, hence, the rotatable shaft 116 has the

unidirectional mesh 126 at top side, walls of the enclosure 130 as side walls and the storage tray 128 at bottom. The enclosure 130 provides spaces between the rotatable shaft 116 and the plurality of blades 122 for the lumps of rubber 108 to move after granulation of the lumps of rubber 108. Further, the enclosure 130 may be made up of a material which does not let the rubber lumps 108 stick to the walls, despite the sticky nature of the rubber lumps 108.
[0034] In an implementation of the present subject matter, plurality of slots 132
may be formed on the alignment rods 120. The plurality of slots 132 may facilitate detachable mounting of the plurality of blades 122 on the alignment rods 120. In an example, the plurality of slots 132 may be formed on the plurality of alignment rods 120 at a predetermined angle from longitudinal axis of the rubber lump breaker system 100. Y-axis, in Fig. 1, may be understood as the longitudinal axis of the rubber lump breaker system 100. Since, the plurality of slots 132 are formed at the predetermined angle, the plurality of blades 122 are arranged in a curved profile on the alignment rods 120. The curved profile arrangement of the plurality of blades 122, ensures longevity in life of the blades 122 due to improved stress distribution. Further, the improved stress distribution amounts to lower friction amounts various components and the raw material during granulation, leading to negligible heat generation during the operation and thus, no impact on the rubber lumps 108 and the granules 110. Hence, the rubber lump breaker system 100 becomes more reliable, flexible, acceptable, cost efficient, and long lasting, making the rubber lump breaker system 100 efficient.
[0035] Although implementations for rubber lump breaker system 100 for the
tire manufacturing are described, it is to be understood that the present subject matter is not necessarily limited to the specific features of the systems described herein. Rather, the specific features are disclosed as implementations for the rubber lump breaker system 100 for the tire manufacturing.

I/ We Claim:
1. A rubber lump breaker system, to granulate lumps of rubber 108, the rubber lump
breaker system comprising:
feed unit 102 to supply the lumps of rubber 108;
a reduction unit 104 to receive the lumps of rubber 108 from a feed unit 102, the reduction unit 104 comprising a plurality of blades 122 operable to reduce size of the lumps of rubber 108;
a unidirectional mesh 126 of a predetermined curvature formed around the plurality of blades 122 positioned at intersection of the feed unit 102 and the reduction unit 104, to hold the lumps of rubber 108 incoming from hopper 112, wherein unidirectional mesh 126 has groves of predetermined dimension to accommodate movement of the plurality of blades 122, along with facilitation of granules 110 of rubber reduced by the plurality of blades 122 to pass.
2. The rubber lump breaker system 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the feed unit 102 includes a hopper 112 to provide passage for the lumps of rubber 108 towards the reduction unit 104.
3. The rubber lump breaker system 100 as claimed in claim 1, the feed unit 102 further comprising detachable door 114 to allow ingress of the lumps of rubber 108.
4. The rubber lump breaker system 100 as claimed in claim 1, the reduction unit 104 further comprising a rotatable shaft 116, wherein the rotatable shaft 116 is spline shaft.
5. The rubber lump breaker system 100 as claimed in claim 1, the reduction unit 104 further comprising a cutting hub 118 mounted on the rotatable shaft 116, wherein the cutting hub 118 is a spline hub and the plurality of blades 122 are mounted on the cutting hub 118.
6. The rubber lump breaker system 100 as claimed in claim 5, the cutting hub 118 further include a plurality of alignment rods 120 fixed on the cutting hub 118.

7. The rubber lump breaker system 100 as claimed in claim 6, wherein the plurality of alignment rods 120 are fixed beneath the plurality of blades 122.
8. The rubber lump breaker system 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of blades 122 are hook shaped blades.
9. The rubber lump breaker system 100 as claimed in claim 6, wherein the plurality of alignment rods 120 are fixed on the cutting hub 118 at a predetermined distance.
10. The rubber lump breaker system 100 as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a
collection unit 106 including the unidirectional mesh 126 and a storage tray 128,
wherein the unidirectional mesh 126 is formed by plurality of lateral strips, wherein
the lateral strips are placed in plane parallel to plane of rotation of the plurality of
blades 122.
11. The rubber lump breaker system 100 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
predetermined curvature of the unidirectional mesh 126 projects the unidirectional
mesh 126 as dome shaped.
12. The rubber lump breaker system 100 as claimed in claim 10, wherein the storage
tray 128 collects the granules 110 passing through the unidirectional mesh 126.