Process and apparatus for building tyres

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10414111-B2
Application number	US-201615231864-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2016
Priority date	Feb 15, 2007
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

Two auxiliary support members are operatively engaged with a building drum, in axially approached relationship with respective halves of the drum itself, each auxiliary member having a circumferential rest surface extending in the continuation of an outer circumferential surface of the building drum itself. Applied around the outer circumferential surface of the building drum is at least one carcass ply having axially opposite end flaps each lying on the circumferential rest surface of the respective auxiliary support member. A pair of auxiliary shaping members engaged with the building drum in place of the auxiliary support members, each act against a circumferential abutment edge carried by the building drum, to enable the carcass ply to be shaped into a toroidal configuration concurrently with mutual approaching of the halves of the building drum.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for building tyres, comprising:
a building drum comprising two halves supported by a central shaft and capable of being axially moved close to each other along the central shaft and having at least one outer circumferential surface designed to support at least one carcass ply applied around the building drum;
auxiliary support members configured for removable engagement with the building drum and each having at least one circumferential rest surface extending in a continuation of an outer circumferential surface of the building drum, each of said auxiliary support members being in axially approached relationship with one of said two halves of the building drum and being configured for engagement with the building drum at at least one connecting member until after application of at least one carcass ply around the outer circumferential surface of the building drum, each respective one of the at least one connecting member being integrally carried by a respective one of the halves of the building drum; and
at least one auxiliary shaping member distinct from said building drum, configured for removable engagement with the building drum to enable a toroidal conformation of said at least one carcass ply concurrently with mutual approaching of said halves of the building drum, wherein each auxiliary shaping member comprises at least one sealing ring, and each auxiliary shaping member is configured for being engaged on said at least one connecting member in place of each auxiliary support member after application of said at least one carcass ply,
each of the at least one connecting member comprising a cylindrical sleeve configured to be selectively coupled to a respective cylindrical first engagement seat carried by each auxiliary support member and to a respective cylindrical second engagement seat carried by each auxiliary shaping member, and
wherein a radially external surface of a sealing ring of each of said at least one auxiliary shaping member is configured to act against a circumferential abutment edge of said at least one carcass ply carried by the building drum.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a pair of auxiliary shaping members is removably engaged with the building drum, each of said auxiliary shaping members being in axially approached relationship with a respective one of said halves.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each auxiliary support member comprises a fitting element capable of being operatively coupled to a respective one of said at least one connecting member.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said fitting element radially projects from a first engagement seat carried by the at least one auxiliary support member and operates in spring thrust relationship with a recess formed in the respective one of the at least one connecting member.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said circumferential rest surfaces have a substantially cylindrical conformation with a diameter substantially corresponding to a diameter of the outer circumferential surface of the building drum.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the building drum further comprises a central section slidably engaging said halves and defining a central section of said outer circumferential surface.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the building drum comprises circumferential sectors that are radially movable between a work condition at which said circumferential sectors extend in circumferential-continuity relationship to define said outer circumferential surface, and a rest condition at which said circumferential sectors are radially approached relative to a geometric axis of the building drum to enable removal of a tyre being processed from the building drum.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said at least one auxiliary shaping member acts in thrust relationship against a respective annular anchoring structure in engagement with said at least one carcass ply.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said at least one auxiliary shaping member comprises at least one flanged element capable of being removably fastened, in axially approached relationship, to a respective half of the building drum.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said at least one flanged element carries a fastening device capable of being operatively coupled to a respective one of said at least one connecting member.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said fastening device comprises a brake operatively mounted on a guide sleeve capable of being slidably engaged on the respective one of said at least one connecting member.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said at least one auxiliary shaping member further comprises thrust devices capable of operating between the at least one flanged element and each of the at least one sealing ring to push respective ones of the at least one sealing ring toward the circumferential abutment edge.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein each respective one of said at least one sealing ring is radially expandable upon the action of the thrust devices.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein said thrust devices comprise a thrust ring axially movable toward each of the at least one sealing ring upon action of a fluid-operated actuator.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14 , wherein each respective one of the at least one sealing ring has a radially internal frustoconical surface facing a circumferential edge of the thrust ring.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein each respective one of said at least one sealing ring acts against said circumferential abutment edge through a radially external frustoconical surface of the respective sealing ring.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said at least one auxiliary shaping member comprises a plurality of respectively concentric sealing rings having respectively different diameters.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one building station carrying devices for application of a carcass sleeve, comprising said at least one carcass ply, onto the building drum;
devices for assembling an outer sleeve, comprising a belt structure, to the carcass sleeve; and
devices for transferring the building drum from the building station to a position outside said station.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the central shaft carries at least one grip end capable of being engaged by said transfer devices.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18 , wherein said application devices comprise members for engaging annular anchoring structures with respective end flaps of said at least one carcass ply, so as to form a carcass sleeve.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20 , wherein each of said annular anchoring structures defines a fitting diameter smaller than an application diameter defined by the outer circumferential surface of the building drum.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20 , wherein said members for engaging each annular anchoring structure comprise:
members for coaxially fitting the annular anchoring structure around the respective end flap of said at least one carcass ply; and
members for turning up the end flap of said at least one carcass ply around a respective annular anchoring structure.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18 , wherein said devices for

Assignees

• Pirelli

Inventors

• Mancini Gianni
• Lo Presti Gaetano
• Marchini Maurizio

Classifications

• B29D30/26

  Accessories or details, e.g. membranes, transfer rings · CPC title

• B29D30/32 Primary

  Fitting the bead-rings or bead-cores; Folding the textile layers around the rings or cores · CPC title

• B29D2030/3214

  Locking the beads on the drum; details of the drum in the bead locking areas, e.g. drum shoulders · CPC title

• B29D2030/202

  the building drums being movable, i.e. not permanently connected to a fixed frame · CPC title

• B29D30/245

  Drums for the single stage building process, i.e. the building-up of the cylindrical carcass and the toroidal expansion of it are realised on the same drum (expansion to a toroidal shape B29D30/36) · CPC title