Method for molding bead portion of green tire and bead portion molding device

• US 20060070696A1
• Filed: 09/23/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Sugiyama, Naoki, Takeuchi, Yuichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,491,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/132
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/3264 using radially expandable, contractible mechanical means, e.g. circumferentially spaced arms, spring rollers, cages
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/244 for manufacturing substantially cylindrical tyre components with cores or beads, e.g. carcasses mechanisms for folding layers around cores or blads per se B29D30/32
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/32 Fitting the bead-rings or bead-cores; Folding the textile layers around the rings or cores

Abstract

The method for molding a bead portion for a green tire includes a bead core supporting step for supporting the bead core through a carcass ply upon expanding a diameter of a bead core supporter including a seating surface for supporting a radially inner surface of the bead core. Since the bead core supporter comprises an outer piece outside of the seating surface in a tire axial direction that rises up towards outside in the radial direction with a clearance between the same and the bead core, that is larger than the thickness of the carcass ply, it is possible to flip a carcass outer region up, that is outside in the tire axial direction than a sandwiched region of the carcass ply, sandwiched and held between the seating surface and the bead core, and to deform the carcass outer region into an outer inclined piece that is inclined and extended towards radially outside without including any partially bent portions. It further includes a curving step of pressing the outer inclined piece inward in the tire axial direction by using a ply winding ring for curving the same towards the outside surface and the radially outer surface of the bead core, and a pressing step of pressing a tip end portion of the curved outer inclined piece towards the radially outer surface of the bead core by using a pressing roller.

Claims

1. A method for molding a bead portion for a green tire, comprising a carcass ply of steel cords serially provided with carcass wound portions wound around bead cores on both sides of a carcass main body portion extending from a tread portion over sidewall portions up to the bead cores of bead portions, the bead cores having a polygonal sectional shape comprised of a radially inner surface opposing a seat surface of a rim, a radially outer surface parallel to said radially inner surface, a tire-axially outside surface connecting between tire-axially outer edges of said radially inner surface and said radially outer surface, and a tire-axially inside surface connecting between tire-axially inner edges of said radially inner surface and said radially outer surface, the method including:

a carcass tube forming step of forming a carcass tube by cylindrically winding the carcass ply on an outer periphery of a former,

a bead core setting step of setting the bead core radially outside of the carcass tube, and

a bead core supporting step of employing a bead core supporter expandable and shrinkable in diameter and having a seating surface for supporting supporting the radially inner surface of the bead core while sandwiching the carcass ply between the seating surface and the bead core by expanding the diameter of the bead core supporter,

said bead core supporting step further including a flip-up step of flipping a carcass outer region defined as a portion of the carcass ply being outside in the tire axial direction than a sandwiched region of the carcass ply sandwiched between the seating surface and the bead core so as to become an outer inclined portion that inclines and extends towards outside in the radial direction without including any partially bent portions due to the provision of a flange at the bead core supporter that rises radially outside from a tire-axially outer end of the seating surface with a clearance between the same and the bead core, that is larger than the thickness of the carcass ply,

a curving step of pressing the outer inclined portion inward in the tire axial direction by using a ply winding ring for curving the same towards the tire-axially outside surface and the radially outer surface of the bead core, and

a pressing step of pressing a tip end portion of the outer inclined portion in a curved condition towards the radially outer surface of the bead core by using a pressing roller.

2. The method for molding a bead portion for a green tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bead core has a hexagonal sectional shape in which the tire-axially outside e surface and the tire-axially inside surface of the bead core respectively comprise flexed surfaces each comprised of an upper inclined surface outside in the radial direction and a lower inclined surface inside in the radial direction.

3. The method for molding a bead portion for a green tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pressing roller of the pressing step presses a tip end portion of the outer inclined portion towards the radially outer surface of the bead core while relatively rotating, with respect to the former, the carcass ply on the former, and the bead core, around a tire axial center and deforms the tip end portion of the outer inclined portion along the radially outer surface.

4. The method for molding a bead portion for a green tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pressing step includes a wrapping wire winding step in which a wrapping wire is wound around on the tip end portion of the outer inclined portion that is pressed towards the radially outer surface of the bead core.

5. The method for molding a bead portion for a green tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein a minimum value of said clearance between the flange and the bead core is 1.0 to 4.0 times the thickness of the steel cords of the carcass ply.

6. The method for molding a bead portion for a green tire as claimed in claim 1, wherein a distance in the radial direction between an radially upper end of the flange and a tire-axially outer edge of the radially inner surface of the bead core is 0.2 to 0.7 times the thickness between the radially inner surface and the radially outer surface of the bead core.

7. A bead portion molding device for a green tire, comprising a carcass ply of steel cords serially provided with carcass wound portions wound around bead cores on both sides of a carcass main body portion extending from a tread portion over sidewall portions up to the bead cores of bead portions, the bead cores having a polygonal sectional shape comprised of a radially inner surface opposing a seat surface of a rim, a radially outer surface parallel to said radially inner surface, a tire-axially outside surface connecting between tire-axially outer edges of said radially inner surface and said radially outer surface, and a tire-axially inside surface connecting between tire-axially inner edges of said radially inner surface and said radially outer surface, and comprising:

a former for forming a carcass tube by winding a carcass ply cylindrically on the outer periphery thereof, and

a bead core supporting means that comprises a bead core supporter expandable and shrinkable in diameter and having a seating surface that supports the radially inner surface of the bead core set radially outside of the carcass tube while sandwiching the carcass ply between the seating surface and the bead core when expanded in diameter,

said bead core supporter including a flange that rises up radially outward from a tire-axially outer end of the seating surface,

said flange flipping up a carcass outer region defined as a portion of the carcass ply outside in the tire axial direction than the sandwiched region of the carcass ply sandwiched between the seating surface and the bead core so as to become an outer inclined portion that inclines and extends towards outside in the radial direction without including any partially bent portions due to the provision of a clearance between the flange and the bead core being larger than the thickness of the carcass ply in the diametrically expanded condition of the bead core supporter

a winding means that comprises a ply winding ring that is relatively movable with respect to the outer inclined portion in- and outside in the tire axial direction and that presses the outer inclined portion through relative movement towards inside in the tire axial direction for curving the outer inclined portion towards the tire-axially outside surface and the radially outer surface of the bead core; and

a shaping means including a pressing roller for pressing a tip end portion of the outer inclined portion in a curved condition towards the radially outer surface of the bead core.

8. The bead portion molding device for a green tire as claimed in claim 7, wherein said pressing roller presses a tip end portion of the outer inclined portion towards the radially outer surface of the bead core while relatively rotating, with respect to the former, the carcass ply on the former, and the bead core, around a tire axial center.

9. The bead portion molding device for a green tire as claimed in claim 7, wherein a minimum value of said clearance between the flange and the bead core is 1.0 to 4.0 times the thickness of the steel cords of the carcass ply.

10. The bead portion molding device for a green tire as claimed in claim 7, wherein a distance in the radial direction between an radially upper end of the flange and a tire-axially outer edge of the radially inner surface of the bead core is 0.2 to 0.7 times the thickness between the radially inner surface and the radially outer surface of the bead core.