PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING TYRES FOR VEHICLE WHEELS

• US 20120024464A1
• Filed: 04/07/2010
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pirelli Tyre SPA (Pirelli & C SPA)
• Original Assignee: Pirelli Tyre SPA (Pirelli & C SPA)
• Inventors: Marchini, Maurizio, Mancini, Gianni
• Granted Patent: US 9,744,733 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/110.1
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/486 Additional components for the tyre bead areas, e.g. cushioning elements, chafers, flippers
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/487 Forming devices for manufacturing the beads
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/0016 Handling tyres or parts thereof, e.g. supplying, storing, conveying B29D30/2607 takes precedence; loading and unloading vulcanizing presses B29D30/0603
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/48 Bead-rings or bead-cores from wire B21F37/00; Treatment thereof prior to building the tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/50 Covering, e.g. by winding, the separate bead-rings or bead-cores with textile material, e.g. with flipper strips folding textile layers around bead-rings or bead-cores B29D30/18, B29D30/32; jointly covering bead-rings or bead cores B29D30/34

Abstract

In the building of a carcass structure for tyres of vehicle wheels, the step of reinforcing with a loop at least one annular anchoring structure associated at the axially opposite end edges of a carcass ply is carried out on at least one radially expandable/contractable service drum and includes the steps of: setting the service drum to a predetermined radial dimension selected according to the fitting diameter of the tyre to be manufactured, depositing the loop on the service drum, loading the annular anchoring structure onto the service drum in a radially outer position with respect to the loop, radially expanding the service drum up to lock in position the annular anchoring structure, rotating the service drum about a longitudinal axis thereof and, during the rotation, turning the loop up about the annular anchoring structure.

Claims

1-32. -32. (canceled)

33. A process for manufacturing a tyre for a vehicle wheel, comprising the step of building a carcass structure comprising at least one carcass ply associated, at axially opposite end edges thereof, with respective annular anchoring structures, wherein the step of building the carcass structure comprises the step of reinforcing said at least one annular anchoring structure with a loop, said reinforcement step being carried out on at least one radially expandable/contractable service drum and comprising the steps of:

a) setting the service drum to a predetermined operative radial dimension selected according to a fitting diameter of a tyre to be manufactured;

b) depositing the loop on an annular portion of an annular outer surface of the service drum;

c) loading an annular anchoring structure onto the service drum in a radially outer position with respect to the loop;

d) radially expanding the service drum up to lock in position the annular anchoring structure;

e) rotating the service drum about a longitudinal axis thereof;

f) during rotation of the service drum turning the loop up about the annular anchoring structure so as to form a reinforced annular anchoring structure; and

g) unloading the reinforced annular anchoring structure from the service drum.

34. The process according to claim 33, further comprising the step of positioning the reinforced annular anchoring structure on an end edge of the carcass ply, wherein before carrying out said positioning step, steps from a) to g) are repeated for a predetermined number of times.

36. The process according to claim 33, wherein at least one of steps a) and b) is carried out at least in part simultaneously with at least part of at least one of steps c) to g).

37. The process according to claim 33, wherein the step of turning the loop up is carried out at least in part simultaneously with at least part of at least one of step g) of unloading the reinforced annular anchoring structure from the service drum and step c) of loading a new annular anchoring structure onto the service drum.

38. The process according to claim 33, wherein step c) of loading the annular anchoring structure onto the service drum comprises the steps of:

taking the annular anchoring structure from a first storage member; and

moving the annular anchoring structure from the first storage member to the service drum.

39. The process according to claim 33, wherein step g) of unloading the reinforced annular anchoring structure from the service drum comprises the steps of:

radially contracting the service drum;

taking the reinforced annular anchoring structure from the service drum; and

moving the reinforced annular anchoring structure from the service drum to a second storage member.

40. The process according to claim 33, wherein step a) of setting the service drum to a predetermined operative radial dimension, comprises a step of radially expanding the service drum until the annular outer surface thereof reaches a predetermined diameter selected according to the fitting diameter of the tyre to be manufactured.

41. The process according to claim 33, comprising, between step b) of depositing the loop onto an annular portion of an annular outer surface of the service drum and step c) of loading the annular anchoring structure onto the service drum in a radially outer position with respect to the loop, a step of moving the service drum from a first work station defined at a feeding device of the loop to a second work station defined at a device for loading/unloading the annular anchoring structure onto/from the service drum.

42. The process according to claim 33, wherein the loop is obtained by cutting to size a band-like reinforcement element and step b) of depositing the loop onto an annular portion of an annular outer surface of the service drum comprises the steps of:

feeding the band-like reinforcement element toward the service drum;

depositing a head portion of the band-like reinforcement element onto the annular outer surface of the service drum;

rotating the service drum by a predetermined angle about the longitudinal axis thereof; and

during said rotation, depositing new portions of the band-like reinforcement element onto the annular outer surface of the service drum until a tail portion of the band-like reinforcement element is deposited.

43. The process according to claim 42, wherein said predetermined angle is equal to at least 360°

, and wherein the band-like reinforcement element is cut to size before being fed toward the service drum.

44. The process according to claim 42, wherein, during the step of feeding the band-like reinforcement element toward the service drum, associating an element made from elastomeric material on an outer side surface of the band-like reinforcement element.

45. The process according to claim 44, wherein said element made from elastomeric material is arranged astride the outer side surface of the band-like reinforcement element.

46. The process according to claim 44, wherein said element made from elastomeric material is associated cantilevered with the outer side surface of the band-like reinforcement element.

47. The process according to claim 33, wherein said annular portion of annular outer surface of the service drum is in an offset axial position with respect to a transversal middle plane of the service drum.

48. The process according to claim 33, wherein step c) of loading the annular anchoring structure onto the service drum comprises the step of positioning the annular anchoring structure in a centered position with respect to a transversal middle plane of the service drum.

49. The process according to claim 33, wherein the step of turning the loop up is carried out by moving in synchrony at least one pair of turning members with a combined motion along a first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the service drum and along a second direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the service drum, said turning members being arranged on opposite sides with respect to a transversal middle plane of the service drum.

35. A process for reinforcing with a loop an annular anchoring structure of a tyre for a vehicle wheel, comprising the steps of:

a) setting a radially expandable/contractable service drum to a predetermined operative radial dimension selected according to a fitting diameter of a tyre to be manufactured;

b) depositing the loop on an annular portion of an annular outer surface of the service drum;

c) loading the annular anchoring structure onto the service drum in a radially outer position with respect to the loop;

d) radially expanding the service drum up to lock in position the annular anchoring structure;

e) rotating the service drum, about a longitudinal axis thereof;

f) during rotation of the service drum, turning the loop up about the annular anchoring structure so as to form a reinforced annular anchoring structure; and

g) unloading the reinforced annular anchoring structure from the service drum.

50. An apparatus for reinforcing with a loop an annular anchoring structure of a tyre for a vehicle wheel, comprising:

at least one service drum having a longitudinal axis;

a device for feeding the loop toward the service drum;

a device for loading/unloading the annular anchoring structure onto/from the service drum; and

a device for turning the loop up about the annular anchoring structure, to form a reinforced annular anchoring structure,

wherein the service drum is radially expandable/contractable with respect to said longitudinal axis so as to be adjustable to a plurality of predetermined radial dimensions selected according to a fitting diameter of a tyre to be manufactured.

51. The apparatus according to claim 50, wherein said at least one service drum is rotatable about said longitudinal axis.

52. The apparatus according to claim 50, comprising two service drums arranged on opposite sides with respect to a pivoting axis and integrally movable about said pivoting axis between a first work station defined at the device for feeding the loop and a second work station defined at the device for loading/unloading the annular anchoring structure.

53. The apparatus according to claim 50, wherein said at least one service drum comprises a central shaft arranged coaxially to said longitudinal axis and a plurality of support members arranged adjacent to one another in a circumferential direction about said central shaft and radially movable in synchrony between a position of maximum contraction and a position of maximum expansion.

54. The apparatus according to claim 53, wherein each support member comprises a central support body and two opposite side support bodies, the side support bodies being slidable in synchrony toward/away from the central support body along a direction parallel to said longitudinal axis.

55. The apparatus according to claim 54, wherein each side support body of at least one of said support members comprises a radial opening extending longitudinally up to a free end facing the central support body.

56. The apparatus according to claim 53, comprising a device for adjusting radial movement of said support members and a device for locking said support members in position.

57. The apparatus according to claim 50, wherein the device for turning the loop up comprises at least one pair of turning members arranged on opposite sides with respect to a transversal middle plane of the service drum.

58. The apparatus according to claim 57, wherein said turning members are movable in synchrony with a combined motion along a first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the service drum and along a second direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the service drum.

59. The apparatus according to claim 50, wherein the device for loading/unloading the annular anchoring structure onto/from the service drum comprises at least one motorised arm for gripping and moving the annular anchoring structure.

60. The apparatus according to claim 50, further comprising a member for depositing an element made from elastomeric material on a side surface of the loop.

61. The apparatus according to claim 60, wherein said depositing member comprises a plurality of rollers arranged in succession along a moving direction of the loop, with at least some of the respective rotation axes being skew to one another, to deposit said element made from elastomeric material astride the side surface of the loop.

62. The apparatus according to claim 50, further comprising a first storage member for annular anchoring structures capable of being loaded onto the service drum and a second storage member for reinforced annular anchoring structures unloaded from the service drum.

63. The apparatus according to claim 62, wherein said first and second storage members belong to a moving line arranged in a position adjacent to the service drum.

64. The apparatus according to claim 62, further comprising a third storage member for annular anchoring structures to be loaded onto the service drum, said third storage member being arranged upstream of the first storage member.