Tire building drum provided with a turn-up device

• US 6,837,292 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2002
• Issued: 01/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: VMI EPE Holland BV (TKH Group NV)
• Original Assignee: VMI EPE Holland BV (TKH Group NV)
• Inventors: De Graaf, Martin, Huisman, Henk, De Vries, Wubbo Pieter, Gutknecht, Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): Knable, Geoffrey L.
• Application Number:
  US10/241,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20030034132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 156/132, 156/402, 156/400, 156/403, 156/414, 156/415, 156/416, 156/417
• US Class Current: 156/402
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/3214 Locking the beads on the drum; details of the drum in the bead locking areas, e.g. drum shoulders
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/3264 using radially expandable, contractible mechanical means, e.g. circumferentially spaced arms, spring rollers, cages
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/245 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 Class Codes: B29D 30/32 Fitting the bead-rings or bead-cores; Folding the textile layers around the rings or cores

Abstract

Tire drum (1) including a turn-up mechanism for use in building an unvulcanized tire having tire components of rubber or provided with reinforcement cords and two bead cores which either may or may not be provided with a bead filling strip, which tire drum is provided with a central axis (5), two ring segments (6) placed around the axis and spaced apart each for supporting a bead core (3), means for radially expanding the part of the tire components that is situated within the ring segments, in which the tire building drum on either side outside of the ring segments is provided with a set of radially extending hinging arms (11), in which each arm is provided with an end oriented towards the ring segment which end has a first turn-up means, such as a first roller (12), means (20) for axially and radially moving each set of arms from a first position in which the first rollers of the set of arms form a virtually closed ring into an expanded second position for pressing the part of the tire components situated outside of the ring segments against the expanded part of the tire components situated within the ring segments, in which the arms at the ends near the first rollers are provided with moveable support surfaces (15) which in the first position form a virtually closed cylindrical surface for supporting the tire components.

Claims

1. Tire drum comprising a turn-up mechanism for use in building an unvulcanized tire having tire components of rubber or provided with reinforcement cords and two bead cores which either may or may not be provided with a bead filling strip, which tire drum is provided with a central axis, two ring segments placed around the axis and spaced apart each for supporting a bead core, means for radially expanding the part of the tire components that is situated between the ring segments, in which the tire drum on either side outside of the ring segments is provided with a set of axially extending hinged arms, in which each arm is provided with an end oriented towards the ring segment which end has a first turn-up roller, means for axially and radially moving each set of arms from a first position in which the first rollers of the set of arms form a virtually closed ring to an expanded second position for pressing a part of the tire components situated outside of the ring segments against the expanded part of the tire components situated between the ring segments, in which the arms extend in an arm direction and in which the arms at the ends near the first rollers are provided with support surfaces for supporting the tire components, said support surfaces being movable in the arm direction along the arm and in the first position form a virtually closed cylindrical surface for supporting the tire components and in the second position said support surfaces on said arms are spaced from one another in circumferential direction of the tire drum.

2. Tire drum according to claim 1, in which each support surface extends up to the first roller carrying end of the arm in question.

3. Tire drum according to claim 1, in which the support surface can be moved in arm direction.

4. Tire drum according to claim 3, in which each support surface can be moved in arm direction on the arm in question between a first position, in which the roller is covered radially to the outside, and a second, retracted position, in which the roller is uncovered in radial outward direction.

5. Tire drum according to claim 1, in which each support surface is arranged moveable in radial direction on the arm in question between a third, radially expanded position and a fourth, with respect to the roller, radially retracted position.

6. Tire drum according to claim 4, in which each support surface is arranged moveable in radial direction on the arm in question between a third, radially expanded position and a fourth, with respect to the roller, radially retracted position, in which the first and the third position of the support surface coincide.

7. Tire drum according to claim 4, in which each support surface is arranged moveable in radial direction on the arm in question between a third, radially expanded position and a fourth, with respect to the roller, radially retracted position, in which the second and fourth position coincide.

8. Tire drum according to claim 1, in which the support surface is formed by a cover plate that can be moved on the arm.

9. Tire drum according to claim 8, in which the cover plates are provided with a drive member integrated with the cover plate, in which said drive member engages in an axially slidable drive for moving the cover plates.

10. Tire drum according to claim 9, in which the drive member extends radially freely in a driving slide for movement along the arms in the first position of the arms.

11. Tire drum according to claim 8, in which the cover plate and the arm in question are provided with stops for limiting relative movement between the cover plate and the arm in question.

12. Tire drum according to claim 8, in which the arms are biassed towards the first position by means of a circumferential tensioning ring, and in which the tensioning ring is connected to the cover plates.

13. Tire drum according to claim 12, in which the tensioning ring directly engages the cover plate and the arm via the cover plate.

14. Tire drum according claim 1, in which each arm is provided with a second roller which is spaced from the first said roller, and in which the support surface is formed by an endless belt, which is placed about the first and second rollers and in which the endless belts are situated adjacently in the first position of the arms.

15. Tire drum according to claim 14, in which each support surface extends up to the end of the arm in question including roller.

16. Tire drum according to claim 14, in which the support surface can be moved in arm direction.

17. Tire drum according to claim 14, in which the second roller is biassed away from the first roller by means of a spring.

18. Tire drum according to claim 17, in which the spring is attached to the arm in question.

19. Tire drum according to claim 1, in which the sets of hinged arms are on either side outside of the ring segments and can be moved synchronously by a mechanical coupling from the first to the second position.

20. Tire drum according to claim 12, in which the tensioning ring extends to the cover plate.

21. Tire drum according to claim 1, in which each support surface can be moved in a direction away from the first roller carrying end of the arm in question when moving the arm from the first position to the second position.