Tire building drum having a radially movable intermediate assembly

Abstract

Abstract A TIRE BUILDING MACHINE HAVING AN ANNULAR INTERMEDIATE ASSEMBLY DEFINED BY A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ARRANGED INTERMEDIATE SECTIONS EACH HAVING A PLURALITY OF INTERLEAVED FIRST SUPPORTING MEMBERS MOVABLE RADIALLY AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER TO FORM SUBSTANTIALLY CLYLINDRICAL SUPPORTING SURFACES OF DIFFERENT PREDETERMINED RADII, AND A PLURALITY OF SECOND SUPPORTING MEMBERS ADJACENT THE AXIALLY OUTERMOST OF THE FIRST SUPPORTING MEMBERS HAVING OUTER CURVED EDGES, AND BLADE MEANS ADJACENT THE SECOND SUPPORTING MEMBERS TO PROVIDE END SUPPORTING CYLINDERICAL SURFACE PORTIONS OF RADII SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE RADIUS OF A FIRST PREDETERMINED CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF THE FIRST SUPPORTING MEMBERS, AND WHICH BLADE MEANS TOGETHER WITH THE OUTER CURVED EDGES OF THE SECOND SUPPORTING MEMBERS DEFINE CURVED SHOULDERS EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARDLY FROM THE OUTER EDGES OF A SECOND PREDETERMINED CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF THE FIRST SUPPORTING MEMBERS. METHOD OF BUILDING PNEUMATIC TIRES IN WHICH TIRE CARCASS MATERIAL IS SUPPORTED IN THE FORM OF A TUBULAR CYLINDER, DISPOSING TIRE BEADS INWARDLY OF THE TUBULAR CYLINDER FOR ENCASEMENT BY DISPLACING THE OUTER END PORTIONS OF THE TUBULAR CYLINDER AXIALLY INWARDLY AROUND THE TIRE BEADS, AND RADIALLY DISPLACING THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE TUBULAR CYLINDER WHILE MOVING THE ENXASED TIRE BEADS AXIALLY TOWARD EACH OTHER TO FORM THE TIRE CARCASS MATERIAL INTO TORUS CONFIGURATION HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL CROWN PORTION AND RADIALLY INWARDLY EXTENDING SIDEWALL PORTIONS, AND IN WHICH ROUNDED END SHOULDER PORTIONS CONNECT THE CROWN PORTION WITH THE SIDE WALL PORTIONS.

Inventors

• 👤 Emerson C Bryant

Bibliographic Details