Machine for making twisted wire beads for tires

Claim 1

A machine for making flexible bead rings for automobile tires by wrapping continuous lengths of stiff wire helically around the surface of an endless circular core ring comprising: a pair of endless belts including an inner belt and an outer belt, each with a core-ring-gripping span, guide means defining a major circumferential portion of a circle and having ends defining therebetween an open span representing the remaining minor portion of said circle, said guide means being adapted to receive and support said core-ring gripping spans of said belts in said major circumferential portion wherein said core-ring-gripping span of said inner belt engages and grips the interior circumferential surface portion of said core ring and said core-ring-gripping span of said outer belt engages and grips the exterior circumferential surface portion of said core ring whereby said core ring and wire previously wrapped therearound are tightly gripped between said inner and outer endless belts, means for driving said belts to revolve said core ring about its axis of symmetry to transport successive portions of said core ring and wire previously wrapped therearound, progressively across said open span, a spool of stiff wire supported for rotation about its axis, guide means for continuously directing said wire from said spool to the surface of said core ring in said open span, and means for orbiting said spool and said guide means about an axis tangent to said core ring in said open span, whereby as said core ring is revolved, said wire is unwound from said spool and progressively wrapped helically around the surface of said core ring, the initial contact between said core ring and said wire occuring essentially at the point of tangency between said orbit axis and said core ring.