Tire building drum and method for operating said tire building drum
AssigneeVmi Holland B.V.
InventorsMartin De Graaf, Dave Papot
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a tire building drum and method for operating the tire building drum, which tire building drum include a left section, a right section, a center section, and a support member for supporting the center section in the radially outward direction. The support member is movable together with the center section in the radially outward direction. The tire building drum further includes a blocking device for blocking the support member against movement in a radially inward direction when the center section is in the expanded position.
Claims25
A tire building drum comprising a left section, a right section and a center section which are rotatable about a central drum axis, wherein the center section forms a circumferential support surface of the tire building drum for supporting one or more tire components, wherein the left section and the right section are expandable in a radially outward direction with respect to the central drum axis, wherein the center section is supported on the left section and the right section and expandable in the radially outward direction with respect to the central drum axis together with the left section and the right section from a contracted position to an expanded position, wherein the tire building drum comprises a support member in the axial direction between the left section and the right section for supporting the center section in the radially outward direction, wherein the support member is connected to the center section and is movable together with the center section in the radially outward direction, wherein the tire building drum further comprises a blocking device for blocking the support member against movement in a radially inward direction with respect to the central drum axis when the center section is in the expanded position, wherein the blocking device comprises a blocking surface that is radially fixed with respect to the central drum axis, wherein the support member is arranged for abutting the blocking surface when the center section is in the contracted position, wherein the support member is arranged to be moved in the radially outward direction away from said blocking surface when the center section is moved towards the expanded position, wherein the blocking device further comprises a first blocking body that is insertable in a first insertion direction into a blocking position in which the first blocking body is located in the radially inward direction between the support member and the blocking surface to block movement of the support member in the radially inward direction.
A method for operating a tire building drum which drum comprises a left section, a right section and a center section which are rotatable about a central drum axis, wherein the center section forms a circumferential support surface of the tire building drum for supporting one or more tire components, wherein the left section and the right section are expandable in a radially outward direction with respect to the central drum axis, wherein the center section is supported on the left section and the right section and expandable in the radially outward direction with respect to the central drum axis together with the left section and the right section from a contracted position to an expanded position, wherein the tire building drum comprises a support member in the axial direction between the left section and the right section for supporting the center section in the radially outward direction, wherein the support member is connected to the center section and is movable together with the center section in the radially outward direction, wherein the tire building drum further comprises a blocking device for blocking the support member against movement in a radially inward direction with respect to the central drum axis when the center section is in the expanded position, wherein the blocking device comprises a blocking surface that is radially fixed with respect to the central drum axis, wherein the support member is arranged for abutting the blocking surface when the center section is in the contracted position, wherein the support member is arranged to be moved in the radially outward direction away from said blocking surface when the center section is moved towards the expanded position, wherein the blocking device further comprises a first blocking body that is insertable in a first insertion direction into a blocking position in which the first blocking body is located in the radially inward direction between the support member and the blocking surface to block movement of the support member in the radially inward direction, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
- expanding the left section and the right section in the radially outward direction;
- expanding the center section in the radially outward direction into the expanded position together with the left section and the right section;
- moving the support member together with the center section in the radially outward direction;
- using the blocking device to block the support member against movement in the radially inward direction with respect to the central drum axis when the center section is in the expanded position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.