Process and apparatus for moulding and curing tyres

An apparatus for moulding and curing a green tyre, the apparatus comprising:

• a curing mould, said mould including a first sidewall plate and a second sidewall plate, with a ring of circumferential sectors circumscribing a mould cavity, said first sidewall plate being capable of coming into contact with an axially outer surface portion of a first annular fixing structure of said green tyre when said green tyre is inserted into said mould;
• at least a first bead moulding ring which is movable from a first contracted operating position to a second extended operating position, whereby said first bead moulding ring forms a circumferential surface, and which can come into contact, in the second extended operating position, with a first axially inner surface portion of said first annular fixing structure of said green tyre;
• a second bead moulding ring which is movable from a first contracted operating position to a second extended operating position, whereby the second bead moulding ring forms a second circumferential surface, which can come into contact, in this second extended operating position, with a first radially inner surface portion of a second annular fixing structure;
• said second bead moulding ring comprising a plurality of petal-like elements having substantially identical shapes, said petal-like elements being movable from said first contracted operating position in which they are partially superimposed to said second extended operating position in which they are contiguous;
• and
• an expandable bladder delimited by a membrane associated for operation with said mould in such a way as to exert a pre-moulding pressure which is lower than a moulding pressure so as to bring said first annular fixing structure into contact with said first sidewall plate, thereby shaping said axially outer surface portion of said first annular fixing structure by means of said first sidewall plate and shaping said first axially inner surface portion by means of said circumferential surface of said at least one first bead moulding ring.