Plant for manufacturing tyres and manufacturing method related thereto
AssigneePirelli Tyre S.p.A.
InventorsMauro BIGOGNO, Gianni PORTINARI
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Within tyre manufacturing, a reinforcing structure of the tyre, such as the zero-degree layer of the belt structure, is made by an apparatus having devices for guiding a continuous elongated element towards a forming drum, devices for applying the elongated element against a laying surface of the drum, and a cutting unit to cut off the continuous elongated element when application has been completed. Once the cutting operation has been carried out, the free end of the continuous elongated element is set to a grip position downstream of the cutting unit, through a reciprocating slider and a threading element blocking the continuous elongated element with respect to the slider when the latter moves towards the forming drum.
Claims11
-52. (canceled)
An apparatus for making reinforcing structures for tyres, comprising:
- a forming drum drivable in rotation;
- devices to guide a continuous elongated element comprising at least one reinforcing cord, toward the forming drum;
- devices for application of the continuous elongated element against a laying surface externally carried by the forming drum;
- at least one cutting unit for cutting the continuous elongated element on a length thereof between the guide devices and the application devices;
- and
- feeding devices operating on the continuous elongated element to arrange one free end of the continuous elongated element to a grip position downstream of the cutting unit,
- wherein the feeding devices comprise a slider movable with a reciprocating motion in a longitudinal feed direction of the continuous elongated element, and at least one threading element carried by the slider and operating on the continuous elongated element to block it with respect to the slider when the latter moves toward the forming drum.
A method of manufacturing tyres, comprising the steps of:
- making a carcass structure;
- making a belt structure;
- and
- applying the belt structure to the carcass structure at a radially external position thereof,
- wherein the step of making the belt structure comprises formation of at least one reinforcing structure through winding on the forming drum of at least one continuous elongated element comprising at least one reinforcing cord, to form circumferential coils disposed consecutively in side by side relationship, wherein winding comprises the following steps:
- guiding the continuous elongated element toward the forming drum drivable in rotation;
- applying the continuous elongated element against a laying surface externally carried by the forming drum;
- cutting the continuous elongated element upon the action of a cutting unit;
- and
- setting one free end of the continuous elongated element to a grip position downstream of the cutting unit,
- wherein the step of setting one free end of the continuous elongated element to a grip position comprises the steps of driving a slider movable with a reciprocating motion in a longitudinal feed direction of the continuous elongated element and blocking the continuous elongated element with respect to the slider when the latter moves toward the forming drum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.