Method for making a radial ply tire in a single building stage

As an intermediate article of manufacture, an uncured, radial ply carcass having a 0.degree. cap band in the drum-built form thereof, comprising:

• (a) a bead-anchored cylindrically shaped body layer including at least one body ply of cord fabric, with all of the cords in said body layer extending substantially parallel to the axis of said body layer;
• (b) a breaker layer positioned circumferentially about said body layer in the medial region of the latter, said breaker layer including a multiplicity of breaker plies of bias angled cord fabric, the cords of said breaker layer being parallel in each ply and oppositely disposed in adjacent plies and forming an angle of between about 50.degree. and about 70.degree. with a plane corresponding to the mid-circumferential centerline of said body layer;
• (c) a cap band positioned circumferentially about said breaker layer, said cap band being constituted by a helically wound strip of high "soft stretch" reinforcing cord tape extending around the radially outer surface of said breaker layer for at least a selected plurality of full turns, said reinforcing cord tape being longitudinally extensible by between about 30% and about 75% without stretching the cords thereof, and said reinforcing cord tape strip being wound at an angle of substantially 90.degree. relative to the axis of said body layer so that upon ultimate radial expansion and axial contraction of the raw tire carcass the reinforcing cord component of said cap band will extend at a substantially 0.degree. bias angle relative to the crown centerline of the toroidally shaped tire carcass and will be straightened and tightly embrace said breaker layer;
• and
• (d) a tread slab positioned circumferentially about said cap band.

A single stage built radial ply tire having sidewalls, beads and a tread, said tire comprising:

• (a) a bead-anchored toroidally shaped carcass composed of a body layer including at least one body ply of cord fabric defining sidewall regions and a crown region, with all of the cords in said body layer extending from bead to bead and in substantially radial planes relative to said beads and the axis of said body layer;
• (b) a breaker layer positioned circumferentially about said body layer in said crown region of the latter, said breaker layer including a multiplicity of breaker plies of bias angled cord fabric, the cords of said breaker layer being parallel in each ply and oppositely disposed in adjacent plies and forming in each ply a bias angle of between at least about 35.degree. and not more than about 60.degree. with the mid-circumferential plane of said carcass;
• and
• (c) a cap band positioned circumferentially about said breaker layer intermediate the same and the tread, said cap band being constituted by a small number of reinforcing cords extending in helical screw thread fashion around the radially outer surface of said breaker layer for at least a selected plurality of full turns, with said reinforcing cords of said cap band being oriented at a substantially 0.degree. bias angle relative to said mid-circumferential plane of said carcass and tightly embracing said breaker layer.