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US 4,226,656 AGranted
Tire carcass assembly
AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
InventorsPaul E. Appleby, Denver C. Folden, Joseph F. Stalter, Jr., Harry R. Swanson
Life of this patent
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AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
InventorsPaul E. Appleby, Denver C. Folden, Joseph F. Stalter, Jr., Harry R. Swanson
Estimating the term…
Method and apparatus for assembling a tire carcass comprising a precarcass band and a pair of inextensible bead rings. The band is built and consolidated on a form having a rigid cylindrical surface. The band includes at least one cord or wire-reinforced ply and one or more tire liners of a rubbery gum, and may include additional tire components, in particular the components which will form the sidewalls of the tire. The band is removed from its building form and then moved axially freely over a shaping apparatus. An axially narrow central part of the band is expanded sufficiently to resist axial displacement of the band, which is then spread and smoothed outward from its central part by expanding and then moving outwardly a pair of expandable spreading elements. Following the spreading operation, end regions of the band are expanded to seat the prepositioned inextensible bead rings, after which the bead rings are moved axially toward each other and the band therebetween is expanded by air pressure into engagement with a circumferentially restricting ring or belt. With the carcass so expanded, the band endings are turned outwardly about the bead rings by turnup bladders while a pair of annular inner support bladders exert circumferentially uniform axially outward counter-force to squeeze the respective beads.
A method of building a tire comprising in sequential combination the steps of:
A method of forming bead portions in a tire carcass comprising:
The method of building a tire carcass comprising carrying an assembled carcass band freely axially over a tire shaping apparatus having an axis, expanding circumferentially a narrow central axial part of said band from about 1 to about 10 percent by expandable center means in said apparatus, expanding circumferentially two axial parts of said band symmetrically adjacent the central part by a pair of spreader means engaging the radially inner surface of said band, moving said spreader means symmetrically away from said central part to expand and smooth said band progressively outwardly away from said central part, positioning a pair of inextensible bead rings about the end regions of said band, then expanding said end regions to engage said bead rings and conform said regions thereto, locating diameter limiting means about the central part of said band, further expanding said carcass band between said bead rings to engage said limiting means while moving said bead rings symmetrically toward said central part to space said bead rings at a distance apart at least as great as the maximum distance between the tire sidewalls obtained when said tire is mounted and inflated for use, then concurrently inflating a pair of annular inner bladders respectively adjacent and axially inward of said beads and a pair of primary turnup bladders respectively adjacent and axially outward of said beads thereby to form a tight, hard bead turnup in said tire carcass.
A tire carcass shaping apparatus comprising first means for engaging the inward surface of and expanding an axially central part of a precarcass band and for holding the same axially with respect to the axial length of said band, second means for engaging the inward surface of the band adjacent to the central part and for progressively expanding and smoothing said band axially outwardly oppositely away from said first means, third means respectively disposed coaxially outwardly of said second means for engaging the inward surface of the band for expanding the same radially outwardly for conforming said band to prepositioned inextensible tire beads and operable to move said beads toward said central part while said part is further expanded by air pressure, and turnup means for turning the respective axial ends of said band outward of and about said beads.
A tire carcass assembly apparatus comprising turnup means including a first elastic bladder having first and second circumferential edges fixed radially with respect to an axis and an integral coaxial beadseating ring, said bladder including an inner wall extending from said first edge to said beadseating ring and having a circumferential pleat therein extending radially inward of said first edge while the bladder is in an uniflated state, and a second wall extending axially from said second edge to a circumferential fold located axially distant from said seating ring, and an outer wall extending axially between said seating ring and said fold, whereby said seating ring can be expanded radially without stretching said inner wall axially in the region of said pleat;
A tire carcass assembly apparatus comprising:
A tire carcass shaping apparatus comprising center shaft means, carrier means slidably disposed on the shaft means, turnup means mounted on the carrier means and including a solid elastomeric ring, two annular inflatable bladders each having at least a radially outer wall terminating in said ring, each having at least a radially outer wall terminating in said ring, each said wall having longitudinal cords embedded therein extending at opposite angles not greater than 22 degrees with respect to said shaft, each said wall extending outwardly from said ring at respectively opposite angles of at least 70 degrees with respect to said shaft means, whereby on being inflated said bladders exert circumferentially uniform force tending to expand said ring and cooperable with the ring to form a tire carcass band snugly about a tire bead.
A tire carcass assembly apparatus having a midcircumferential reference plane comprising center shaft means, carrier means slidably disposed on the shaft means for movement toward and away from the reference plane, said carrier means comprising in combination a primary support sleeve slidably engageably with said center shaft means, a plurality of segments arranged circumferentially about said shaft means and mounted on said primary sleeve for radial movement with respect to the shaft means, beadseating means disposed circumferentially about said segments, turnup support means fixed coaxially of said primary sleeve, and spreader means mounted on said primary sleeve and including a plurality of circumferential members movable radially relatively of said segments and expandable to progressively expand concentrically and smooth a carcass band placed therearound during movement of said carrier means axially away from said reference plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.