Method and appartus for the vulcanisation of tyres for vehicle wheels

A vulcanisation method for vehicle wheel tyres comprising:

• a) enclosing a green tyre, arranged on a toroidal support, inside a vulcanisation mold which may be operably associated with a plurality of work stations defined in at least one vulcanisation module;
• b) providing a prevulcanisation station configured to receive both a supply device of at least one pressurised primary working fluid and a supply device of at least one pressurised secondary working fluid;
• c) connecting the supply device of the at least one pressurised primary working fluid and the supply device of the at least one pressurised secondary working fluid to the vulcanisation mold in the prevulcanisation station;
• d) at least partially vulcanising a radially internal portion of the green tyre on the toroidal support by pressing a radially internal surface of said green tyre toward an external surface of the toroidal support by means of said at least one pressurised secondary working fluid, and supplying heat to said portion of the tyre;
• e) molding and continuing the vulcanisation of the tyre by supplying the at least one pressurised primary working fluid inside the toroidal support, pressing a radially external surface of the green tyre toward the internal walls of the vulcanisation mold;
• f) disconnecting from the vulcanisation mold the supply device of said at least one pressurised primary working fluid and the supply device of said at least one pressurised secondary working fluid;
• g) transferring the mold to a first of a plurality of vulcanisation stations, each of the plurality of vulcanisation stations configured to receive only a respective supply device of the at least one pressurised primary working fluid;
• h) connecting the respective supply device of the at least one pressurised primary working fluid to the vulcanisation mold in said first vulcanisation station;
• i) continuing the vulcanisation of the molded and prevulcanised tyre during steps d) and e), by supplying said at least one pressurised primary working fluid inside the toroidal support, pressing the radially external surface of the green tyre toward the internal walls of the vulcanisation mold and supplying heat to the tyre;
• j) disconnecting the respective supply device of said at least one pressurised primary working fluid;
• k) transferring the mold to a second of the plurality of vulcanisation stations;
• l) carrying out steps h), i), j) and in case k) until the vulcanisation method has been completed;
• and
• m) opening said mold and unloading the vulcanised tyre from the vulcanisation mold,
• wherein a total time that the mold is located in all of the plurality of vulcanisation stations is substantially equal to a time to complete vulcanisation of the tyre, and a time that the mold is located in each of the plurality of vulcanisation stations is substantially equal to a time that the mold is located in the prevulcanisation station.