Abstract: In an assembly station, a carcass sleeve and an outer sleeve manufactured along respective building lines are mutually coupled. Integrated into the assembly station are engagement devices that can be alternatively-coupled to an auxiliary drum carrying an outer sleeve and to a building drum carrying a carcass sleeve. The building drum is engaged on the assembly station before removal of the auxiliary drum. A grip unit picks up the outer sleeve from the auxiliary drum associated with the engagement devices in order to position it around the carcass sleeve carried by the building drum.

Abstract: A process for building tyres provides for building a carcass sleeve around a forming drum having an application diameter and two lateral half-portions axially moveable relative to each other. The carcass sleeve includes at least one carcass ply coaxially engaged around each of the axially opposite end flaps thereof to an annular anchoring structure defining a fitting diameter smaller than the application diameter. The building of the carcass sleeve includes: applying and stopping a leading end of a semi-finished product in the form of a continuous strip cut to size against a continuous surface of the forming drum; winding the semi-finished product in the form of a continuous strip cut to size circumferentially around the forming drum; and joining a trailing end of the semi-finished product to the leading end at said continuous surface. The continuous surface is extended only partly around the forming drum.

Abstract: Along a building line, a green tire is built on a rigid toroidal support having an outer surface substantially conforming in shape to an inner surface of the green tire. The green tire is then transferred to a bead molding and prevulcanization station where each bead of the tire is molded by tightening it between a surface portion of the toroidal support and an annular clamping surface carried by a removable tightening flange. The tightened beads are prevulcanized through a heat supply by means of electric resistors integrated into the tightening flanges. The tire with the prevulcanized and tightened beads is transferred into a molding cavity having an inner wall of a shape substantially conforming to that of the outer surface of the molded tire, to carry out molding of the tire and complete vulcanization of same.

Abstract: A plant for building tyres for vehicle wheels, includes at least one forming drum having a supporting shaft axially projecting from opposite sides relative to a central body. A handling device is adapted to engage the forming drum and transfer it between at least one loading/unloading location and a work location provided for carrying out at least one process working on the forming drum. The handling device includes a grip assembly carrying at least two grip members each engaging the supporting shaft in the vicinity of each of the end portions thereof, and at least one motor associated with at least one of said grip members for driving the forming drum in rotation while the at least one process working is being carried out in the work location.

Abstract: A plant for building tires includes a plurality of working locations, at least one first working location being associated with at least two loading/unloading locations, a proximal one and a distal one, each of said working locations and loading/unloading locations being associable with a forming drum. The production cycle is controlled by the method of: (i) loading a first forming drum into the at least one first working location; (ii) loading a second forming drum into the loading/unloading location; (iii) at the end of the working provided in the at least one first working location, unloading the first forming drum into the proximal loading/unloading location.

Abstract: A method for controlling the discharge of fluids during a process for vulcanization and molding of a green tire includes the steps of: building at least one portion of a radially internal surface of a green tire by winding of a continuous elongated element of elastomeric material into a plurality of coils confining circumferential grooves along the rolling direction of the tire; disposing the circumferential grooves into fluid communication with discharge channels present in the radially external surface of a pressing bladder disposed in a radially internal cavity bounded by the green tire.

Abstract: In an assembly station, a carcass sleeve and an outer sleeve manufactured along respective building lines are mutually coupled. Integrated into the assembly station are engagement devices that can be alternatively-coupled to an auxiliary drum carrying an outer sleeve and to a building drum carrying a carcass sleeve. The building drum is engaged on the assembly station before removal of the auxiliary drum. A grip unit picks up the outer sleeve from the auxiliary drum associated with the engagement devices in order to position it around the carcass sleeve carried by the building drum.

Abstract: In an assembly station a carcass sleeve and an outer sleeve manufactured along respective building ones are mutually coupled. Integrated into the assembly station are engagement devices that can be alternatively coupled to an auxiliary drum carrying an outer sleeve and to a building drum carrying a carcass sleeve. A grip unit picks up the outer sleeve from the auxiliary drum associated with the engagement devices in order to position it to a location radially external to the carcass sleeve carried by the building drum associated with the engagement devices in place of the auxiliary drum.

Abstract: A plant for building tires for vehicle wheels, includes at least one forming drum having a supporting shaft axially projecting from opposite sides relative to a central body. A handling device is adapted to engage the forming drum and transfer it between at least one loading/unloading location and a work location provided for carrying out at least one process working on the forming drum. The handling device includes a grip assembly carrying at least two grip members each engaging the supporting shaft in the vicinity of each of the end portions thereof, and at least one motor associated with at least one of said grip members for driving the forming drum in rotation while the at least one process working is being carried out in the work location.

Abstract: In an assembly station a carcass sleeve and an outer sleeve manufactured along respective building lines are mutually coupled. Integrated into the assembly station are engagement devices that can be alternatively coupled to an auxiliary drum carrying an outer sleeve and to a building drum carrying a carcass sleeve. A grip unit picks up the outer sleeve from the auxiliary drum associated with the engagement devices in order to position it to a location radially external to the carcass sleeve carried by the building drum associated with the engagement devices in place of the auxiliary drum. Shaping devices that can be operatively coupled to the building drum cause radial expansion of the carcass sleeve so as to enable the latter to be coupled to the outer sleeve retained by the grip unit.

Abstract: A wheel including a tire and a rim wherein the tire includes: a pair of beads, each of the beads being provided with a base, wherein the rim includes a pair of axially outer flanges defining respective bead housing seats, each of the bead housing seats including a base portion, and wherein the base of at least one of the beads and the base portion of the respective bead housing seat are mutually coupled by means of at least one mechanical coupling element, wherein the mechanical coupling element is provided with parts and has a length greater than its width, the length being lower than the circumference of the tire measured at the base of the bead and the width being lower than the axial width of the base of the bead and of the base portion of the respective bead housing seat.

Abstract: A method and a plant for manufacturing tires for vehicle wheels wherein the method includes the steps of: a) building in a building station a substantially cylindrical carcass structure; b) manufacturing in a finishing station a substantially cylindrical sleeve including a tread band applied at a radially outer position with respect to a belt structure including at least one belt layer. Step b) includes the steps of assembling a first belt structure at a first working position on a first auxiliary drum of the finishing station; applying a tread band at a second working position at a radially outer position with respect to a second belt structure previously assembled on a second auxiliary drum of the finishing station, positioning the first auxiliary drum supporting the first belt structure at the second working position; and positioning the second auxiliary drum supporting the substantially cylindrical sleeve thus obtained at a picking position of the finishing station.

Abstract: Equipment for moulding and curing a green tyre includes a curing mould including a first bead moulding ring including a first surface for contacting a radially inner and axially inner surface portion of an annular fixing structure of the green tyre and a first sidewall plate including a second surface for contacting a radially inner and axially outer surface portion of the annular fixing structure. The first bead moulding ring is radially extendable from a contracted operating position to an expanded operating position so as to delimit a portion of the annular fixing structure between the first sidewall plate and the first bead moulding ring, and the first bead moulding ring is translatable towards the first sidewall plate for generating a first squeezing pressure on the annular fixing structure. The equipment further includes an inflatable bladder associated for operation with the curing mould.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a pneumatic tyre has a building unit designed to form a green tyre having a pair of beads. Each of the pair of beads is defined along a respective inner circumferential edge of the green tyre. The apparatus further includes bead moulding devices to tighten each bead between two axially opposite clamping surfaces. A moulding unit of the green tyre has a moulding cavity with an inner wall substantially conforming in shape to an outer surface of a moulded tyre. The apparatus further includes devices for vulcanising the green tyre, and actuating devices for transferring the green tyre together with the bead moulding devices into the moulding cavity.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for controlling the movement of building members of a tyre in a process for manufacturing tyres for vehicle wheels includes: providing a first device of a first electromagnetic radiation on a first tyre building member; detecting, during a movement of the first building member, a first image in which the first electromagnetic radiation defines a trajectory followed, in the movement, by the first emitter device; carrying out a first comparison between the first image and one or more first reference data; and generating a first notification signal as a function of the first comparison.

Abstract: An apparatus for moulding and curing a green tyre includes a curing mould that includes a first sidewall plate and a second sidewall plate, with a ring of circumferential sectors circumscribing a mould cavity. The first sidewall plate is capable of coming into contact with a first annular fixing structure of the green tyre when the green tyre is inserted into the mould. The apparatus also includes at least a first bead moulding ring movable from a first contracted operating position to a second extended operating position, a second bead moulding ring movable from a first contracted operating position to a second extended operating position, and an expandable bladder delimited by a membrane associated for operation with the mould to exert a pre-moulding pressure which is lower than a moulding pressure to bring the first annular fixing structure into contact with the first sidewall plate.

Abstract: On a building drum, anchoring structures to beads, carcass plies, a belt structure and/or other annular composite components are sequentially assembled with a liner, sidewalls, sidewall inserts, under-belt inserts or other annular elastomer components. Each of the sidewall inserts, sidewalls, or under-belt inserts is made as a one piece construction in a service station operating far away from the building drum for storage on a movable storing device. Actuating members operating on the movable storing device carry the annular elastomer components from the service station to the building drum. A transfer member picks up the annular elastomer components from the movable storing device to transfer them to the building drum.

Abstract: A method for controlling a phase of molding an annular fixing structure of a green tire includes: introducing the green tire into a curing mold including an inflatable bladder; delimiting at least one portion of the annular fixing structure by using a first and a second surface opposed to each other; bringing the first surface and the second surface so as to bring a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface into contact with a corresponding radially inner and axially inner surface portion and a corresponding radially inner and axially outer surface portion, respectively, the annular fixing structure generating a first squeezing pressure; inflating the inflatable bladder of the curing mould so as to bring the first and the second surfaces closer together, thus generating a second squeezing pressure in such a way as to shape the radially inner and axially inner surface portions and the radially inner and axially outer surface portions of the annular fixing structure.

Abstract: A process for molding and curing tires, includes introducing a green tire into a curing mold, the mold including a first sidewall plate and a second sidewall plate, a ring of circumferential sectors circumscribing a mold cavity, an expandable bladder delimited by a membrane, and at least one bead molding ring which is movable between a first contracted operating position and a second extended operating position; and molding and curing the green tire in the curing mold; and between introducing the green tire and molding and curing it, the process includes extending the at least one bead molding ring from the first contracted operating position to the second extended operating position; forming a circumferential bearing surface which bears against a first axially inner surface portion of a first annular fixing structure of the green tire; pressing a second axially inner surface portion of the first annular fixing structure by expanding the membrane at a pre-molding pressure which is lower than a molding pressur

Abstract: Along a building line, a green tyre is built on a rigid toroidal support having an outer surface substantially conforming in shape to an inner surface of the green tyre. The green tyre is then transferred to a bead moulding and prevulcanisation station where each bead of the tyre is moulded by tightening it between a surface portion of the toroidal support and an annular clamping surface carried by a removable tightening flange. The tightened beads are prevulcanised through a heat supply by means of electric resistors integrated into the tightening flanges. The tyre with the prevulcanised and tightened beads is transferred into a moulding cavity having an inner wall of a shape substantially conforming to that of the outer surface of the moulded tyre, to carry out moulding of the tyre and complete vulcanisation of same.