Abstract: Rotation and linear movement of a main gear is provided by a pinion gear rotatably mounted on a crank arm and in meshing engagement with the main gear. A connecting arm between the gear centers keeps the gears in meshing engagement. The pinion gear may have a diameter one half the diameter of the main gear to provide rotation of the main gear 180 degrees after one revolution of the pinion gear. The crank arm may be rotated in opposite directions to provide oscillating movement of the main gear. In a tire building machine, the main gear may be mounted in a linear guide of an upright plate member for vertical movement. The main gear is connected to a shaft for rotating and tilting a hub member having two spaced apart tire building drums mounted with axes at an angle of 90 degrees and in the same plane as the axes of the tire building drums so that they can be oscillated between two fabricating positions.

Abstract: A transfer roll for transferring a strip component from a conveyor to a tire building drum has an outer rim member rotatably mounted on a cylindrical ring member which is mounted on an inner hub for movement relative to the tire building drum. A pair of piston-cylinder assemblies control the movement of the cylindrical ring member to press the outer rim member against the strip component on a tire building drum. The outer rim member is rotated by a motor mounted for movement with the cylindrical ring memebr and the amount of rotation is controlled by control means including an encoder mounted for movement with the cylindrical ring member and in engagement with the outer ring member. A pair of the transfer rolls may be mounted on a shaft with means for adjusting the distance between the rolls after the strip components are transferred from the conveyor to the rolls in a conveyor position and moved to an intermediate adjusting position.

Abstract: An annular outboard bead core holder (38) and an annular inboard bead core holder (32) are slidably mounted on a beam member (26) which in turn is slidably mounted for movement between a bead core positioning location under an expandable tire buliding drum (12) to a storage position inboard of the drum. The bead core holders (32,38) are positioned at an outboard end of the beam member (26) in the storage position permitting movement of the inboard end to a position under a tire drum drive housing (16).

Abstract: A radial tire carcass fabricated by a first stage process has bead portions which are placed over a pair of spaced-apart coaxial bead seats. The bead seats may be segmented radially expandable rings which are expanded by fluid pressure into engagement with the bead portions. The tire carcass is initially positioned on the drum with the bead seats at a spaced-apart distance so that upon expansion of the segments of the bead seats at a low pressure and axial movement apart of the bead seats the ply of the tire carcass is stretched and the bead portions moved into register on the bead seats. The fluid pressure expanding the segments of the bead seats is then increased to secure the bead portions on the bead seats at predetermined positions with a predetermined diameter. Annular sealing members may be mounted on the segments of the bead seats at the tire-supporting surfaces of the segments for compression upon application of high pressure.