Abstract: A tire forming drum includes a pair of bead lock devices, a shaping device, ply turning-up devices for turning up a ply, and a plurality of stitching supports circumferentially arranged between the pair of bead lock devices. Each of the stitching supports is composed of a rigid lever having one end pivotally connected to a housing of one of the bead lock device and the other end provided with a close contact portion to be brought into close contact with an inner circumferential surface of one bead portion of a tire being formed. An actuating device for each of the stitching supports is composed of a rigid link having one end pivotally connected to a mid portion of the stitching support and the other end pivotally connected to one of sleeves movable in axial directions of the forming drum. The stitching supports are able to expand by movements of the sleeves and the bead lock devices arranged on both sides toward each other.

Abstract: A transfer apparatus for cylindrical members, including a trolley movable toward and away from a forming drum, a pair of movable members movably supported on the trolley, bead holding units mounted on inner ends of the movable members for holding beads, grasping units mounted on outer ends of the movable members for grasping axial ends of a cylindrical member on its outside, respectively, and toward and away driving units for moving the movable members equal distances toward and away from each other. With the arrangement, if sizes of tires to be produced are changed, bead set positions and grasping positions of the cylindrical member can be easily changed with high efficiency. Even if a cylindrical member has a low rigidity, it can be grasped and transferred with little deformation of the cylindrical member.

Abstract: A belt-shaped member taking-out and transfer apparatus serves to take belt-shaped members one by one from a container having a plurality of shelves vertically stacked, and transferring them to a server of a tire building machine. The apparatus includes a lifter supporting thereon the container and intermittently raising and lowering the container, and a roller conveyor having a carriage arranged on one side of the container. The carriage is movable in width directions of the belt-shaped members. A plurality of elongated rollers are rotatably supported with their bottom ends remote from the container by the carriage. The elongated rollers extend in the width directions of the belt-shaped members in the container and spaced from each other in longitudinal directions of the belt-shaped members.

Abstract: In a tire forming method or apparatus, a plurality of belt-shaped tire forming members are cut to predetermined lengths and piled one on another with their ends shifted in a longitudinal direction to form a member assembly, and the latter is wound on a tire forming drum so that the tire forming members are wound simultaneously and the ends of each of the tire forming members are joined together with high accuracy, whereby the tire forming member winding work can be achieved with high efficiency and with ease.

Abstract: In a tire forming method or apparatus, a plurality of belt-shaped tire forming members are cut to predetermined lengths and piled one on another with their ends shifted in a longitudinal direction to form a member assembly, and the latter is wound on a tire forming drum so that the tire forming members are wound simultaneously and the ends of each of the tire forming members are joined together with high accuracy, whereby the tire forming member winding work can be achieved with high efficiency and with ease.

Abstract: A method of producing tire belt comprises a first step of attaching a first belt ply to a forming drum having, at its axial ends, curved portions whose diameters reduce progressively toward axially outer ends of the curved portions. The first belt ply has a width wider than an axial length of the forming drum. The method further comprises a second step of expanding the forming drum so that diameters of the curved portions at axially outermost ends become a predetermined diameter smaller than a maximum diameter of the forming drum in the first step to deform a central portion of the first belt ply following to an outer contour of the forming drum, a third step of foldering ends of the first belt ply at axial outer ends of a second belt ply after attaching the second belt ply to a center portion of the first belt ply outwardly thereof, and a fourth step of attaching a third belt ply in plural layers onto the first and second belt plies outwardly thereof.

Abstract: Apparatus for transferring a looped article to a cylindrical structure, comprising a collapsible ring structure having a center axis aligned with the center axis of the cylindrical structure and a centering plane parallel with the central plane of the cylindrical structure, the ring structure being radially deformable about the center axis thereof, a carrier supporting the ring structure and operative to move the ring structure toward and away from the cylindrical structure, and plural pairs of centering elements provided radially inside the ring structure. Each pair of centering elements are located on both sides of the centering plane of the ring structure and consist of centering elements located on both sides of the centering plane of the ring structure and movable toward and away from the centering plane of the ring structure.

Abstract: A tire building drum can readily and reliably be adjusted in drum width, and comprises; a plurality of arcuate base segments radially expansible to collectively define a cylindrical shape; a pair of arcuate side flanges mounted on each of the arcuate base segments in opposing and spaced relation with each other to be axially slidable toward and away from each other; and an arcuate spacer section mounted on each of the arcuate base segments between the arcuate side flanges to form a cylindrical outer surface and a certain drum width of the tire building drum, the arcuate spacer section being hooked to the arcuate side flanges so as to be readily detached from and attached to the arcuate side flanges.