Abstract: A method of manufacture of a tire in which a carcass ply is formed by winding a continuous cord around a pair of spaced members to form a ply (31) having loops (36) at its edges. The cord ply is rubberized and support elements (32) (33) are located in the loops (36) to form a cylindrical ply having spaced hooped support elements at each ply edge. Bead wire assemblies (40) and (41) are located coaxially of the ply together with the support elements which are subsequently incorporated in the bead wire assemblies.There is also provided a tire building former on which the above method can be performed. The former (100) comprises at least three coaxial discs (101), (102), (106) for supporting a carcass ply 30 on their radially outer surfaces. The central disc (106) is axially movable between the two other discs so as to support a portion of an elastomeric ply (103) helically wound onto the former (100) from a strip (104).

Abstract: A method of producing a pneumatic vehicle tire, the beads of which can be mounted on the radially inner periphery of a rim, and are pivotably relative to the bead cores. A carcass along with the adjacent rubber layers, and the tire beads, with their pull and compression resistant cores, are combined on a drum to form an essentially cylindrical blank. What will later be the insides of the tire initially face radially outwardly, and the interfaces of the initially radially outwardly extending beads form an essentially right angle with the cylindrical surface of the blank. At least the bead regions of the tire blank are preliminarily vulcanized, whereupon the blank is turned in and has imparted thereto a toroidal shape. The blank is then provided with a tread strip, and is final-vulcanized.

Abstract: A tire carcass (55) is built on a generally cylindrical drum (10) rotatable about an axis (12) by applying green tire components (50) to the cylindrical surface (14) and curved shoulder surfaces (32,34) of the drum (10). The radially inner surfaces (58) of the lower sidewalls (56) of the tire carcass (55) are formed on the surfaces (32,34) of the curved shoulders (28,30) which have a curvature which can be generated as a segment of a conic section which is at an angle other than a right angle to the axis of a cone. The curvature for each of the lower sidewall inner surfaces (58) as measured along a line of intersection (36) of a shoulder surface (32,34) of the drum (10) and a radial plane (A--A) containing the drum axis (12) is decreased from positions (38) adjacent the axially outer edges (40) of the drum (10) to positions (42) on the cylindrical surface (14 ) of the drum.

Abstract: A tire building machine and method characterized by the employment of a rigid annular bead support at each end of and coaxial with the axis of a tire building drum for holding a tire bead in round and centered to the drum axis during bead placement, after bead placement and during a subsequent ply turn-up operation. The bead support preferably is in the form of a precision machined register ring preferably supported independently of the drum and having a radially outer bead support surface which extends slightly axially beyond a shoulder end face of the drum in radially inwardly offset relation to such end face. During bead placement and/or limited axial outward movement of the register ring, the register ring serves to wipe and firmly stitch interposed ply material to the inner diameter of the tire bead. During such wiping action, the bead may be axially held in place by an inflating turn-up bladder or by a bead setter utilized to set the bead at the drum end.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a tire comprises a first process including the steps of forming a carcass ply or the like to a cylindrical configuration, placing bead cores on the cylindrical carcass ply and then effecting assembly of a carcass ply-bead core structure. A second process of the method includes the steps of receiving the structure from the last step in the first process, effecting assembly of a cylindrical carcass layer and then deforming the latter into a trochoidal configuration to obtain a green tire, wherein the carcass ply located between both the bead cores on the structure is caused to expand either in the first process or in the second process. The structure is placed on a drum device in the second process, the bead cores are wrapped with the end portions of the carcass ply and then the green tire for the radial tire is assembled by attaching side wall members or the like.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire which comprises:a tread portion; a breaker structure to brace the tread portion; two sidewalls each having an associated bead containing a bead core, and each sidewall containing a reinforcing ply of cords anchored around the bead core of the respective one of said associated beads and extending into the tread portion radially outwardly of the breaker structure to overlap at least part of the width of the breaker structure but terminating short of the other of said associated beads.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a laminate of several layers of rubber compounds. The laminate may be in sheet or strip form with various cross-sectional shapes. The layers in the laminate comprise rubber compounds, some of which contain agents which either assist or retard cure by irradiation so that the layers will have different physical characteristics during the manufacture of end products containing the laminate. The laminate may be cured by any known method, either irradiation or thermal, after its assembly into the final product.