A plant (1) for looping annular anchoring structures (100) includes a looping device (2), a separation station (8a) and a coupling station (8b). A handling apparatus (3) is interlocked to the looping device (2) for managing the plant (1) by moving the plurality of annular anchoring structures (100) coupled to respective separation elements (300), the looped annular anchoring structures (200) coupled to respective separation elements (300) and the separation elements (300a). The separation elements (300) are fed, coupled to respective annular anchoring structures (100), along a feeding section (A1). The separation elements (300a) separated by respective annular anchoring structures (100, 200) are transferred from the separation station (8a) to the coupling station (8b) along a transfer section (T), stationing in at least a first intermediate station (11, 11a). The separation elements (300) are moved away, coupled to respective looped annular anchoring structures (200), along a moving-apart section (A2).

Provided is a drum set for manufacturing a bead-apex for a tire and an assembly including the drum set, wherein the drum set has drum segments which form a drum, wherein the drum segments are radially movable, wherein the drum set is arranged to be movable between an operational position in which the drum set is supported on a base and a storage position in which the drum set is unsupported by the base. The drum set further includes a support member for supporting the drum segments of the drum set with respect to each other, wherein the support member is provided with guides for guiding the radial movements of the drum segments when the drum set is in the operational position, while the guides are arranged for retaining the drum segments of the drum set to the support member when the drum set is in the storage position.

A device for manufacturing a multiple layer rubber strip including a first rubber strip and a second rubber strip, the device includes a first rubber extruder for extruding the first rubber strip, a second rubber extruder for extruding the second rubber strip, a first conveyor for conveying the first rubber strip extruded from the first extruder to a downstream side in a convey direction, and a second conveyor for conveying the second rubber strip extruded from the second extruder to a downstream side in the convey direction. The second conveyor is located upwardly of the first conveyor and has a downstream conveyor end which positions above a conveying surface of the first conveyor such that the second rubber strip delivered from the downstream conveyor end meets and overlaps the first rubber strip on the first conveyor at a joining location to form the single multiple layer rubber strip.

A method for forming a composite apex, the method comprising the steps of: forming a coextruded strip of a first compound and a second compound, wherein the second compound is a compound different than the first compound, wherein the apex is formed from winding the coextruded strip while varying the ratio of the first compound to the second compound.

The present invention forms bead apex rubber with good precision on the outer circumferential surface of the bead core. A molding process, in which unvulcanized rubber is made to flow into a bead apex molding chamber that is surrounded by surfaces that include the outer circumferential surface of a circular bead core and the bead apex rubber is formed directly on the outer circumferential surface of the bead core that is rotating around the core axis, is provided. The molding process comprises: a tip forming step that forms the leading end of the bead apex rubber; a middle section forming step that sequentially forms the bead apex rubber to be continuous with the leading end; and a joining step to join the back end and the leading end of the bead apex rubber by inflowing the unvulcanized rubber therebetween.

A manufacturing method of a bead core of the present disclosure comprises an annular body forming step of winding a strip member formed by coating one or more bead wires with a coating resin to form an annular body, and a resin coating step of coating the annular body formed in the annular body forming step with a resin.

A method for forming a composite apex, the method comprising the steps of: forming a coextruded strip of a first compound and a second compound, wherein the second compound is a compound different than the first compound, wherein the apex is formed from winding the coextruded strip while varying the ratio of the first compound to the second compound.

A rubber strip is transported to a molding drum. At this stage, a cutter cuts the rubber strip into a predetermined length. If a sensor detects the finishing end of the rubber strip when the rubber strip is transported, a sucker, which transports the rubber strip while drawing the rubber strip, is temporarily stopped or the movement speed of the sucker is decreased. As a result, a top portion of the rubber strip is extended in the longitudinal direction of the rubber strip. This compensates for the amount of shrinkage of the rubber strip after extrusion, thus restraining shrinkage of the rubber strip.

A method for manufacturing a tire, the method includes arranging bead members onto a molding drum on axially both end sides thereof such that outer surfaces of bead reinforcing rubber components of the bead members have bent faces each having an inverse V-shaped manner protruding radially outwardly, winding a non-turn-up carcass ply on the molding drum such that axially both end portions of the non-turn-up carcass ply cover the respective bent faces, joining the axially both end portions of the non-turn-up carcass ply wound on the molding drum to the respective bent faces. The joining includes a first step for reforming each end portion of the non-turn-up carcass ply in an inverse V-shaped manner so as to be along a respective one of the bent faces, and a second step for pressing reformed end portions of the non-turn-up carcass ply onto the respective bent faces using respective press rollers.

A bead core formation apparatus includes a rubber coating device that coats a circumferential surface of a steel wire with rubber, and two cooling rollers around which the rubber-coated wire, which is a steel wire coated with rubber, is wound. The second roller includes a first groove and a second groove around which the rubber-coated wire located at a downstream side of the first groove is wound. The diameter LB of a portion including the second groove is smaller than the diameter LC of a portion including the first groove.