A bead core formation apparatus includes a former, a guide device, and a clamping device. The former includes a circumferentially extending groove around which a steel wire is wound. The guide device guides the steel wire to the former. The clamping device is coupled to the former to clamp the distal end of the steel wire. The clamping device includes a first wall and a second wall that hold the steel wire in between to clamp the steel wire. The first wall is movable between a position where the first wall is opposed to the second wall and a position where the first wall is not opposed to the second wall. The guide device includes a steel wire moving portion that moves the distal end of the steel wire from a position separated from the second wall to a position adjacent to the second wall.

In one example, a festoon system comprises a festoon module having a support assembly, and further comprises at least one upper sheave and at least one lower sheave, which are movable relative to one another by movement of at least one of the upper sheave or the lower sheave. At least one wire is configured to enter the festoon module at an entrance region, extend around a groove of the least one lower sheave and at least one groove of the at least one upper sheave, and then exit the festoon module at an exit region. A first coupling location of the support assembly is adjacent to the entrance region of the festoon module, and a second coupling location of the support assembly is adjacent to the exit region of the festoon module. Different modules are configured to be coupled to the second coupling location.

A cutting apparatus for an elongate wire is provided, and includes a housing that supports a first cutter that has a body, a recess, and a cutting blade. The cutting blade is disposed upon a wall of the body that defines the recess, the first cutter is fixed with respect to the housing. The housing additionally supports a second cutter that has a body, a recess, and a cutting blade, wherein the cutting blade is disposed upon a wall of the body that defines the recess. The second cutter is normally positioned with respect to the first cutter such that the recess of the first cutter is aligned with the recess of the second cutter, and is movable to a second position where the recess of the second cutter translates with respect to the recess of the first cutter, such that the respective cutting blades translate toward each other.

A cutting device for bead core steel wire includes a first holder that holds a first blade body, a second holder that holds a second blade body, and a driver that moves one of the first holder and the second holder relative to the other of the first holder and the second holder. At least one of the first blade body and the second blade body is rod-shaped and includes a plurality of cutting edges arranged on a periphery of the at least one of the first blade body and the second blade body.

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.

Provided is a bead core manufacturing device for manufacturing a bead core formed by annularly winding a bead wire coated with unvulcanized rubber in a plurality of turns, including a rotary support body provided to be radially expanded and retracted in a radial direction thereof and configured to allow the bead wire to be wound around an outer peripheral surface thereof; and a clamping device configured to press a winding-ending end portion of the bead wire against the bead core while sandwiching a part of the bead core, which includes the winding-ending end portion of the bead wire, in a widthwise direction thereof.

A process and a drum for looping annular anchoring structures in a process for building tyres for vehicle wheels includes: depositing a loop on a drum including a radially expandable/contractible intermediate annular portion and, in a position axially adjacent to the opposite axial ends of the intermediate annular portion, a pair of radially expandable/contractible lateral annular portions; associating an annular anchoring structure with a radially outer annular surface portion of the loop defined at the intermediate annular portion; and turning up each of opposite end edges of the loop on the annular anchoring structure through the lateral annular portions as a result of a thrusting stress imparted by a respective lateral annular portion of the pair of lateral annular portions because of a synchronous radial movement and a synchronous axial displacement of a respective plurality of circumferentially adjacent first angular sectors.

A bead member manufacturing method for manufacturing a bead member by forming an annular bead filler in an outer peripheral side of an annular bead core includes a step of arranging the bead core on a forming surface of a forming table, a step of forming a first bead filler portion by winding a first rubber in an area closer to an outer side in a width direction than a side surface which does not face toward the forming surface in the outer peripheral surface of the arranged bead core, a step of turning over and rearranging the bead core and the first bead filler portion on the forming surface, and a step of forming a second bead filler portion by winding a second rubber in the outer peripheral sides of the bead core and the first bead filler portion so as to form the bead filler.

A guide device includes a guideway through which a steel wire passes when the steel wire is fed to a former. The guideway includes an inner surface. At least a portion of the inner surface includes a slit or recess at a position corresponding to a direction in which the steel wire is bent.

A bead wrapping system for wrapping a strip around a tire bead may include one or more of the following components: an expandable chuck, a strip handling system, and a former assembly. At least one of the strip handling system and the former assembly may be movable radially relative to a central gear of the expandable chuck in response to rotation of the central gear.