A tire manufacturing method and system is provided for controlling a product profile having one or more elastomeric layers that are produced by continuously extruding an elongated element (200) of an elastomeric material and depositing the elongated element (200) upon a forming surface (100a) of a circumferentially rotating drum (100).

A tire manufacturing method and system is provided for controlling a product profile having one or more elastomeric layers that are produced by continuously extruding an elongated element (200) of an elastomeric material and depositing the elongated element (200) upon a forming surface (100a) of a circumferentially rotating drum (100).

A bidirectional stitching wheel may be able to conform to peaks and valleys of green rubber while building a tire. The bidirectional stitching wheel may include an inner ring including a stitcher rotation axis. The inner ring may be rotatable in a first stitcher rotational direction about the stitcher rotation axis. The inner ring may also be rotatable in a second stitcher rotational direction about the stitcher rotation axis. A flexible outer ring may be radially spaced from the inner ring. A flexible intermediate layer may be disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring. The flexible intermediate layer may be substantially equally deformable during rotation of the inner ring in both the first stitcher rotational direction and the second stitcher rotational direction.

A bidirectional stitching wheel may be able to conform to peaks and valleys of green rubber while building a tire. The bidirectional stitching wheel may include an inner ring including a stitcher rotation axis. The inner ring may be rotatable in a first stitcher rotational direction about the stitcher rotation axis. The inner ring may also be rotatable in a second stitcher rotational direction about the stitcher rotation axis. A flexible outer ring may be radially spaced from the inner ring. A flexible intermediate layer may be disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring. The flexible intermediate layer may be substantially equally deformable during rotation of the inner ring in both the first stitcher rotational direction and the second stitcher rotational direction.

A tread for a tire includes: a first tread zone extending circumferentially, continuously, and entirely around the tire, the first tread zone being formed of a first compound; a second tread zone extending circumferentially, continuously, and entirely around the tire, the second tread zone being formed of a second compound different from the first compound; and a boundary groove axially separating the first tread zone from the second tread zone, the first tread zone, the second tread zone, and the boundary groove entirely forming the tread, the boundary groove having an axial centerline disposed an axial distance from an equatorial plane of the tire. The first tread zone has a first circumferential groove and a sidewall portion defining an intermediate circumferential rib of the first tread zone and a shoulder circumferential rib of the first tread zone.

A continuous elongated element of elastomeric material is produced through an extruder at a linear delivery speed and directly fed onto a moving surface of a conveyor without interposition of other devices. The continuous elongated element is advanced on the moving surface along a predetermined direction and at a linear advancing speed different from the linear delivery speed until a proximal end of the conveyor. Subsequently, the continuous elongated element is applied onto a forming support which rotates relative to the proximal end of the conveyor at a peripheral speed different from the linear delivery speed, so as to deform the continuous elongated element and apply it in the form of wound coils onto the forming support in order to form a component of elastomeric material of a tyre.

A continuous elongated element of elastomeric material is produced through an extruder at a linear delivery speed and directly fed onto a moving surface of a conveyor without interposition of other devices. The continuous elongated element is advanced on the moving surface along a predetermined direction and at a linear advancing speed different from the linear delivery speed until a proximal end of the conveyor. Subsequently, the continuous elongated element is applied onto a forming support which rotates relative to the proximal end of the conveyor at a peripheral speed different from the linear delivery speed, so as to deform the continuous elongated element and apply it in the form of wound coils onto the forming support in order to form a component of elastomeric material of a tyre.

To reliably and efficiently make foreign matters adhered onto a green tire formed by a strip winding method. It comprises a raw data acquiring step Sa in which raw three-dimensional data D0 about an examination surface 3 are created through rotation of a green tire T and through irradiation with sensor light 2L in an X direction by a two-dimensional displacement sensor 2; an averaging processing step Sb in which processed three-dimensional data D1 are obtained by averaging processing the raw three-dimensional data D0; and an imaging step Sc in which the distance data z in the processed three-dimensional data D1 are each binarized, and an image is created from the binarized processed three-dimensional data D2. The widths Wx and Wy of a range K of the averaging process are set to be greater than a spiral pitch P of a rubber strip G and less than a width Gw of the rubber strip G.

To reliably and efficiently make foreign matters adhered onto a green tire formed by a strip winding method. It comprises a raw data acquiring step Sa in which raw three-dimensional data D0 about an examination surface 3 are created through rotation of a green tire T and through irradiation with sensor light 2L in an X direction by a two-dimensional displacement sensor 2; an averaging processing step Sb in which processed three-dimensional data D1 are obtained by averaging processing the raw three-dimensional data D0; and an imaging step Sc in which the distance data z in the processed three-dimensional data D1 are each binarized, and an image is created from the binarized processed three-dimensional data D2. The widths Wx and Wy of a range K of the averaging process are set to be greater than a spiral pitch P of a rubber strip G and less than a width Gw of the rubber strip G.

A process for building tyres for vehicle wheels includes: forming a tyre in process, the tyre including a belt structure and depositing a tread band in a position radially external to the belt structure by winding a continuous elongated element made of elastomeric material according to axially adjacent or partially overlapped coils. During the deposition of the tread band and on at least one of the coils already wound, a conductive liquid elastomeric compound is applied, the compound continuously extended between a radially outer surface of the tread band and a radially outer surface of the belt structure to generate electrically conductive paths and free zones.