A carcass sleeve is situated in a radially external position with respect to a toroidal forming drum, arranged in a first radially contracted operative condition. The carcass sleeve is shaped according to a toroidal configuration while the forming drum is positioned inside the carcass sleeve. During shaping of the carcass sleeve, the forming drum is radially expanded up to a second radially expanded operative condition. Upon completed shaping, the carcass sleeve is coupled to the forming drum in the second operative condition. The forming drum, coupled to the shaped carcass sleeve, is arranged in proximity to at least one device for building at least one belt layer at a radially external position relative to the shaped carcass sleeve.

In a device for winding a strip-shaped rubber member, a measured width and a measured thickness of a strip-shaped rubber member immediately before winding are measured by a measuring section at measurement point P. On the other hand, from a target width and a target thickness of the strip-shaped rubber member that are derived from a target sectional shape of a tread, an estimated width and an estimated thickness of the strip-shaped rubber member at the measurement point P are determined while taking deformation of the strip-shaped rubber member into consideration. Differences between the measured width and the estimated width, and between the measured thickness and the estimated thickness at each corresponding length direction position are determined.

Provided are a device and a method for inspecting a cylindrical member. During inspection of a cylindrical member, a degree of widthwise misalignment of a strip-shaped member wound around a molding drum is calculated by a control unit on the basis of detection data from a position sensor and position data of drum-widthwise end faces that are perpendicular to a drum axial center of the molding drum, and the widthwise misalignment of the strip-shaped member is determined to be inside or outside an allowable range on the basis of the calculation result.

A strip rubber adhering apparatus includes a rotating drum; an extruder configured to extrude strip rubber of a shape having an apex portion in cross section toward the drum; a pressure bonding roller configured to press a surface of the strip rubber on the apex portion side in the direction of the drum, and adhere the surface of the strip rubber on a side opposite to the apex portion side to the drum; and a blowing apparatus configured to supply wind toward the surface of the strip rubber on the apex portion side in the vicinity of a position of adhesion of the strip rubber with respect to the drum, wherein the drum and the extruder are relatively movable in the direction of axis of the drum with respect to each other.

A pneumatic tire includes film layers of thermoplastic resin or thermoplastic elastomer composition made by blending an elastomer with the thermoplastic resin, which are superposed by winding the film layer in the circumferential direction of the tire multiple times, a thickness of the film layer is in a range of 0.02 mm to 0.2 mm and a thickness of the rubber layer is in a range of 0.1 mm to 1.2 mm, and the tire wherein a rubber film is interposed between the film layers. The pneumatic tire is produced by preparing a laminated body in which the rubber layer is stuck to at least one surface of the film layer; interposing the rubber layer between the film layers by winding the laminated body in the circumferential direction of the tire multiple times; forming an uncured tire which includes the film layers and the rubber layers; and curing the tire.

A rubber strip is bonded with high accuracy to the surface of a non-linear cylinder-like wound body. The space occupied by the device is reduced. Provided is a transporting conveyor having a transporting belt guided rotatably by guiding rollers. A transporting surface of the transporting belt is provided with a transporting surface width centerline extending in a straight line over the entire length thereof. The guiding rollers are distributed into forward-side guiding rollers and backward-side guiding rollers in the transporting direction. Since the forward-side guiding roller is held tiltibly around the transporting surface width centerline, the transporting surface forms a twistable twisting transporting surface portion between a forward-side transporting surface portion supported by the forward-side guiding roller and a forward-side transporting surface portion supported by the backward-side guiding roller.

This manufacturing method of a pneumatic tire having a tread reinforcing layer reduces tire mass while maintaining the durability performance of the tire. A tread reinforcing layer formation step includes a winding step for winding belt-shape plies around an approximately cylindrical winding surface. The winding step involves: a first winding step in which, with the side edges of the belt-shape plies spaced from one another, said belt-shape plies are spirally wound from a first end located on one side of the tire in the axial direction, to a second end located on the other side of the tire in the axial direction; and a second winding step in which, with the side edges of the belt-shape plies spaced from one another, said belt-shape plies are spirally wound from the second end to the first end in the direction opposite that in the first winding step. A lattice-form tread reinforcing layer is formed that has gaps substantially rhombic in shape and bounded by the belt-shape plies.

A method for manufacturing a motorcycle tire comprises: building a raw tire main body, building a breaker, sticking the breaker, and building a band. The building of the breaker comprises: moving two cylindrical support rings to operating positions, swelling the raw tire main body to have its crown portion protruding from the support rings through a gap therebetween, and winding a breaker ply material on the support rings to form a cylindrical breaker ply whose inner surface is adhered to the raw tire main body. The sticking of the breaker comprises: expanding a profiled deck to swell the raw tire main body into a second swollen state, and turning down both edge portions of the breaker while being supported by the profiled deck. The building of the band comprises: spirally winding a tape on the curved breaker ply while being supported by the profiled deck.

A method for manufacturing a motorcycle tire comprises: building a raw tire main body, building a breaker, sticking the breaker, and building a band. The building of the breaker comprises: moving two cylindrical support rings to operating positions, swelling the raw tire main body to have its crown portion protruding from the support rings through a gap therebetween, and winding a breaker ply material on the support rings to form a cylindrical breaker ply whose inner surface is adhered to the raw tire main body. The sticking of the breaker comprises: expanding a profiled deck to swell the raw tire main body into a second swollen state, and turning down both edge portions of the breaker while being supported by the profiled deck. The building of the band comprises: spirally winding a tape on the curved breaker ply while being supported by the profiled deck.

A method for forming a composite tread, the method comprising the steps of: forming a coextruded strip of a first compound and a second compound, wherein the first compound is a tread compound, and the second compound is formed from a second compound, wherein the tread is formed from winding the coextruded strip onto the tire building drum while varying the ratio of the first compound to the second compound.