A method of controlling the management of annular anchoring structures in a process and a plant for building tyres for vehicle wheels, comprises: a) feeding pairs of first annular anchoring structures (6) from a first storage region (21) to a bead-forming machine (20); b) loading a plurality of second annular anchoring structures (6) into a second storage region (22); c) carrying the second annular anchoring structures (6) from the second storage region (22) to the first storage region (21); d) feeding pairs of second annular anchoring structures (6) from the first storage region (21) to the bead-forming machine (20). The method comprises the sequential cyclic repetition of the above actions.

A method and a device for producing tires. The device is made up of, among other things, a tire-building drum including a device for realizing a ply turn-up for producing uncured tire blanks. A plurality of turn-up fingers of the ply turn-up is coupled to a drive unit arranged outside the tire-building drum. The drive takes place via synchronously driven spindles which are coupled to the tire-building drum with the help of movable carriers.

A tire building drum is rotatably mounted on a central drive shaft and includes a center portion. A center mechanism for the drum is disposed in the center portion and includes a hub that seats on and is secured to the central drive shaft. An axially-extending piston seats on and extends circumferentially about the hub. A cylinder cooperates with the hub and the piston to form a pneumatic chamber. A plurality of links are connected to the piston and a plurality of segment bars are disposed about the circumference of the center mechanism. Each one of the segment bars is connected to selected links and seats between a lip of the cylinder and a distal end plate. When compressed air is introduced into the pneumatic chamber, the piston moves in an axial direction, actuating movement of the links and in turn actuating radial movement of the segment bars.

A process for manufacturing a lot of tires including: selecting a first operating radial position; setting a positioning device to the first operating radial position; setting a turning up device to the first operating radial position; positioning a first annular anchoring structure on an edge of a first carcass ply; turning up the edge of the first carcass ply around the first annular anchoring structure; pulling down the edge of the first carcass ply toward the longitudinal axis of a first forming support; replacing the first forming support with a second forming support; selecting a second operating radial position; setting the positioning device to the second operating radial position; setting the turning up device to the second operating radial position; positioning a second annular anchoring structure on an edge of the second carcass ply; and turning up the edge of the second carcass ply around the second annular anchoring structure.

A tire uniformity correcting drum comprises: a lower drum to be in contact with a portion of an inner circumferential surface of a tire; an upper drum provided to be movable up and down with respect to the lower drum and configured to press another portion of the inner circumferential surface of the tire which is not in contact with the lower drum; and a hydraulic driving unit configured to connect the lower drum and the upper drum and move up and down the upper drum with respect to the lower drum. A contact area of the upper drum with the inner circumferential surface of the tire is smaller than a contact area of the lower drum with the inner circumferential surface of the tire.

A method of controlling the management of annular anchoring structures in a process and a plant for building tyres for vehicle wheels includes a) feeding pairs of first annular anchoring structures from a first storage region to a bead-forming machine; b) loading a plurality of second annular anchoring structures into a second storage region; c) carrying the second annular anchoring structures from the second storage region to the first storage region; d) feeding pairs of second annular anchoring structures from the first storage region to the bead-forming machine; e) loading a plurality of first annular anchoring structures into said second storage region; and f) carrying the first annular anchoring structures from the second storage region to the first storage region.

The building drum includes a support (20), a central shaft (30) and an outer circumferential surface coaxial with the axis of rotation of the drum. The building drum also has a principal cylindrical surface (100) axially bounded by a shoulder (101) extended by a lateral protuberance (102) for receiving the products which have to be assembled. Several segments together define the principal cylindrical surface, and those segments are being divided into first and second groups of adjacent segments (103a, 103b) mounted so as to move between a first position in which they are circumferentially juxtaposed and a second position in which the adjacent segments are radially offset. Several adjacent elbow levers (140) form the shoulder (101) and the protuberance (102) in the expanded position of the drum and each elbow lever (140) is mounted with articulation on the segment (103a, 103b) and on the support (20).

The present invention relates to an apparatus and to a process for building tyres for vehicle wheels, wherein sidewalls (11) are applied on opposite sides of a carcass sleeve (12) placed on a shaping drum (13). The application of the sidewalls (11) comprises: arranging each sidewall (11) as a ring around application levers (24) of a respective support (18), making an axial appendage (35) of the sidewall (11) protrude axially beyond the free ends (25) of the respective application levers (24); radially opening the free ends (25) of the application levers (24) of each support (18) so as to make the respective sidewall (11) radially expand; axially approaching the free ends (25) of the application levers (24) to the respective half-drum (17) up to engaging the axial appendage (35) with the carcass sleeve (12) and radially opening the free ends (25) of the application levers (24) to adhere the sidewalls against the carcass sleeve (12).

Disclosed is a tire building drum having tire components thereon, wherein the tire building drum is provided with a turn-up mechanism for turning-up parts of the tire components, wherein the turn-up mechanism includes a group of arms, wherein each group of arms includes primary arms and secondary arms interposed between the primary arms, wherein, the primary arms and the secondary arms are provided with primary pressing elements and secondary pressing elements, respectively, for exerting a pressing force onto the tire components during the turning-up, wherein the primary pressing elements are in a leading position, wherein the secondary arms are provided with actuators which are arranged for displacing the secondary pressing elements from an axially trailing position with respect to the axial position of the primary pressing elements in the leading position towards the same axial position as the primary pressing elements in the leading position.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and to a process for building tyres for vehicle wheels, wherein sidewalls (11) are applied on opposite sides of a carcass sleeve (12) placed on a shaping drum (13). The application of the sidewalls (11) comprises: arranging each sidewall (11) as a ring around application levers (24) of a respective support (18), making an axial appendage (35) of the sidewall (11) protrude axially beyond the free ends (25) of the respective application levers (24); radially opening the free ends (25) of the application levers (24) of each support (18) so as to make the respective sidewall (11) radially expand; axially approaching the free ends (25) of the application levers (24) to the respective half-drum (17) up to engaging the axial appendage (35) with the carcass sleeve (12) and radially opening the free ends (25) of the application levers (24) to adhere the sidewalls against the carcass sleeve (12).