An apparatus for depositing a piece of band-like elastomeric element on a forming support in a process for building a tyre for vehicle wheels. The apparatus operates by feeding a piece of band-like elastomeric element having a predetermined nominal length towards the forming support along a predetermined feeding direction and measuring the actual length of the piece along the feeding direction. If the actual length is lower than or equal to a circumferential length of a deposition surface defined on the forming support, the piece is deposited on the deposition surface while the forming support rotates about a rotation axis thereof. During such deposition the piece is pressed on the deposition surface with a pressing force selected as a function of the actual length.

A topping sheet forming method includes: a division step of cylindrically winding a textile original fabric, obtained by weaving longitudinally aligned tire cords into a cord fabric by use of weft yarns, to form an original fabric roll and cutting off the weft yarns in predetermined widthwise positions by using a wire wound on the original fabric roll in a predetermined winding angle range to divide the textile original fabric into narrow textile original fabrics; and a topping step of topping at least one surface of each of the narrow textile original fabrics with unvulcanized rubber.

A device for loading at least one carcass drum with tire components for green tires, a tire-building machine and a method for producing green tires. The device for loading the at least one carcass drum with tire components includes a placing device, which can move linearly in the horizontal direction, for delivering material components to a carcass drum, wherein the at least one placing device can be moved vertically so that a vertical movement in addition to or alternatively to the horizontal movement is facilitated and, in this way, the ply server is designed to be self-opening.

A process and an apparatus for building tyres for vehicle wheels includes assembling at least one tyre component through laying of strip-like elements disposed circumferentially close to each other on a deposition surface radially external to the forming drum, wherein laying of each strip-like element includes: radially moving the strip-like element close to the deposition surface; locking a central portion of the strip-like element against the deposition surface; and pulling the strip-like element in opposite directions starting from the central portion toward the opposite ends thereof, while the central portion is maintained in a locked condition against the deposition surface, so as to progressively lay down the strip-like element against the deposition surface.

Provided are a method and device for forming a cylindrical member for accurately forming belt-like members into a cylindrical shape without meandering. A pre-winding position sensor detects a position of a member reference line extending in a longitudinal direction of a belt-like member along the entire length of the belt-like member in the longitudinal direction thereof before the belt-like member is placed on a transport conveyor belt, transported to a forming drum, and wound around the forming drum. The belt-like member is wound around the forming drum and formed in a cylindrical shape while the forming drum is relatively moved in the drum width direction with respect to the transport conveyor belt by a controller and the member reference line, based on the detected data and a position data of the drum reference line orthogonal to the drum axial center of the forming drum.

In the method for producing a tire carcass ply for a vehicle, the ply is wound onto a drum and contains reinforcements running in planes that are radial to an axis of the drum, of which: at least one assembly member (51, 52) mounted such that it can move in relation to the drum brings the ends of the ply together and assembles them by travelling over the ply in a direction (X) parallel to the ends; and prior to assembly, a blade independent of the one or of each assembly member extends between the drum and the ends without extending between the drum and the rest of the ply.

The device comprises at least one module for stitching the tread and a means for moving the module vertically and horizontally. The stitching module comprises a frame which is provided with a fixed stitching assembly, equipped with spikes, and at least one mobile stitching assembly. The at least one mobile stitching assembly comprises at least one stitching plate provided at the base of same with at least one planar horizontal contact surface, from which at least two spikes protrude. The plate is arranged in a vertical guide space provided in the frame such that the spikes protrude downwards and such that it is free to move vertically in this space over a limited travel path. The device also includes a vertical movement device for moving the plate from the top downwards in this guide space and a device for locking the altitude position of the plate in this space.

An automatic splicing apparatus is provided herein for splicing together two ends of a sheet of tire material on a tire building drum. The apparatus comprises a splicer foot including a splicer foot frame, a first continuous unitary V-shaped axle, and two non-powered lower rollers. The splicer foot frame has an opening defined therein having opposing sides. The first continuous unitary V-shape axle has two arms attached to the opposing sides of the opening. The two non-powered lower rollers are mounted on the two arms of the first continuous unitary V-shaped axle so that the two non-powered lower rollers are arranged in a V-shape pattern. The apparatus further comprises a plurality of powered upper rollers configured to operate in coordination with the lower rollers to engage the two ends of the sheet of tire material.

The laminate according to the present invention includes a thermoplastic resin film-containing layer and a rubber layer, in which the rubber layer contains a modified diene polymer, and the rubber layer has a dynamic storage modulus E′ at −20° C. of 1.0×10.sup.5 to 1.0×10.sup.8 Pa. This laminate can improve the resistance to the fractures and the cracks of the inner liner.

An apparatus and method accurately measures an amount of overlap in joining together the end portions of a sheet-shaped member constituting a tire. The overlap amount of the sheet-shaped member front and rear ends is measured when the sheet-shaped member having been molded into a predetermined length with molding marks extending on the surface in width direction is wound around the periphery of a molding drum from the front end. In doing so, a detector detects a first molding mark formed on the sheet-shaped member on the rear end side and a second molding mark formed on the sheet-shaped member on the front end side by capturing images of an entire area including the overlap from above by an image capturing device. A calculator calculates the amount of overlap by measuring the distance between the first and second molding marks on the sheet-shaped member from the frames of captured images.