A pneumatic tire includes a strip member which extends in a tire circumferential direction, with both ends thereof reaching each bead portion, and a belt layer disposed in a tread portion on an outer side in the tire radial direction of the strip members. The strip members are divided in the tire width direction, with each of the divided strip members having joints that join in the tire circumferential direction. The relative positions of the joints are disposed at less than 20 in the tire circumferential direction within the region of the maximum width TW in the tire width direction of the belt layer.

Building the carcass structure of tyres for vehicle wheels includes associating, at each end edge of a carcass ply, at least one respective annular reinforcement structure formed by depositing along a circumferential direction a plurality of reinforcement elements having a first length. Such elements are cut to size from a reinforced continuous band-like element fed to a cutting group arranged at a first operative position adapted to allow a barycentric grip of the reinforcement elements. The cutting group can translate along a feeding direction of the band-like element to a second operative position for cutting to size a plurality of second reinforcement elements having a second length different from the first length. The second operative position is defined on the basis of the second length, so as to have a barycentric grip of the second reinforcement elements too.

Disclosed is a dual tire component servicer and a method for supplying a first tire component and a second tire component to a tire building drum, wherein the dual tire component servicer includes a first conveyor and a second conveyor for conveying the first tire component and the second tire component, respectively, in a supply direction towards the tire building drum. The dual tire component servicer further includes a first pick-and-place unit and a second pick-and-place unit for transferring the first tire component and the second tire component, respectively, from their respective conveyors to the tire building drum. The first pick-and-place unit and the second pick-and-place unit are automatically and independently movable relative to each other in a lateral direction perpendicular to the supply direction.

A method of forming a layer of tire ply is disclosed. A first strip of ply is provided having a plurality of evenly spaced reinforcement cords, having a spacing S, and having a lateral end, wherein the last cord is spaced apart from strip end a distance X, wherein X is not equal to S. A second strip of ply is provided having a plurality of evenly spaced reinforcement cords, having a spacing S, and having a lateral end, wherein the last cord is spaced apart from strip end a distance Y, wherein Y is not equal to S. The lateral ends of the first and second strip are joined together in a lap joint. The first and second lateral ends are overlapped so that the spacing X preferrably does not overlap, but may partially overlap with the spacing Y.

In a pneumatic tire that includes strip members which extends in a tire circumferential direction, both ends thereof reaching each bead portion, a belt layer is disposed in a tread portion on an outer side in a tire radial direction of the strip members. The strip members are divided in the tire width direction, and the divided strip members have joints that join together in the tire circumferential direction. Relative positions of the joints are disposed deviated by not less than 20 in the tire circumferential direction within a region between an edge of a maximum width in the tire width direction of the belt layer and a maximum tire width position.

A supply apparatus of tire material members includes a feeder that feeds out first and second continuous material members from which first and second material member is to be cut out, respectively, a conveyer that conveys the first and second continuous material members, a cutter that cuts the first and second continuous material members at a cutting position extending perpendicularly to a conveyance direction every time when the first and second continuous material members are conveyed by a predetermined length, a position detector that detects positions of the first and second continuous material members during a conveyance by the predetermined length from the cutting position, and a position adjuster that, during the conveyance by the predetermined length from the cutting position, adjusts conveyance distances of the first and second continuous material members based on the detected positions of the first and second continuous material members.

Device for cutting and transferring a length of strip let off a continuous strip, comprising a first face and a second face to be laid on a rotary receiving surface and containing a cutting means to separate the said length from the continuous strip along a cutting line, a telescopic conveyor belt, arranged in a longitudinal direction between the cutting means and the receiving surface, to receive the length of strip via the first face, a first half-anvil, upstream of the cutting line, and comprising holding means to grasp the strip via the first face, a transporter, having holding means to grasp the front edge or rear edge of the length of strip via the second face, the transporter able to move in the longitudinal direction. A second half-anvil is intended to collaborate with the first half-anvil during cutting, and positioned downstream of the cutting line and upstream of the telescopic conveyor belt, comprising holding means able to grasp the rear edge of the length of strip via the first face, and able to move in the longitudinal direction.

A process for building tyres provides for building a carcass sleeve around a forming drum having an application diameter and two lateral half-portions axially moveable relative to each other. The carcass sleeve comprises at least one carcass ply coaxially engaged around each of the axially opposite end flaps thereof to an annular anchoring structure defining a fitting diameter smaller than the application diameter. The building of the carcass sleeve comprises: applying and stopping a leading end of a semi-finished product in form of continuous strip cut to size against a continuous surface of the forming drum; winding the semi-finished product in form of continuous strip cut to size circumferentially around the forming drum; joining a trailing end of the semi-finished product to the leading end at said continuous surface. The continuous surface is extended only partly around the forming drum. The semi-finished product, except for the leading end and the trailing end, is laid against a discontinuous circumferential surface of the forming drum adjacent to the continuous surface and belonging to the two lateral half-portions.

The present technology provides a method of manufacturing a pneumatic tire. The method of manufacturing a pneumatic tire uses a laminated sheet having a predetermined length and an inner liner layer formed from the laminated sheet through a step of cure-molding the tire with end portions of the laminated sheet lap-spliced. In the method, when at least the sheet made of thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic resin composition obtained by blending the thermoplastic resin and the elastomer is cut into the predetermined length, the cutting is performed by using an edge tool having a non-sharp edge under a temperature condition not lower than 60 C. and not higher than a melting point of the thermoplastic resin.

A method of forming a layer of tire ply is disclosed. A first strip of ply is provided having a plurality of evenly spaced reinforcement cords, having a spacing S, and having a lateral end, wherein the last cord is spaced apart from strip end a distance X, wherein X is not equal to S. A second strip of ply is provided having a plurality of evenly spaced reinforcement cords, having a spacing S, and having a lateral end, wherein the last cord is spaced apart from strip end a distance Y, wherein Y is not equal to S. The lateral ends of the first and second strip are joined together in a lap joint. The first and second lateral ends are overlapped so that the spacing X preferrably does not overlap, but may partially overlap with the spacing Y.