A process and an apparatus for building tyres, wherein, in the process, a carcass sleeve including at least one carcass ply and a pair of annular anchoring structures is transferred to a shaping drum including flange elements that are each engageable with one of said annular anchoring structures. The carcass sleeve is shaped according to a toroidal configuration. Before shaping, annular grip elements respectively carried by the flange elements are radially expanded, each inside one of the annular anchoring structures, in order to engage the carcass sleeve. The annular anchoring structures are moved axially apart from each other before engaging the carcass sleeve by the annular grip elements.

An apparatus for building and for checking a continuous elongated element during the building of a tyre for vehicle wheels. A beam of an electromagnetic radiation is projected on a section of the continuous elongated element dispensed by a dispensing head and interposed between the dispensing head and a first contact area of the continuous elongated element with a radially outer surface of a tyre being processed. An image of a radiation reflected by the section is acquired. A first parameter related to the image is detected, and the first parameter is compared with a second reference parameter.

Disclosed is a guiding device having a guide roller that is rotatable about a roller axis and that has an exterior guide surface extending in a circumferential direction about the roller axis, wherein the guide roller includes a plurality of roller segments juxtaposed in an axial direction along the roller axis for forming the exterior guide surface, wherein the plurality of roller segments are movable relative to each other to enable the guide roller to be positioned in a maximum bend state in which the roller axis extends along an arc, wherein the plurality of roller segments are interlocked to rotate together about the roller axis in a maximum bend state, wherein the plurality of roller segments extend over an arc length along the arc of the roller axis, wherein the arc length is at least ninety degrees in the maximum bend state.

A plant for building tyres, includes: a shaping work station configured for receiving a carcass sleeve; at least one radially expandable/contractible toroidal forming drum engageable in the shaping work station; at least one work station configured for building at least one component of a crown structure on a radially external surface of a tyre being processed, defined starting from the carcass sleeve that is shaped and coupled to the forming drum; transfer devices configured for moving said forming drum along a closed-loop completion path and arranging it in proximity to the work station in order to obtain a green tyre, the closed-loop completion path being extended from an initial work station to a final work station coinciding with the shaping work station; and a pick-up device configured for picking up said green tyre decoupled from the respective forming drum.

Disclosed is a guiding device having a guide roller that is rotatable about a roller axis and that has an exterior guide surface extending in a circumferential direction about the roller axis, wherein the guide roller includes a plurality of roller segments juxtaposed in an axial direction along the roller axis for forming the exterior guide surface, wherein the plurality of roller segments are movable relative to each other to enable the guide roller to be positioned in a maximum bend state in which the roller axis extends along an arc, wherein the plurality of roller segments are interlocked to rotate together about the roller axis in a maximum bend state, wherein the plurality of roller segments extend over an arc length along the arc of the roller axis, wherein the arc length is at least ninety degrees in the maximum bend state.

A tire comprises a tread portion provided with a band composed of at least one band cord wound spirally and circumferentially of the tire and embedded in the tread portion. When a band cord piece is taken out from the above-said at least one band cord embedded in the tread portion and measured for the length, a length Lb is equal to or smaller than a length La at least in a part of the tread portion, where the length Lb is measured at a first point of time after the band cord piece has been taken out, and the length La is measured at a second point of time after the first point of time.

An apparatus for building and for checking a continuous elongated element during the building of a tyre for vehicle wheels. A beam of an electromagnetic radiation is projected on a section of the continuous elongated element dispensed by a dispensing head and interposed between the dispensing head and a first contact area of the continuous elongated element with a radially outer surface of a tyre being processed. An image of a radiation reflected by the section is acquired. A first parameter related to the image is detected, and the first parameter is compared with a second reference parameter.

A method for checking a continuous elongated element during the building of a tyre for vehicle wheels. A beam of an electromagnetic radiation is projected on a section of the continuous elongated element dispensed by a dispensing head and interposed between the dispensing head and a first contact area of the continuous elongated element with a radially outer surface of a tyre being processed. An image of a radiation reflected by the section is acquired. A first parameter related to the image is detected, and the first parameter is compared with a second reference parameter.

The invention is related to a process and an apparatus for building tyres. In the process a carcass sleeve (11) comprising at least one carcass ply (3) and a pair of annular anchoring structures (5) is transferred to a shaping drum (14) comprising flange elements (16a, 16h) that are each engageable to one of said annular anchoring structures (5). The carcass sleeve (11) is shaped according to a toroidal configuration by means of mutual axial approaching of the flange elements (16a, 16b). Before shaping, annular grip elements (36) respectively carried by the flange elements (16a, 16b) are radially expanded each inside one of the annular anchoring structures (5) in order to engage the carcass sleeve (11). The annular anchoring structures (5) are moved axially apart from each other before engaging the carcass sleeve (11) by means of the annular grip elements (36).

A process and an apparatus for building tyres, wherein, in the process, a carcass sleeve including at least one carcass ply and a pair of annular anchoring structures is transferred to a shaping drum including flange elements that are each engageable with one of said annular anchoring structures. The carcass sleeve is shaped according to a toroidal configuration. Before shaping, annular grip elements respectively carried by the flange elements are radially expanded, each inside one of the annular anchoring structures, in order to engage the carcass sleeve. The annular anchoring structures are moved axially apart from each other before engaging the carcass sleeve by the annular grip elements.