A tire turn-up apparatus for selectively engaging a cylindrical tire building drum may include a base and a first plurality of finger assemblies. The tire building drum may be a selected drum from a group of drums of different drum diameters. Each finger assembly may have a backstop connected to the base and a finger pivotally connected to the backstop. Each finger may be moveable between a radially retracted and extended position to turn-up the tire carcass. Each finger may be radially adjustable on its respective backstop to align with different drum diameters.

A tire turn-up apparatus for selectively engaging a cylindrical tire building drum may include a base and a first plurality of finger assemblies. The tire building drum may be a selected drum from a group of drums of different drum diameters. Each finger assembly may have a backstop connected to the base and a finger pivotally connected to the backstop. Each finger may be moveable between a radially retracted and extended position to turn-up the tire carcass. Each finger may be radially adjustable on its respective backstop to align with different drum diameters.

A method for assembling a green tire blank includes, in succession, laying rubber plies on a drum having segments that are radially moveable, with respect to a main axis, between expanded and collapsed positions; laying bead wires; lifting up edges of the plies that extend axially beyond the bead wires towards ends of the drum using wings that extend axially and that are arranged circumferentially around the main axis; and folding the edges of the plies using rollers. The segments form an external circumferential face of the drum. The rollers are independent of the drum and move in an axial direction on the circumferential face of the drum in order to turn the edges of the plies around the bead wire. The wings move in longitudinal cuts that run parallel to the main axis at ends of the segments in order to lift up the edges of the plies.

In a process for building tires for vehicle wheels, a carcass sleeve is arranged on a shaping drum including two half-drums and two supports. Each support is operatively associated with one of the half-drums and carries a plurality of turning-up levers having free ends positioned close to the respective half-drum. Two annular anchoring structures are disposed around the carcass sleeve and each of the two supports is locked to the respective half-drum by interposing only stiff mechanical elements in mutual contact between the support and the half-drum. The carcass sleeve is shaped in a toroidal conformation, by setting a threaded shaft in rotation and moving the half-drums dose to each other. Subsequently, each of the two supports is unlocked from the respective half-drum and the threaded shaft is set in rotation to move each support close to the respective half-drum and lift up the free ends of the turning-up levers until the end flaps of the carcass sleeve are turned up around the annular anchoring structures.

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).

A tire turn-up apparatus for selectively engaging a cylindrical tire building drum may include a base and a first plurality of finger assemblies. The tire building drum may be a selected drum from a group of drums of different drum diameters. Each finger assembly may have a backstop connected to the base and a finger pivotally connected to the backstop. Each finger may be moveable between a radially retracted and extended position to turn-up the tire carcass. Each finger may be radially adjustable on its respective backstop to align with different drum diameters.

A shoulder assembly for mounting on a tire building drum is provided that includes a plurality of sections configured to interlock with another to form a shoulder ring to be mounted on a tire building drum when the tire building drum is in an expanded state, and a plurality of magnetic elements provided about a surface of the shoulder ring that is configured to contact a side of the tire building drum. The magnetic elements correspond to holding magnetic elements in the tire building drum. The shoulder ring is configured to maintain contact with the tire building drum during forming of a tire carcass, and the shoulder ring is configured to maintain its shape and stay with the formed tire carcass when the tire building drum is collapsed.

A turn-up section for a tire building drum, includes a plurality of turn-up arms distributed circumferentially about a central axis and an arm support for supporting the turn-up arms with respect to a base, wherein the turn-up arms are rotatable with respect to the arm support from an arms-down position towards an arms-up position in response to the movement of the arm support in an arm drive direction. Each turn-up arm comprises a hinge pin for rotatably coupling the respective turn-up arm to the arm support. The arm support includes a hinge seat for removably receiving the hinge pin of the respective turn-up arm. The hinge pin is retained in the hinge seat by one or more biasing members. The hinge pin of the turn-up arm is removable from the hinge seat in a radial direction with respect to the central axis by counteracting the bias of the one or more biasing members.

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).

A turn-up section for a tire building drum, includes a plurality of turn-up arms distributed circumferentially about a central axis and an arm support for supporting the turn-up arms with respect to a base, wherein the turn-up arms are rotatable with respect to the arm support from an arms-down position towards an arms-up position in response to the movement of the arm support in an arm drive direction. Each turn-up arm comprises a hinge pin for rotatably coupling the respective turn-up arm to the arm support. The arm support includes a hinge seat for removably receiving the hinge pin of the respective turn-up arm. The hinge pin is retained in the hinge seat by one or more biasing members. The hinge pin of the turn-up arm is removable from the hinge seat in a radial direction with respect to the central axis by counteracting the bias of the one or more biasing members.