In the building of a carcass structure for tyres of vehicle wheels, the step of reinforcing with a loop at least one annular anchoring structure (10) associated at the axially opposite end edges of a carcass ply is carried out. Said reinforcement step is carried out on at least one radially expandable/contractable service drum (107a, 107b) and comprises the steps of: setting the service drum (107a, 107b) to a predetermined radial dimension selected according to the fitting diameter of the tyre to be manufactured, depositing the loop (5) on the service drum (107a, 107b), loading the annular anchoring structure (10) onto the service drum (107a, 107b) in a radially outer position with respect to the loop (5), radially expanding the service drum (107a, 107b) up to lock in position the annular anchoring structure (10), rotating the service drum (107a, 107b) about a longitudinal axis (X-X) thereof and, during such a rotation, turning the loop (5) up about the annular anchoring structure (10).

An annular bead core forming former is for manufacturing a bead core including a wire array in which a bead wire is helically wound in a width direction of the bead core. The bead core forming former comprises a main body portion having an outer circumferential surface with a circumferential groove extending in a circumferential direction for winding the bead wire and at least one width adjusting portion which moves relatively to the main body portion to changes a width of the circumferential groove.

A bead retaining member includes a body having a concave first concave edge and one or more retaining elements which are distributed over the body along said first concave edge for retaining a first bead of a first size along a first retaining curve having a first retaining radius and for retaining a second bead of a second size along a second retaining curve having a second retaining radius larger than the first retaining radius. The first retaining curve intersects with the second retaining curve at a first intersection point and a second intersection point. The first concave edge is non-circular and is located radially outside of the second retaining curve in a center region of the first concave edge between the first intersection point and the second intersection point and radially outside of the first retaining curve in a first lateral region and a second lateral region.

A method for verifying the correct formation of the beads in a process and a plant for building tyres for vehicle wheels, includes: loading a plurality of annular anchoring structures in a storage, disposing them in two groups separated by an opening; positioning a building drum provided with a carcass sleeve in a tyre bead-forming machine; picking up two of the annular anchoring structures from the storage and loading them on the tyre bead-forming machine. In a work area of the tyre bead-forming machine, on each of two axially opposite zones of the carcass sleeve, a respective annular anchoring structure is fit and each of the abovementioned zones is turned up around the respective annular anchoring structure to form the beads. The aforesaid opening allows an operator to conduct a visual inspection of the work area and/or access the work area during the entire work cycle of the machine.

A tire 22 includes a pair of bead portions 66 to be fitted to a rim R. Each bead portion 66 includes a bead 30 having a core 52 and an apex 54. An outer surface 68 of the bead portion 66 includes a seat face 70 and a flange face 72 disposed radially inward and axially outward, respectively, of the bead 30, a heel face 74 disposed between the seat face 70 and the flange face 72, and a plurality of vent lines 78 projecting from the heel face 74 and extending in the circumferential direction. A contour of the heel face 74 is represented by an arc on a cross-section, of the tire 22, taken along a plane including a rotation axis of the tire 22, and a radius Rh of the arc is not less than 8 mm and not greater than 15 mm.

A fully automated bead filler production line system and a fully automated bead filler molding and attaching method, implementing highly efficient production of bead filler in order to solve the problem in traditional production lines of large occupied area and low efficiency. To achieve said goal, the solution is to provide a fully automated bead filler production line system, comprising: a bead filler molding processing section, a functional auxiliary section, a filler and bead molding processing section, and automated material flow sections. The bead filler molding processing section, the functional auxiliary section, and the filler and bead molding processing section are sequentially linked, and two material flow sections are provided, on either side of the filler and bead molding processing system respectively.

A method for manufacturing pneumatic tire of the present disclosure, the method comprising: a first step of pressure-bonding a bead filler to an outer peripheral portion of an annular bead core, the bead filler being thinned outward of the bead core in a radial direction, and fabricating an annular bead member; a second step of causing a separator to support the bead filler, and mounting the bead member so that the radial direction of the bead core goes along a horizontal direction; and a third step of cooling the bead member.

A cutting apparatus for an elongate wire is provided, and includes a housing that supports a first cutter that has a body, a recess, and a cutting blade. The cutting blade is disposed upon a wall of the body that defines the recess, the first cutter is fixed with respect to the housing. The housing additionally supports a second cutter that has a body, a recess, and a cutting blade, wherein the cutting blade is disposed upon a wall of the body that defines the recess. The second cutter is normally positioned with respect to the first cutter such that the recess of the first cutter is aligned with the recess of the second cutter, and is movable to a second position where the recess of the second cutter translates with respect to the recess of the first cutter, such that the respective cutting blades translate toward each other.

A system for adjusting a path of a wire includes a precast pulley assembly having at least one precast pulley having at least first and second positions. The at least one precast pulley may be adjustable from the first position to the second position without a user touching the at least one precast pulley. A path of a wire is adjusted when disposed around the at least one precast pulley when it is in the second position instead of in the first position. In one embodiment, the precast pulley assembly includes first and second precast pulleys disposed in an adjacent relationship with respect to one another, wherein a wire can selectively pass over one or both of the first and second precast pulleys.

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.