Drum (10) for manufacturing a tire blank, comprising a shaft, two flanges (14) movable in translation along the shaft, and means for supplying compressed air, each flange comprising at least one pneumatic effector (36). At least one flange comprises a first, radially internal ring (46) and a second, radially external ring (48) movable in rotation around the first ring by means of at least two airtight pivot connections (50), the rings and the pivot connections delimiting at least one sealed chamber (52), said flange comprising at least one first compressed-air circulation channel (54), a first section (56) of the first channel belonging to the first ring being connected at one of its ends to the sealed chamber, and a second section (58) of the first channel belonging to the second ring being connected at one of its ends to the sealed chamber.

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.

An apparatus for building tyres for vehicle wheels are described. A substantially cylindrical carcass sleeve, having at least one carcass ply, includes consecutively adjacent strip-like elements laid one after the other around the circumferential extension of a substantially cylindrical deposition surface. Circumferentially consecutive strip-like elements laid one after the other form overlap zones along respective longitudinal edges superimposed on each other. Each overlap zone has, along a longitudinal extension thereof, terminal sections that are laterally opposite with respect to an intermediate section. The intermediate section of each overlap zone has greater width than the width of the terminal sections.

A tyre for vehicle wheels includes a carcass structure with at least one carcass ply formed by strip-like elements consecutively adjacent one after the other along a circumferential extension and having overlap zones along respective longitudinal edges superimposed on each other. Each overlap zone has, along a longitudinal extension thereof, terminal sections that are laterally opposite with respect to an intermediate section. The intermediate section of each overlap zone has an intermediate overlap width greater than a terminal overlap width of the terminal sections.

A method for building tyres for vehicle wheels is described. Second stage forming drums are moved in a crown structure building line for building respective crown structures. Movement occurs along a first path for building a first part of components of the crown structure and a second path for building a second part of components of the crown structure. Additionally, first stage forming drums are moved in a carcass structure building line for building respective carcass structures. The flow of the second stage forming drums is managed through a first manipulator, while the flow of the first stage forming drums is managed through a second manipulator.

In building tyres, an intermediate portion of a carcass structure is built at a time on a respective forming drum within an intermediate forming line. The forming drum with the intermediate portion of the carcass structure is made available at a first transfer location. The intermediate portion of the carcass structure is completed through n completion locations with n≥1 and then transferred for the subsequent assembling with a crown structure to a second transfer location. At an operating moment in which the first transfer location is occupied by a forming drum coming from the intermediate forming line or intended for the intermediate forming line, from one to n locations selected from the n completion locations and the second transfer location are occupied by respective forming drums.

A tire manufacturing device includes: a molding drum; a first moving portion in which the molding drum moves in order to mold an inner liner layer on the molding drum; a second moving portion in which the molding drum moves in order to mold a ply layer on the inner liner layer; a stitcher position where a carcass band is formed by performing pressing from above the ply layer laminated on the inner liner layer; and a transfer position where the carcass band is transferred from the molding drum to a transport device that transports the carcass band to a subsequent process, and the stitcher position and the transfer position are adjacent to each other.

A method for managing a carcass structure building line, a plant and a process for building tyre carcass structures, wherein the plant includes a carcass structure building line provided with a plurality of stations including an unloading station and n building stations. A group of forming drums being processed includes m forming drums being processed defining a first size of carcass structure being processed. Three groups of entering forming drums include respective entering forming drums, defining a second size of carcass structure being processed. A pair of support elements being processed includes a first and a second support element being processed and three pairs of entering support elements respectively include a first and a second entering support element. The invention also relates to a method for managing a carcass structure building line.

An apparatus for building tyres for vehicle wheels are described. A substantially cylindrical carcass sleeve, having at least one carcass ply, includes consecutively adjacent strip-like elements laid one after the other around the circumferential extension of a substantially cylindrical deposition surface. Circumferentially consecutive strip-like elements laid one after the other form overlap zones along respective longitudinal edges superimposed on each other. Each overlap zone has, along a longitudinal extension thereof, terminal sections that are laterally opposite with respect to an intermediate section. The intermediate section of each overlap zone has greater width than the width of the terminal sections.

A drum for producing a tire casing blank comprises a support and sectors forming a circumferential face of the drum. Each sector has a circumferential outer face having a contour of general trapezoidal form and is mounted so as to be movable relative to the support in a non-radial predetermined direction relative to an axis of rotation of the drum and intercepting this axis.