Pirelli Tyre S.p.a.

Pirelli Pneumatici S.p.a.

Fiorenzo Mariani

Maurizio Marchini

Renato Caretta

Pierangelo Misani

Stefano Sangiovanni

Riccardo Azzaretto

Pier Giuseppe Piantanida

Marco Cantu'

Marco Cantu′

Walter Mandelli

Andrea Casali

A plant for building tyres of at least two different models for vehicle wheels, includes at least a tyre building line, which in turn, includes: a plurality of work stations arranged according to a sequential series, each work station being adapted for building at least one structural component of each tyre and assembling at least one elementary component; at least one handling device for the tyres being processed on the respective forming supports associated to each work station; and at least one transfer device adapted for transferring the tyre being processed on its forming support from any first work station of the sequential series to any other second work station not adjacent thereto of the sequential series, so that the tyre being processed on its forming support only passes in the first and second work stations.

Process and plant for building tyres for vehicle wheels

A belt structure for a two-wheeled vehicle made by means of strip-like segments or elements, each including parallel cords embedded in an elastomeric layer, sequentially laid along the circumferential extension of a toroidal support so as to form a reinforcing layer having a continuous circumferential extension around a geometric rotation axis of the toroidal support, wherein each strip-like element is laid in a laying trajectory defining, at each point, a laying angle; at each point of the laying trajectory a laying gap is formed between adjacent strip-like elements; the laying trajectory is formed starting from preselected laying angles on the shoulder and on the crown of the tire; the laying gap between adjacent strip-like elements varies along at least one length of said laying trajectory between crown and shoulder so as to cause variation of the laying angle and obtain the preselected angles on the shoulder and on the crown.

Tyre for two-wheeled vehicle and process for manufacturing the same

A green tire disposed on a toroidal support is introduced into a vulcanization mold. The mold is closed through axial approaching of a pair of sidewall plates acting against the sidewalls of the tire. Circumferential sectors set to operate against the tire tread band are maintained spaced apart from the tread band itself during admission of a working fluid designed to press the tire against the toroidal support. Subsequently, the sectors are centripetally approached for penetration into the tread band concurrently with a step of full molding and vulcanization of the tire carried out through admission of steam under pressure into the tire itself.

Method and apparatus for manufacturing pneumatic tyres

A method of manufacturing tires includes making a plurality of structural components for tires, assembling the components following a pre-established sequence at respective work stations disposed along a manufacturing line, transferring the tires to a curing line, and curing the tires in respective vulcanization molds. The tires are sequentially transferred along the manufacturing line from a first work station to successive work stations. At least one series of tires is simultaneously processed on the manufacturing line and the curing line, and the at least one series of tires includes at least one first tire model and at least one second tire model different from the at least one first tire model. The tires are transferred from the manufacturing line to the curing line at a same rate as the tires are sequentially transferred along the manufacturing line from the first work station to the successive work stations.

Method and apparatus for manufacturing different types of tyres

A process and apparatus for manufacturing tires for vehicle wheels, includes building, on a toroidal support, a carcass structure including at least one carcass ply associated, at axially opposite end edges thereof, with annular anchoring structures, the building step of the carcass structure includes forming at least one reinforcing structure, operatively associated with the annular anchoring structures through deposition on the toroidal support of at least one reinforcing element along a predetermined curvilinear deposition path. The deposition of the at least one reinforcing element includes the steps of: cutting to size a piece of at least one reinforcing continuous band-like element fed by a feeding device along a predetermined feeding direction, deforming the piece obtained according to the curvature of a deposition part of the deposition path intended to receive the piece, and depositing the deformed piece at the deposition part.

Process for manufacturing tyres for vehicle wheels

A vulcanisation apparatus and method for tires for vehicle wheels includes the steps of: placing a green tire, arranged on a toroidal support, inside a vulcanisation mold; connecting a supply device of at least one pressurised primary working fluid and a supply device of at least one pressurised secondary working fluid to the vulcanisation mold in a prevulcanisation and molding station; at least partially vulcanising a radially internal portion of the green tire on the toroidal support; transferring the mold to a vulcanisation station and completing the vulcanisation of the prevulcanised tire by supplying the at least one pressurised primary working fluid inside the toroidal support.

Method and apparatus for the vulcanisation of tyres for vehicle wheels

In a process of manufacturing pneumatic tires, a carcass sleeve is made which includes at least one carcass ply provided with axially opposite flaps turned up around annular anchoring structures, so as to form respective loops. An outer sleeve is positioned around the carcass sleeve and the latter is radially expanded in order to cause application of same against a radially internal surface of the outer sleeve. After each of the end flaps has been turned up and before radial expansion, only a portion belonging to each of the loops and extending substantially parallel to the respective annular anchoring structure is submitted to a step of carrying out heating under pressure, to make each loop integral with the annular anchoring structure and prevent the turned-up ply/plies from even partly slipping off, during the subsequent radial-expansion step of the carcass sleeve and vulcanization step of the tire.

Process and apparatus for manufacturing pneumatic tyres

A green tire is built on a rigid toroidal support externally having a forming surface of a conformation corresponding to an inner conformation of the tire. The built tire is removed from the rigid toroidal support and engaged on an expandable toroidal support which includes a bladder. The green tire engaged on the expandable toroidal support is introduced into a vulcanization mold and submitted to a vulcanization cycle.

Method and apparatus for manufacturing tyres

A vulcanization apparatus and method for vehicle wheel tires, includes at least one prevulcanization work station to conduct a prevulcanization of a radially internal portion of the tire and at least two vulcanization work stations wherein the remaining part of the vulcanization of the whole tire is carried out.

Method and appartus for the vulcanisation of tyres for vehicle wheels

A green tire disposed on a toroidal support is introduced into a vulcanisation mold. The mold is closed through axial approaching of a pair of sidewall plates acting against the sidewalls of the tire. Circumferential sectors set to operate against the tire tread band are maintained spaced apart from the tread band itself during admission of a working fluid designed to press the tire against the toroidal support. Subsequently, the sectors are centripetally approached for penetration into the tread band concurrently with a step of full molding and vulcanisation of the tire carried out through admission of steam under pressure into the tire itself.

A plant for producing types of tyres different from each other includes a manufacturing unit including a plurality of work stations, devices for transfer and movement of the tyres being produced, and a vulcanizing unit including vulcanizing moulds for the tyres being produced. Each work station is designed to assemble at least one corresponding structural component on at least one type of tyre being produced. The devices for transfer and movement operate between the work stations and provide selective movement for each of the types of tyres being produced in proximity to corresponding work stations. The plant may also include a central processing unit. The central processing unit may control the devices for transfer and movement to coordinate processing stages for each type of tyre in the manufacturing unit and in the vulcanizing unit. Additionally, the plant may include holding stations associated with at least some of the work stations.

Plant for producing types of tyres different from each other

A method for making a reinforcing structure for a vehicle tire includes laying down at least one continuous thread element onto a support element, generating one or more layers. A path of the at least one thread element is substantially concentric with a rotation axis of the tire. The at least one thread element is laid down according to an undulated trajectory including a plurality of waves succeeding each other along a line circumferentially extended around the rotation axis of the tire. A tire for a vehicle wheel includes a carcass structure, a pair of annular anchoring structures, reinforcing structures disposed at axially opposite side portions of at least one carcass ply of the carcass structure, a belt structure, a pair of sidewalls, and a tread band. Each reinforcing structure includes one or more layers of at least one continuous thread element extending according to the undulated trajectory.

Method for making a reinforcing structure for a vehicle tyre and a tyre made by the method

A method of making a tire includes making a carcass structure; applying a belt structure, tread band, and at least one pair of sidewalls; and vulcanizing the tire. Making the carcass structure involves formation of at least one first carcass ply, including preparing and depositing at least one continuous strip element onto a toroidal support in alternating deposition sections. Each deposition section extends in a substantially U-shaped conformation against a profile in transverse section of the toroidal support or a previously deposited deposition section, substantially over an entire length of the section, to define two side portions, a crown portion, and two transition regions defined between the side and crown portions. The crown portions of the deposition sections are arranged consecutively in side-by-side relationship along a circumferential extension of the toroidal support. Edges of circumferentially consecutive deposition sections abut evenly along their entire crown portions extending between the transition regions.

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Milan, Italy

Fiorenzo Mariani