Bridgestone Corporation

Hiroki Touya

Kouji Okuyama

Makoto Yamamoto

Satoru Honma

Kenjiro Tabuchi

A tire manufacturing method enabling a tire to maintain a high quality and a tire manufacturing machine of a simple construction and low cost by which improvement of productivity, saving of energy and reduction of maintenance man-hour are possible is provided. A tire green-case is manufactured on a drum by the steps of winding a ply round the drum; expanding the drum to enlarge its diameter; positioning annular beads held by an inner base holder and an outer bead holder at respective predetermined positions on both sides of the drum; advancing each of the inner and outer bead holders toward the drum with thrust controlled by a control means to drive the beads; retreating the inner and outer bead holders; expanding bladders positioned on both sides of the ply; advancing again each of the inner and outer bead holders toward the drum with thrust controlled by the control means to press the expanded bladder laterally, thereby both sides of the ply being folded back so as to wrap the beads; and pressing the both sides of the ply folded back against a main part of the ply.

Tire manufacturing method and machine

A device for holding an end portion of a band-like material comprising a frame, a suctional attraction roller rotatably supported by the frame and having a suctional attraction part at the periphery of the roller, and a pincher which is supported by the frame and can be moved toward and away from the peripheral surface of the roller. The end portion of the band-like material is attracted by the suctional attraction roller through suction. The roller is thereafter turned so that the end portion of the band-like material is wound upward. The pincher is then moved toward the suctional attraction roller so that the end portion of the band-like material is surely held by the pincher and the roller.

End holder for band-like material

An apparatus for sticking a tire component member (a cord cloth with rubber) having cords inserted therein at a predetermined bias angle and having its opposite ends cut respectively in parallel to the cords into a fixed length onto a forming drum upon manufacturing a rubber tire. This apparatus comprises a belt conveyor containing attracting means therein for receiving the cut tire component member and conveying it to the forming drum, widthwise positioning means for correcting a position in the widthwise direction of the tire component member on the belt conveyor by holding the tire component member from its both lateral sides, and front end and rear end reshaping means adapted to butt against cut edge surfaces at the front end and the rear end of the tire component member for correcting the shapes of these cut edges. Since positioning and front and rear end reshaping of the tire component member are effected on the belt conveyor, when the tire component member has been sticked onto the forming drum, the front end and the rear end of the tire component member can be aligned at a high precision, and so, the quality of the finished tire can be improved. The sticking step for the tire component member can be perfectly automated and a production efficiency can be raised.

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Kodaira, Japan

Hiroki Touya