The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Michel Lemaire

Francis Cornet

John Kolbjoern Roedseth

Antony Harding

Francesco Sorce

Fabrice Harry Martin

Bryan John McCoy

John Kolbjoern Rodseth

Ronald Bert Zeh

Method and apparatus for stabilizing a fire building drum wherein the fire building drum has two ends, is permanently supported at a single cantilever support end, and the remaining end is a free end. The method comprises providing a free end support engaged with the free end to stabilize the tire building drum by restricting lateral movement of the free end; and freeing the free end by temporarily retracting the free end support when desired, e.g., to enable application of annular fire components on the tire building drum, or to enable removal of a built tire from the fire building drum. Preferably, the free end support allows rotation of the fire building drum while the free end support is engaged with the free end. A preferred embodiment uses overtravel of actuator linkages stopped against an extension stop to lock the free end support in place, engaged with the free end, to stabilize the tire building drum without requiring continued power input.

Stabilizer for cantilevered tire building drum

Method and apparatus for precision alignment of a moving tire building drum to an automated tire building system working axis, wherein the automated tire building system comprises one or more work stations with application drums aligned to the working axis, and the tire building drum is moved into and out of each work station, comprising: supporting the tire building drum on a rigid, two-sided drum support frame having flat skates with flat bearing rollers under one side, and V-skates with V-mounted bearing rollers under the other side; providing a rail system comprising first and second approximately parallel rails passing through the one or more work stations, wherein the first rail is substantially flat-topped, and the second rail is substantially inverted V-shaped on top; causing the one or more flat skates to ride on the first rail, and causing the one or more V-skates to ride on the second rail; and positioning the drum support frame, the flat skates, and the V-skates relative to the tire building drum and the first and second rails; and positioning the first and second rails relative to the working axis; such that when the flat skates ride on the first rail and the V-skates ride is on the second rail, the tire building drum is riding on the rail system and is precision aligned to the working axis. Exit ramps and funneling entry ramps are provided for exiting and re-entering the rail system. The tire building drum is moved by a vehicle having a flexible connection.

Precision alignment of tire building drum to automated tire building system working axis

Method and apparatus for stabilizing a tire building drum wherein the tire building drum has two ends, is permanently supported at a single cantilever support end, and the remaining end is a free end. The method comprises providing a free end support engaged with the free end to stabilize the tire building drum by restricting lateral movement of the free end; and freeing the free end by temporarily retracting the free end support when desired, e.g., to enable application of annular tire components on the tire building drum, or to enable removal of a built tire from the tire building drum. Preferably, the free end support allows rotation of the tire building drum while the free end support is engaged with the free end. A preferred embodiment uses overtravel of actuator linkages stopped against an extension stop to lock the free end support in place, engaged with the free end, to stabilize the tire building drum without requiring continued power input.

Method and apparatus for precision longitudinal registration of a movable tire building drum ( ) to an automated tire building system ( ) work station ( ), wherein the automated tire building system comprises one or more work stations with application drums ( ), and the tire building drum is moved longitudinally forward ( ) into and out of each work station, comprising: providing a work station longitudinal reference point ( ) upon a forward-facing surface ( ) of a laterally extendible portion ( ) of the work station; providing a drum reference point ( ) upon a rearward-facing surface ( ) of the tire building drum; and after the tire building drum has been moved into a work station, halting the tire building drum movement, laterally extending the work station longitudinal reference point rearward of the tire building drum, and then moving the tire building drum longitudinally rearward to abut the drum reference point against the work station longitudinal reference point. The tire building drum can be moved by a self-propelled vehicle ( ) which is flexibly connected to the tire building drum with a coupling ( ) which can be uncoupled. Then the tire building drum is moved longitudinally rearward by: coupling the work station to the tire building drum; uncoupling the tire building drum from the vehicle; and longitudinally moving the tire building drum relative to the vehicle. The flexible connecting means allows controlled lateral and vertical movement of the tire building drum relative to the vehicle while the vehicle is moving the tire building drum forward.

Precision longitudinal registration of tire building drum to automated tire building system work station

A method for simultaneously building a plurality of tire carcasses includes the tire building steps of establishing a sequence of work stations, each at a predefined location along a working axis extending through the work stations. Disconnected tire building drums are advanced along the working axis extending through the work stations. The tire building drums are coupled to an intake server at each of the work stations for operating the tire building drums. One or more tire components are applied to the tire building drums at each of the work stations.

Method for manufacturing tires on a flexible manufacturing system

A tire bead holder assembly for centering and gripping a circular tire bead before placement on a bead setter has circumferentially spaced radially moveable fingers actuated by a chain drive for simultaneous controlled movement of the fingers and application of centering pressure without distortion of the bead.

Bead holder

Guiding of narrow strip components of yieldable material is accomplished by applying a gentle drag to the strip which is greater near its edge more distant from the guide line or plane than in the strip closer to such guide line or plane. The drag is applied by positioning soft bristle brushes in an apparatus in a guide frame one sidewall of which provides the guide plane while the strip is continuously supported on a floor plate perpendicular to the plane. The strip can be supported by an air film introduced between the strip and the floor of the guide frame. A simple mechanism for swinging the brushes into and out of operating position is also disclosed. The foregoing abstract is not to be taken as limiting the invention of this application, and in order to understand the full nature and extent of the technical disclosure of this application, reference must be made to the accompanying drawing and the following detailed description.

Growing community of inventors

Habay-la-Neuve, Belgium

Michel Lemaire