The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Robert S Riggs

Steven J Portalupi

Donald Chester Kubinski

William Allen Rex

A tread splicer (10) including two rows (60,64) of splicing blade assemblies (68) mounted with the blades (76) of one row (60) tilted toward and overlapping the blades (76) of the other row (64). Each of the blade assemblies (68) is operable independently to control the pressure applied to selected portions of the tread ends. Guide rollers (54,56,58) on the tread splicer (10) provide stitching of the tread (14) as well as positioning of the blades (76) relative to the tread (14) and tire building machine drum (18).

Tread splicer

A rack (28) which supports the beads (12) in a separated condition is transported to the storing and feeding apparatus (10) where the rack (28) is used to place the beads (12) around a plurality of continuous conveyors (20) which are expanded to grip the beads (12). After the rack (28) is removed from the feeding and storing apparatus (10), the conveyors (20) are actuated to simultaneously and intermittently feed the beads (12) to a bead transfer member. The apparatus (10) includes means (64,66,89) to adjust and level the conveyors (20) to accommodate a range of bead sizes and means (118) to insure feeding of one bead (12) at a time.

Method for storing and feeding tire beads

A rack (28) which supports the beads (12) in a separated condition is transported to the storing and feeding apparatus (10) where the rack (28) is used to place the beads (12) around a plurality of continuous conveyors (20) which are expanded to grip the beads (12). After the rack (28) is removed from the feeding and storing apparatus (10), the conveyors (20) are actuated simultaneously and intermittently to feed the beads (12) to a bead transfer member. The apparatus (10) includes means (64,66,89) to adjust and level the conveyors (20) to accommodate a range of bead sizes and means (118) to insure feeding of one bead (12) at a time.

Apparatus for storing and feeding tire beads

An apparatus and method wherein strip material is clamped to a shuttle finger slidably mounted in a shuttle casing which in turn is slidably mounted on a strip applier frame. The shuttle casing and shuttle finger are movable simultaneously from a retracted first position to a second position with the end of the shuttle casing adjacent an applicator roll. The shuttle finger is then movable by itself from the second position to a third position for transferring a tongue portion of the strip onto the applicator roll. The tongue portion may then be elevated into clamping engagement with the drum and the strip released from the shuttle finger. The shuttle casing and shuttle finger may then be returned to the first position, the drum rotated a predetermined amount to partially wrap the strip around the drum and the strip cut at a predetermined location whereupon the drum is rotated to fully wrap the strip of flexible material around the drum. Guide members at the front edges of the feed path are retractable to permit movement of the shuttle casing into close proximity with the applicator roll. Also a cycle reset clamping assembly is provided for clamping a portion of the strip of flexible material to the applicator roll to allow the shuttle casing to move to the retracted position for cutting of the strip of flexible material in that position when the applicator roll is not elevated into contact with the drum.

Apparatus and method for feeding strip material for application to a drum

Apparatus for feeding strip material for application to a drum

A completed, shaped and uncured tire is off-loaded from the tire building machine on which the tire has been built by first engaging the completed tire coaxially within a ring having radially movable segments and then moving the ring with the tire coaxially off the building machine to a chucking device engageable with the inner peripheries of the respective bead portions of the tire. The ring is then expanded and moved coaxially from the tire and the chucking device now holding the tire is rotated to place the tire axis in vertical orientation and elevated to a position above the tire machine where the exterior surface of the tire is grasped by a pair of palms mounted on a swing arm. After the chucking device is moved downwardly clear of the tire, the tire is then moved horizontally by the swing arm and deposited on an overhead belt conveyor to be transported thereby to further processing. The tire building machine operator is relieved of the effort and time required for manual removal of the tire and the completed tire is protected from inadvertent damage due to manual handling. In particular, the tire is elevated from the operating floor in a convenient and expeditious manner.

Method and apparatus for off-loading a completed uncured tire

A pair of transfer drums arranged to move to and away from nip-forming relation with a tire building drum on which a tire is being built operate to save building time. Individual strip appliers place two strip components on each transfer drum while the main carcass ply is being wrapped on the building drum. The strip components are together then transferred rapidly and effectively to the tire. 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.

Transfer drum application of narrow strip components to a tire being

A spool with enhanced capacity for narrow strip components of tires for use in building tires is provided by winding such strip together with a cloth strip in successive alternating helical layers. A method for preparing such spool and a method for dispensing strip therefrom to a tire building machine are 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.

Tire building accessory

A tire building drum having simple economical means for expanding both drum shoulders and bead-locating fingers as well as for convenient and simple adjustment of the length of the drum between shoulders. Air for inflating pairs of ply-turnup bladders is supplied externally by way of an air ring on the drum shaft from an externally mounted air manifold.

Growing community of inventors

Stow, OH, United States of America

Robert S Riggs