Automated SOT Tire Building with Segmented Drum
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Solution Overview
Problem
The fully automated production of SOT tire blanks with at least one layer designed as a high turnover is not yet possible with existing technologies, requiring significant manual intervention.
Innovation Solution
A tire building machine with a tire building drum, layer server, and sidewall server, allowing for the production of SOT tire blanks by positioning layers, expanding the drum, clamping cores, folding layers around them, and positioning sidewall material under the cores, with adjustable drum halves and handling devices for automated folding and pressing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual intervention is used for producing SOT green tires with high turn-up layers, then production flexibility and quality control are improved, but productivity and labor costs deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The tire building drum is divided into a central part and two drum halves that can move independently. This segmentation allows the drum halves to be positioned at a distance from the central part during sidewall material application, enabling automated high turn-up layer formation while maintaining operational flexibility through coordinated movement of the segmented components
Solution Approach 2:
The drum halves are designed to be movable in the axial direction relative to the central part, allowing dynamic adjustment of the drum configuration. This dynamic capability enables the system to adapt between different production modes (manual vs. automated) and accommodate the high turn-up layer formation process while maintaining production flexibility
2Manufacturing precision
If manual intervention is used for folding layers around cores, then manufacturing precision and quality control are improved, but productivity and labor costs deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The handling devices are designed to automatically fold the layers around the cores using the drum's own movement and positioning capabilities. The drum halves move to specific positions and the layers are folded through the drum's structural action, eliminating the need for separate manual folding operations while maintaining precision through the controlled movement of the drum components
3Manufacturing precision
If manual intervention is used for positioning sidewall material, then manufacturing precision and quality control are improved, but productivity and labor costs deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The sidewall material positioning is achieved through the drum halves moving to specific positions relative to the central part. The handling devices automatically position the sidewall material under the cores through the drum's movement, eliminating manual positioning operations while maintaining precision through the controlled axial movement of the drum halves
4Strength
If a second complete ply is inserted to reinforce sidewalls, then sidewall strength is improved, but material consumption and device complexity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of inserting a complete second ply into the tire, the invention extracts only the necessary portion of the high turn-up layer to reinforce the sidewalls. The drum halves are positioned at a distance from the central part, and only the required amount of layer material is folded around the cores in the sidewall area, eliminating excess material consumption while maintaining sidewall strength
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement is applied locally to the sidewall area rather than throughout the entire tire. The high turn-up layer is folded around the cores specifically in the sidewall region where reinforcement is needed, creating local quality enhancement without requiring a complete second ply insertion, thus reducing overall material consumption
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing green tyres (1), it being possible to produce green tyres with a SOT (sidewall over tread) construction and high turn-up of at least one ply. The invention further relates to a device for producing green tyres in the form of a tyre construction machine, which enables the production of green tyres with SOT construction and high turn-up of at least one ply. According to the invention, a tyre construction machine has, in an advantageous embodiment, a redesigned side wall server (40).