Tire Building Drum Ply Turn-Up Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire manufacturing methods face challenges in achieving symmetrical displacement movements and efficient material pressure force utilization, particularly in the production of unvulcanized green tires, with mechanical bead turning devices offering longer service life but not allowing symmetrical driving movements, and air bladders requiring frequent replacement.
Innovation Solution
A tire building drum with roller arms or turn-up fingers coupled to a drive outside the drum, utilizing three separately driven spindles for synchronous and symmetrical movement, and a core setting distance greater than the smallest core-to-core distance to optimize force-angle combination, allowing for flat tire construction and crown construction methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air bladders are used to provide contact pressure during ply turn-over, then the required pressure is achieved, but the air bladders require frequent replacement at predetermined cyclical intervals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the pneumatic air bladder system with a mechanical turning device consisting of fingers, levers, or arms that provide contact pressure through mechanical means. This mechanical system eliminates the need for periodic air bladder replacement while maintaining the required pressure for ply turn-over, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and maintenance downtime.
2Reliability
If mechanical bead turning devices with individual levers or turning fingers are used, then service life is extended compared to air bellows, but symmetrical driving movements are not allowed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual turning fingers or levers into a single rigid body structure that is driven by one common drive unit. This integration ensures that all turning elements move symmetrically and synchronously while maintaining the mechanical durability advantages, resolving the contradiction between service life and movement symmetry.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive unit is designed to perform multiple functions: it provides the driving force for turning fingers, ensures symmetrical movement through rigid body coupling, and maintains consistent contact pressure across all turning points. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve both extended service life and manufacturing precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If the core setting distance is increased to be greater than or equal to the smallest core-to-core distance, then the green tire becomes flatter and force-angle combination is optimized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamically adjustable turning fingers or levers that can adapt their position and angle during the turning process. This dynamic capability allows the system to achieve optimal force-angle combination and flat tire construction without requiring an overly complex fixed mechanism, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing precision and device complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing tires. The apparatus consists, inter alia, of a tire building drum which includes a device for creating a ply turn-up and is provided for manufacturing uncured green tires. A plurality of turn-up fingers of the ply turn-up device is coupled to a drive unit located outside the tire building drum. The driving action takes place via synchronously driven spindles which are coupled to the tire building drum using movable driving pins.