Tire Reinforcing Structure Laying Control on Toroidal Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing processes and apparatuses for manufacturing reinforcing structures for vehicle tires on toroidal supports face challenges in maintaining precise contact and orientation of strip-like elements, particularly due to the high curvature of motorcycle tires, leading to inaccuracies and inadequate adhesion during the laying of crossed-belt structures.
Innovation Solution
A process and apparatus that control the orientation and position of the laying element along a predetermined path on the toroidal support using a sequence of positioning polygons and coordinate triads, ensuring continuous and precise contact and orientation of the strip-like elements, even on highly curved surfaces, by moving the laying element in a way that matches the tangent plane to the toroidal support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the laying element is moved to maintain contact with the toroidal support, then adhesion of strip-like elements is improved, but control of orientation and position along the laying path deteriorates due to high curvature
Solution Approach 1:
The toroidal support surface is divided into multiple positioning polygons along the laying path. Each polygon corresponds to a specific position and orientation requirement. The laying element transitions from one polygon to another in a controlled sequence, allowing precise control of orientation and position at each segment while maintaining continuous contact with the toroidal support surface.
2Manufacturing precision
If the toroidal support is moved to maintain contact, then laying accuracy is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of operation increase due to moving a large heavy element
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving the heavy toroidal support to achieve proper contact and orientation, the invention inverts the approach by keeping the toroidal support stationary and moving the laying element (which carries the strip-like element) to achieve the required contact and orientation at each position along the laying path.
3Manufacturing precision
If preformed strip-like elements are used with predetermined spatial shape, then laying accuracy is improved, but feasibility deteriorates due to technological limitations with textile reinforcing elements
Solution Approach 1:
The strip-like elements are prepared in advance with their reinforcing elements embedded in the elastomeric material, but they are laid in their natural flat state rather than preformed into their final three-dimensional configuration. The predetermined positioning polygons and controlled movement of the laying element ensure that the strip-like elements assume the correct spatial orientation and shape during the laying process itself, eliminating the need for complex preforming operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A process for manufacturing a reinforcing structure of a tire for vehicle wheels, is carried out on a toroidal support including an outer surface, by means of at least one laying element, which can be oriented in space in a controlled way; the laying element including a laying surface adapted to act on a portion of a rubberized strip-like element for laying the same on the outer surface of the toroidal support. The reinforcing structure includes at least a first and a second radially superimposed reinforcing layers, each including a plurality of strip-like elements; each reinforcing layer having a circumferential extension about a rotation axis of the tire and comprising thread-like reinforcing elements, arranged parallel to one another. The layers are arranged so that the reinforcing thread-like elements of the first reinforcing layer are oriented obliquely with respect to the equatorial plane of the tire, and that the reinforcing thread-like elements of the second reinforcing layer also have an oblique orientation, crossed with respect to the thread-like elements of the first layer.