Importance

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Abstract

A tire building apparatus having two end drums disposed on respective opposite sides of an intermediate drum, with the intermediate drum embodying an expandable sleeve for pneumatically expanding and supporting the portion of a tire carcass to be disposed between the beads of a completed tire, and with the end drums carrying bead lock clamping members and ply turn-up bags that are movable inwardly toward the longitudinal center of the apparatus during the aforementioned expanding of the tire carcass, the bags being of dual-compartment construction, having inner compartments for effecting ply turn-up operations at air pressures greater than the air pressure for expanding and supporting the sleeve, and outer compartments for effecting additional sidewall-applying operations at internal air pressure less than the pressures in the inner compartments, and with the components of the intermediate drum and end drums being readily removable and replaceable for changing the size of the tire to be produced by the apparatus. In a modified form of the invention, which is particularly well adapted for completing the building of a tire from a preformed carcass that embodies two beads and the sidewall components of the tire, the apparatus embodies the construction of the preferred form of the apparatus except that it embodies stops for the carcass material and a substantially cylindrical supporting member for the expandable sleeve, and it does not embody the ply turn-up bags thereof.

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First Claim