High crown first stage tire building drum

摘要

A first stage tire building drum 5 and a method of building a tire carcass is disclosed. The tire building drum 5 has a central segment support mechanism including a plurality of central support segments 151 that are radially movable and covered by inflatable bladders 5A, 5B. The building drum 5 has bead locks 112 and a pair of annular support rings 130. The method employs the steps of applying one or more carcass layers 130, locking the bead locks 112 and moving the central support segments 151 radially outwardly while moving the bead locks 112 axially inwardly as the support rings 130 move under the central support segments.