Centering a tire in a mold

摘要

The production of a very large tire by expanding the uncured unrestrained carcass of the tire to engage its crown region with the radially inward surface of a rigid circumferentially continuous centering ring. The ring and the uncured carcass together are transported from the carcass expanding location to the tire curing mold which is adapted to receive and locate the ring and carcass together so as to prevent the mid-circumferential region of the carcass from shifting out of symmetry with the mold. The ring forms a part of the mold for molding and curing the tire carcass. The inward surface of the ring is provided with a pattern of grooves and ridges; the method and apparatus disclosed are particularly useful in the manufacture of a cured tire carcass adapted to combine with an endless tread assembly cured apart from and independently of the tire carcass to make the complete tire. The foregoing abstract is not to be taken as limiting the invention of this application, and in order to understand the full nature and extent of the technical disclosure of this application, reference must be made to the accompanying drawing and the following detailed description.