Method and device for positioning bead wires

1. A method for positioning bead cores during a building of a radial tire carcass in a tire-building machine, the method comprising:

positioning first and second bead cores on respective first and second core-centering devices, on a first side of a carcass drum;

centering the first and second bead cores;

grasping, with a second core-setting device, the second bead core;

transporting the second core-setting device and the second bead core to a second side of the carcass drum;

grasping, with a first core-setting device, the first bead core;

and setting the first and second bead cores onto the tire carcass in respective first and second bead core positions by the first and second core-setting devices,

wherein the tire building machine comprises first and second bellows supports with bellows, and wherein:

the first and second core-centering devices have variable diameters,

the first and second core-setting devices are displaceable in an axial direction of the carcass drum, and

the carcass drum comprises an expandable carcass drum with a cylindrical outer circumference,

wherein the centering of the first and second bead cores occurs through enlargement of diameters of the first and second core-centering devices, and

wherein the second core-setting device and the second bead core are transported to the second side of the carcass drum to a waiting position axially beyond the second bead core position during a building of the tire carcass, and

the method further comprising moving the first core-setting device together with the core-centering devices and the first bellows support adjacent the first side of the carcass drum away from the carcass drum to provide a free space to allow the positioning of the first and second bead cores and removing a preceding tire carcass.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second bead core is grasped from the second core-centering device, positioned closer to the carcass drum.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning and centering of the first and second bead cores occurs during a finishing of assembly of a preceding tire carcass already provided with other bead cores on the carcass drum.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the positioning and centering of the first and second bead cores is carried out during a placing and rolling of sidewall profiles of the preceding tire carcass.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the carcass drum is an expandable carcass drum, and the method further comprises retracting the expandable carcass drum and removing a preceding tire carcass, and the transporting further comprises moving the second core-setting device and the second bead core over the carcass drum immediately after the retraction and removal of the preceding tire carcass.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein substantially concurrently with the grasping of the first bead core, the method further comprises placing an inner liner and a carcass ply.

7. A device for positioning first and second bead cores in respective first and second bead core positions on a radial tire carcass during the building of the radial tire carcass in a tire-building machine having an expandable carcass drum with a cylindrical outer circumference, the device comprising:

first and second bellows supports with inflatable bellows and first and second core-setting devices displaceable in an axial direction of the carcass drum to pick up the bead cores from a first side of the carcass drum,

two core-centering devices having variable diameters and moveable in the axial direction of the carcass drum structured and arranged to center the first and second bead cores through enlargement of the variable diameters of the first and second core-centering devices, wherein the second core-setting device is structured and arranged to be displaceable over the carcass drum while holding the second bead core during a building of the radial tire carcass to a second side of the carcass drum to a waiting position beyond the second bead core position,

wherein the first core-setting device, the core-centering devices and the first bellows support adjacent the first side of the carcass drum are supported on a common shaft to be movable together in a direction parallel to a carcass drum axis and away from the carcass drum to provide a free space between the carcass drum and the first bellows support to allow positioning of the first and second bead cores on respective first and second core-centering devices and removing a preceding finished tire carcass from the carcass drum.