Assignment no.

01

Tire Manufacturing Process

Manufacturing Technology
(SCT 465-3)

D.W.W.Sewwandi
Uwa Wellassa University, Sri Lanka.
Science and Technology
4th year-1st semester
Last Update : 01.June.2016
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Contents
1

Introduction............................................................................................................................................ 3

Tire Components ................................................................................................................................... 3

Components and their functions ........................................................................................................ 4

Tread/ belt assembly....................................................................................................................... 4

Carcase ........................................................................................................................................... 5

Tire Manufacturing process .................................................................................................................. 8

Compounding and mixing .................................................................................................................. 9

Calendaring ...................................................................................................................................... 10

Belt and ply calendaring ............................................................................................................... 10

Innerliner calendaring................................................................................................................... 11

Bead Component Preparation ....................................................................................................... 11

Extrusion .......................................................................................................................................... 12

Tire Tread and Sidewall Extrusion Operations ............................................................................ 12

Tire Tread Extrusion .................................................................................................................... 13

Tire Sidewall Extrusion ................................................................................................................ 14

Component Assembly and Building ................................................................................................ 14

Curing and Vulcanizing ................................................................................................................... 15

Inspection and Finishing .................................................................................................................. 16

Packing ............................................................................................................................................. 17
References ........................................................................................................................................... 17

Table Of figures
Figure 1 :- Cross section of a passenger car tire .......................................................................................... 3
Figure 2 :- The tire manufacturing process ................................................................................................... 8
Figure 3 :- Internal Mixture .......................................................................................................................... 9
Figure 4 :- Three roll calendar machine ..................................................................................................... 10
Figure 5 : An Illustration of belt and ply calendaring process .................................................................... 11
Figure 6 : An Illustration of bead component preparation process ............................................................. 12
Figure 7:- Extruder ...................................................................................................................................... 13
Figure 8 : Tire tread extrusion process........................................................................................................ 13
Figure 9 :- Operator assembling a tyre on a single-stage tyre machine ...................................................... 14
Figure 10 : An illustration of Tire building process................................................................................... 15
Figure 11: Passenger and light truck Bag-o-matic McNeal curing press ventilated with a ceiling fan ...... 16
Figure 12 : An illustration of tire curing process ........................................................................................ 16
Figure 13: Tire Packing process.................................................................................................................. 17

The Tire Manufacturing Process

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Introduction
The tire is a complex technical component of todays motor cars and must perform a variety of
functions. It must cushion, dampen, assure good directional stability, and provide long-term service.

2 Tire Components
A tire is an assembly of a series of parts or subassemblies, each of which has a specific function in
the service and performance of the product. Figure 01 illustrates the key components of a passenger
car tire.

Figure 1 :- Cross section of a passenger car tire

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A modern tire is made up of:

Components and their functions

Tread/ belt assembly

1. Tread

Materials: Blend of synthetic and natural

rubber, carbon black, silica, oil, and
vulcanization chemicals
Functions:

Cap- Provides grip on all road

surfaces,

wear-resistances

and

directional stability

Base- reduces rolling resistance

and damage to the casing

Shoulder-

forms

transition from

an

optimal

2. Jointless cap plies

Materials: Nylon, embedded in rubber

Functions:

Enhance high-speed suitability

3. Steel-cord for belt plies

Materials: High-strength steel cords
Functions:

Enhances shape retention and

directional stability

Reduces the rolling resistance

Increases

the

performance

Carcase

tyres

mileage

4. Textile cord ply

Materials:

Rayon

or

polyester

(rubberised)
Functions:

Controls internal pressure and

maintains the tyres shape

5. Inner liner
Materials: Butyl rubber
Functions:

Seals the air-filled inner chamber

Acts as a tube in tubeless tyres

6. Side wall
Materials: Natural rubber
Functions:

Protects the casing from external

damage
conditions

and

atmospheric

7. Bead reinforcement
Materials: Nylon, aramid
Functions:

Enhances directional stability

Gives steering precision

8. Bead apex
Materials: Synthetic rubber

Functions:

Enhances directional stability

Gives steering precision

Improves comfort

9. Bead core

Materials: Steel wire embedded in

rubber
Functions:

Ensures that the tyre sits firmly on

the rim

3 Tire Manufacturing process

The manufacture of tire consists of six basic processes:
1. Mixing elastomers, carbon black, and chemicals to form the rubber compound
2. Processing the fabrics and steel cord and coating them with rubber at the calendaring
operation
3. Extruding treads, sidewalls, and other rubber components
4. Assembling components on the tire building machine.
5. Curing the tire under the heat and pressure
6. Finishing, making the final inspection

The following figure 2 illustrate the tire manufacturing process

Figure 2 :- The tire manufacturing process

Compounding and mixing

Polymers are first broken down in an internal mixture where, in addition to the polymer, a peptizer
may also be added. After initially a breakdown of polymer, carbon black, rubber chemicals, and oils
can be added to the polymer at intervals to complete the compound formulation. Polymer
breakdown and mixing generally occur at a high temperature, up to 180oC.
Degree of breakdown with equipment is depend on the friction ratio or the difference between the
operating in the front and back rolls of the internal mixture. In addition, clearance, conditions of the
rotor surface, pressure, and speed influence breakdown.
The mixing operation is designed to obtain uniform dispersion of all the compound material in
formulation. For every batch there is a defined mix period, temperature, mill or mixing speed, and
sequence of material addition.
After mixing, compounds can either be sheeted and water cooled or passed into pelletizer and then
air cooled.

Figure 3 :- Internal Mixture

Calendaring
Calendaring is the forming operation in which the rubber compound is sheeted or spread evenly
onto fabric. The calendaring is a heavy-duty machine equipped with three or more chrome-plated
steel rolls that revolve in opposite directions. The rolls are heated with steam or circulated water.
Fabric or wire is passed through the calendar rolls, and compound is applied above and below to
fully cover the material. Figure 4 shows a calendaring machine.

Figure 4 :- Three roll calendar machine

The amount of compound deposited onto a fabric or steel cord is determined by the distance
between the rollers and is monitored by Beta Gauges.

Belt and ply calendaring

To produce fabric or steel belts, the fabric or steel cord must go through a calendaring processan
operation in which the rubber compound is pressed on and into cords. Because the bonding of fabric
to rubber or steel to rubber is critical to performance, the calendaring process is an important step.
First, a pre-set number of fabric or steel cords under proper tension are continuously pressed
through two steel rollers, and rubber compound is added to the opening area between the rollers.
Then the rubber compound is pressed into, on top of and on the bottom of the fabric or steel cords.
A continuous sheet of cord-rubber composite goes through several more rollers to ensure good
penetration and bonding between the rubber and cords. Quality is measured by the thickness of the
sheet, spacing between cords, the number of cords and the penetration of rubber into the composite

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sheet. The composite sheet is then cut into appropriate sizes, shapes, and angles depending on the
desired contour of the tire.

Figure 5 : An Illustration of belt and ply calendaring process

Innerliner calendaring
The inner liner aids to retain the compressed air inside the tire and maintain tire pressure. Due to
its low air permeability, butyl rubber or halogenated butyl rubber compound is the primary rubber
compound used. Because this is a thin layer, it is also produced using the calender. The gauge
control and no-defect surface finish are critical to retaining air pressure. Innerliner calendering is
also a continuous operation. The proper length of innerliner sheet is pre-cut to be ready for the tire
building process.

Bead Component Preparation

The bead component of the tire is a non-extensible composite loop that anchors the body plies and
locks the tire onto the wheel assembly so that it will not slip or rock the rim. The tire bead
component includes the steel wire loop, apex or bead filler; the chafer, which protects the wire bead
components; the chipper, which protects the lower sidewall; and the flipper, which helps hold the
bead in place. The bead wire loop is made from a continuous steel wire covered by rubber and
wound around with several continuous loops. The bead filler is made from a very hard rubber
compound, which is extruded so as to form a wedge. The bead wire loop and bead filler are
assembled on a sophisticated machine.

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The precision of the bead circumference is critical. If too small, tire mounting can be a problem; but
if too loose, the tire can come off the rim too easily under loading and cornering conditions. After
the circumference is checked, the bead component is ready for the tire building operation.

Figure 6 : An Illustration of bead component preparation process

Extrusion

Tire Tread and Sidewall Extrusion Operations

Many of the components of a tire, such as tread, sidewalls, and apex, are formed by extrusion of the
uncured or green rubber. Extrusion is one of the most important operations in the tire
manufacturing process because it processes most of the rubber compounds produced from the
mixing operation and then prepares various components for the ultimate tire building operation.
The extruder in a tire manufacturing process is a screw-type system, consisting primarily of an
extruder barrel and extruder head. First, the rubber compound is fed into the extruder barrel where it
goes through a heating, blending, and pressurizing process. Then, the rubber compound flows to the
extruder head where it is shaped under pressure. The modern cold-feed extruder is computercontrolled for accuracy.

The extruder screw consists of three primary zones: feed zone, compression zone, and metering zone.

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Figure 7:- Extruder

In the feed zone located under the extruder feed box, the screw flights are well spaced to optimized
compound flow. The rubber is passed in to a metering zone, where the compound is heated through
shear; then into a metering zone, where the compound is further heated to reduce viscosity; and
finally into the die for profile formation.

Tire Tread Extrusion

Tire tread, or the portion of the tire that comes in contact with the road, consists of tread itself, tread
shoulder, and tread base. Since there are at least three different rubber compounds used in forming
this complex tread profile, the extruder system consists of three different extruders sharing an
extruder head. Three rubber compounds are extruded simultaneously from different extruders and
are then merged into a shared extruder head. The next move is to a die plate where the shape and
dimensions are formed, and then through a long cooling linefrom 100 to 200 feet longto
further control and stabilize the dimensions. At the end of the line, the tread is cut according to a
specific length and weight for the tire being built.

Figure 8 : Tire tread extrusion process

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Tire Sidewall Extrusion

The tire sidewall is extruded in a way similar to the tire tread component; however, its structure and
the compound used are quite different from tread. Sometimes the sidewall extrusion process can be
more complicated, and four extruders may be needed; for example, when building a tire with white
sidewalls or with white lettering on the sidewalls

Component Assembly and Building

Finally, the tire is ready to be built by a highly robotized machine which ensures quality and
efficiency. All componentsbead assemblies, calendared plies, belts and innerliner, tread and
sidewall sectionsare assembled and the building process begins.
A typical radial tire is built on a flat drum in a two-stage process. In the first stage, the innerliner is
wrapped around a drum and the first body ply is wrapped on top, followed by the second body ply.
The bead assemblies are then positioned, and a bladder on the drum is inflated and pushed in from
both ends of the drum, forcing the body plies to turn up to cover the bead assemblies. The sidewall
sections then are pressed onto both sides.
In the second stage of the tire building process, another machine is used to apply the belts, nylon
cap, and tread on top of the first stage. At this point, the tire still needs curing because there is no
tread pattern on it.
After being assembled, the green tyre is sprayed with a solvent- or water-based material to keep it
away from adhering to the curing mould. These solvents potentially expose the spray operator,
material handler and curing press operator. Nowadays, water-based materials are mostly used.

Figure 9 :- Operator assembling a tyre on a singlestage tyre machine

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Figure 10 : An illustration of Tire building process

Curing and Vulcanizing

In this final step, curing occurs through a series of chemical reactions. In addition, the sidewalls and
tread are molded. Tire curing is a high-temperature and high-pressure batch operation in which the
uncured tire is placed into a mold at a specified temperature. The tire is coated with a liquid to
ensure that it will not stick to the mold. In the mold the green tire is placed over an inflatable rubber
bladder. Typically, the vulcanizing machine is a two piece metal mold. The bladder forces the tire
against the mold, forming the sidewall patterns and tread pattern. The molding is accomplished
through the use of steam pressure or hot water inside of the bladder.
The rubber components of the tire are vulcanized by steam generated heat in the mold and bladder
at pressure as high as 400 psi and temperatures of approximately 200oC for approximately ten
minutes. This heat results in chemical and physical changes in the rubber compounds. At the
molecular level, profound chemical changes occur during vulcanization. The green tire rubber
components are transformed from plastic consistency to the consistency found in a finished tire.
The vulcanization process chemically and physically links the various components, forming what
should be an inseparable bond. The smaller rubber molecules are linked to the long polymer chain
linked molecules.
When the molecules in the various components properly bond, all interfacing surfaces are
obliterated forming the finished green tire. Thus, any liner pattern marks from the fabric liner used

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during storage should be totally obliterated in a properly cured tire. One should never see liner
pattern marks on a tire that has been properly cured (vulcanized).

Figure 11: Passenger and light truck Bag-o-matic

McNeal curing press ventilated with a ceiling fan

Figure 12 : An illustration of tire curing process

Inspection and Finishing

Following curing, finishing operations and inspection remain to be performed before the tyre is
stored or shipped. The finishing operation trims flash or excess rubber from the tyre. This excess
rubber remains on the tyre from vents in the curing mould. Additionally, excess layers of rubber
may need to be ground from the side walls or raised lettering on the tyre.
The tire inspection includes:
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 Trimming of the mold flash and micro -vents

Visual inspection for appearance and to spot obvious defects
X-ray examination to check internal structure and to spot defectsTire durability,
Uniformity, and weight balance inspection

Each tyre is inspected both visually and by a machine. Attention is paid to any faults and defects with
the appearance of the tyre in the visual inspection. The machine measures the pattern as well as radial
throw and lateral force variation of the tyre.

When a tyre has been inspected, it will be tested, labelled and transferred to the warehouse for
delivery. After finishing, the tyre is ready to be stored in a warehouse or shipped from the plant.

Packing
Packing is a sophisticated for all categories of tyres. There is an automatic wrapping machine to
wrap the tyre in an efficient and ergonomic way, for the ease of the customers. Protection from
sunlight, dust and other foreign materials is ensured throughout each process in the manufacturing.

Figure 13: Tire Packing process

4 References
1. 1. Ciesielski,A; (1999).An introduction to rubber technology. Shropshire:Rapra technology
2. Mark, J.E; Erman, B; Eirich, F. R;(ed.).(2005).The science and technology of rubber.3rd
edition.Burlington:Elsevier Acadamic Press.
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3. Continental AG.(2008). Tyre Basics.

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