Patent ID: 8580059

Claim:
A method for separating and removing a rigid core for building a tire, in which method at least two types of segment groups constituting a rigid core body divided in plurality in a circumferential direction of the tire are separated and removed sequentially for each segment type from the inside of the tire either after the tire has been vulcanized or before the tire has been vulcanized at the time of building the tire, the method characterized by comprising: when the rigid core body is to be separated and removed from the inside of the tire, removing a core holding mechanism and upper and lower support plates from the rigid core body disposed in the tire; subsequently transferring the tire to a predetermined position on a support table to be positioned and fixed; thereafter using an elevating means to raise a second core separation/removal mechanism, the second core separation/removal mechanism being positioned on the lower side among a pair of core separation/removal mechanisms that have been on standby below the center of the tire on the support table, to a height where the second core separation/removal mechanism is located within the tire, wherein when the second core separation/removal mechanism is positioned at the height within the tire, a first core separation/removal mechanism of the pair is located above the second core separation/removal mechanism; engaging and holding a center of an inner wall surface of a first type of the segment groups among the at least two types of segment groups with the second core separation/removal mechanism; horizontally pulling the first type of the segment groups toward a center of the tire until the first type of the segment groups is separated from the inner surface of the tire; lowering the first type of the segment groups thus separated to a first standby position below the center of the tire so as to leave the first type of the segment groups on standby; engaging and holding a center of an inner wall surface of a second type of the segment groups among the at least two types of segment groups with the first core separation/removal mechanism, after the first core separation/removal mechanism has been positioned at the height within the tire; horizontally pulling the second type of the segment groups toward the center of the tire until the second type of the segment groups is separated from the inner surface of the tire; afterwards, using the first core separation/removal mechanism to transfer the second type of the segment groups to a second standby position; and conveying the tire from which the rigid core body has been separated, to a subsequent process by a conveying device.