Patent ID: 8764924

Claim:
A method of building tyre carcasses, the method comprising the steps of: providing a building drum having a longitudinal axis, and two bead carriers and an outer surface which are coaxial with the longitudinal axis; the two bead carriers and at least part of the outer surface being defined by a ring of longitudinal articulated rods lying in respective planes of a sheaf of planes through the longitudinal axis; forming, about the ring of articulated rods, a tubular carcass body positioned so that two annular lateral portions of the carcass body extend over respective turn-up means supported by the ring of articulated rods; fitting two bead bundles onto the tubular carcass body, each bead bundle being located about the ring of articulated rods, at a relative bead carrier and just axially inwards of a respective said annular lateral portion; and both locking the bead bundles to the tubular carcass body, by means of the two bead carriers, and torus-shaping the tubular carcass body by moving and/or deforming the articulated rods in their planes, wherein each articulated rod comprises a central first portion; two end second portions located at opposite ends of the first portion; and two intermediate third portions located at opposite ends of the first portion and hinging the second portions to the first portion; each bead bundle being fitted about a respective said portion, which defines a respective said bead carrier.