FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970) & THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (See section 10, rule 13) 1. Title of the invention: MANUFACTURING FABRIC PLIES FOR TYRES
2. Applicant(s)
NAME NATIONALITY ADDRESS
CEAT LIMITED Indian Get. Muwala, Po: Chandrapura, Ta:
Halol – 389350 Dist: Panchmahal, Gujarat, India
3. Preamble to the description
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it
is to be performed.

BACKGROUND
[0001] A tyre is a rubber covering for enclosing a wheel of a vehicle. The
tyre enables soft contact between the wheel and road. Examples of components of a tyre may include, but are not limited to, inner lining, belt, sidewalls, tread, beads, apex, rim, and cushions. For example, the belt of the tyre may be manufactured using reinforcing fabric. In particular, the belt (referred to as fabric ply, hereinafter) may be manufactured using a plurality of fabric cords of the reinforcing fabric and an elastomer material, such as rubber.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0002] The following detailed description references the drawings,
wherein:
[0003] FIG. 1 illustrates a system for manufacturing a fabric ply, as per
an example;
[0004] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a coating assembly, as per an
example;
[0005] FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a splicing assembly, as per an
example; and
[0006] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a pressure die of a splicing
assembly, as per an example.
[0007] The detailed description is described with reference to the
accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0008] The present subject matter relates to manufacturing of tyres,
specifically, manufacturing of fabric plies for the tyres. Tires support load of

a vehicle and provide for impact handling, drivability, and safety of the vehicle. To such an end, high quality of the tyre is critical to minimize wear and tear of the tyre and thus, ensure safety and comfort of driver and passenger of the vehicle. Moreover, reduced wear and tear of the tyre maximises longevity of the vehicle. This enables reduction in maintenance and operational cost of the vehicle, thereby improving usability of the vehicle.
[0009] The tyre includes at least one fabric ply, among other constituents
of the tyre. In an example, a fabric ply may be arranged over an inner lining of the tyre and under the tread and sidewalls of the tyre. For example, the fabric ply is manufactured using a reinforcing fabric and at least one elastomer material, such as a rubber compound. The fabric ply provides strength to the tyre. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure high quality of the fabric ply in order to produce good quality tyres.
[0010] Conventionally, a fabric ply is manufactured using calendaring
process. In this regard, a plurality of fabric cords of a reinforcing fabric and one or more elastomer material are forced through two or more cylindrical rollers rotating in opposite directions. During the calendaring process, the elastomer material is pressed on and into the fabric cords. Due to the pressing, the elastomer material bonds with the fabric cords to form a fabric sheet. Thereafter, the process for manufacturing the fabric ply includes cutting and splicing of the fabric sheet, in order to have the fabric ply ready to be used for manufacturing of a tyre.
[0011] As would be understood, the calendaring process is crucial for
forming good bonding between the elastomer material and fabric cords. The bonding ensures high-quality of the fabric ply. However, machinery, such as, the cylindrical rollers used to perform the calendaring process are large and bulky. Due to the large and bulky machinery, a floor area utilized for a set-up of the machinery of the calendaring process is large and further, initial investment required for the set-up is high. In addition, noise level and maintenance cost of the machinery of the calendaring process is also high.

Furthermore, operation of the machinery of the calendaring process not only requires larger manpower and is labour intensive, but also involves high operation cost.
[0012] The cutting and splicing process, in conventional manufacturing
process for manufacturing the fabric ply, is performed in an offline manner or manually. Such manual cutting and splicing of the composite fabric sheet is prone to inconsistent yield. Due to this, an amount of scrap produced from the conventional manufacturing process is substantially high. This further increases cost for manufacturing the fabric ply and the tyre.
[0013] Furthermore, the conventional process of preparing the fabric ply
often results in creation of an overlapping joint between two pieces of composite fabric sheet joint together. Such an overlapping joint affects uniformity of the fabric ply. For example, the overlapping joint along a centre of the fabric ply has higher thickness and mass as compared to other areas of the fabric ply. Due to uneven mass distribution, high radial force variation may occur within the fabric ply. This affects quality of the tyre adversely. In addition, poor quality of tyre fails to ensure safety of driver and passengers of a vehicle.
[0014] The present subject matter provides a system for manufacturing
fabric plies for tyres. The various example implementations of the system for manufacturing fabric plies for tyres discussed herein provide for addressing the above-discussed shortcomings of the conventional systems for manufacturing fabric plies for tyres.
[0015] The system for manufacturing the fabric ply includes a coating
assembly. The coating assembly has a first opening to receive a plurality of fabric cords and a second opening to receive an elastomer material. The coating assembly includes an extruder head coupled to the first opening and a coating die coupled to the extruder head and the second opening. To such an end, the coating die may have a fixed cross-section, such that pushing a heated compound through the coating die may create a desired shape of the compound.

[0016] Further, the system for manufacturing the fabric ply includes a
splicing assembly operatively coupled to the coating assembly. The splicing assembly includes a cutting tool, an alignment mechanism and a pressure die. For example, the splicing assembly may receive the compound extruded from the coating die of the coating assembly. In an example, the coating assembly and the splicing assembly may further include other components to enable operation thereof.
[0017] In operation, the extruder head of the coating assembly may
receive the fabric cords through the first opening. To this end, the extruder
head may form a fabric mesh using the fabric cords. Thereafter, the coating
die receives the fabric mesh from the extruder head and the elastomer
material from the second opening. For example, the fabric mesh is coated
with the elastomer material within the coating assembly to form a composite
fabric sheet. In an example, the fabric mesh and the elastomer material may
be co-extruded through the coating die to form the composite fabric sheet.
[0018] Thereafter, the composite fabric sheet is fed to the splicing
assembly. In the splicing assembly, the cutting tool cuts the composite fabric
sheet into at least a first fabric piece and a second fabric piece. A length of
the first fabric piece corresponds to a length of the second fabric piece.
[0019] Further, the alignment mechanism of the splicing assembly aligns
the second fabric piece adjacent to the first fabric piece within the splicing
assembly. The first fabric piece and the second fabric piece are positioned
such that a first longitudinal side of the second fabric piece is parallel to a
second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece. It may be noted that no
overlap is present between the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece.
In an example, the alignment mechanism continuously aligns two pieces,
such as the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece, of the composite
sheet in contact with each other to form a plurality of fabric plies.
[0020] Continuing further, the first fabric piece and the second fabric
piece are pressed against each other within the pressure die to form the fabric ply. The fabric ply thus formed, has an abutted joint between the

second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece and the first longitudinal side of the second fabric piece. In an example, the pressure die squeezes the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece towards each other to form butt spliced fabric ply.
[0021] Although, in the present subject matter, the fabric ply is formed
using two pieces of the composite fabric sheet, such number of pieces used for forming a fabric ply should not be construed as limiting in any way. In other examples of the present subject matter, three or more pieces of the composite sheet may be pressed together to form a fabric ply. In this manner, a fabric ply of any desired width having uniform density may be manufactured.
[0022] The system for manufacturing the fabric ply described in the
present subject matter includes the coating assembly for production of composite sheet. To such an end, the conventional process of calendaring for manufacturing the composite fabric sheet is eliminated without affecting quality of bonding between the fabric cord and the elastomer material in the composite fabric sheet. As a result, the system described in the present subject matter is smaller, less bulky and requires smaller floor area. Furthermore, operating the system is less labour intensive and thus requires less manpower. Thus, the present subject matter involves economical manufacturing of fabric plies.
[0023] In particular, the system for manufacturing the fabric ply of present
subject matter is robust, compact and requires smaller floor area. As the system can operate with small batch sizes using smaller amount of input for production of a batch, the production of composite sheet using the coating assembly may be performed in small batch size thereby eliminating unwanted additional productions and reducing scrap produced by the system. In addition, requirement of inventory and storage space is also reduced owing to such operation in small batch sizes. This further reduces operational costs associated with manufacturing of the fabric plies owing to smaller spaces for inventory and storage. To such an end, the system

requires less investment, in terms of land, infrastructure, and raw materials. As the system operates in small batch sizes, it can be operated in quick manner.
[0024] Furthermore, the fabric ply produced using the system described
in the present subject matter has an abutted joint. The abutted joint between the pieces of the composite fabric ply ensures uniform density of the fabric ply, thereby enhancing quality of the fabric ply. Such butt spliced fabric ply has less radial force variation. To such an end, the system described in the present subject matter operates to produce fabric plies using components, such as the coating assembly and the splicing assembly, that are smaller in size, lightweight, requires less manpower, and occupies smaller floor area, without hampering quality of the fabric plies.
[0025] These and other aspects are further described in conjunction with
the accompanying figures FIGS. 1-4. The above examples are further described in conjunction with appended figures. It should be noted that the description and figures merely illustrate the principles of the present subject matter. It will thus be appreciated that various arrangements that embody the principles of the present subject matter, although not explicitly described or shown herein, may be devised from the description and are included within its scope. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and examples of the present subject matter, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components.
[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for manufacturing a fabric ply, as
per an example. As shown, the system 100 includes a coating assembly 102 and a splicing assembly 104 operatively coupled to the coating assembly 102. The coating assembly 102 has a first opening 106 to receive a plurality of fabric cords and a second opening 108 to receive an elastomer material.

[0027] In an example, the coating assembly 102 may receive the fabric
cords from a creel system 110, via the first opening 106. For example, the creel system 110 may have a plurality of spindles (depicted as, spindles 112-a, 112-b, 112-c, and 112-d). In this regard, yarn of a fabric may be arranged on each of the spindles 112-a, 112-b, 112-c, and 112-d. Further, the fabric cords extending from the spindles 112-a, 112-b, 112-c, and 112-d may be arranged to converge at the first opening 106 of the coating assembly 102.
[0028] The coating assembly 102 comprises an extruder head 114
coupled to the first opening 106 to receive the fabric cords. For example, the extruder head 114 extrudes the fabric cords to form a fabric mesh. In addition, the coating assembly 102 comprises a coating die 116 coupled to the second opening 108 of the coating assembly 102 and the extruder head 114. In particular, the coating die 116 receives the fabric mesh from the extruder head 114. Moreover, the coating die 116 receives the elastomer material from the second opening 108. The coating die 116 coats the fabric mesh with the elastomer material to form a composite fabric sheet 118. For example, the fabric mesh and the elastomer material may be co-extruded through the coating die 116 to produce the composite fabric sheet 118. The composite fabric sheet may have a defined width and thickness. For example, the elastomer material may be a rubber compound.
[0029] In an example, the system 100 further includes a cooling assembly
120 operatively coupled to the coating assembly 102 and a splicing assembly 104. The cooling assembly 120 cools the composite fabric sheet 118 to a room temperature and feeds the cooled composite fabric sheet 118 to the splicing assembly 104. In an example, the composite fabric sheet 118 is cooled to a temperature in a range of about 25°C to 30°C
[0030] In an example, the splicing assembly 104 is coupled to the coating
assembly 102, via the cooling assembly 120. The splicing assembly 104 receives the cooled composite fabric sheet 118 from the cooling assembly 120.

[0031] The splicing assembly 104 includes a cutting tool (not shown in
FIG. 1) to cut the composite fabric sheet into at least a first fabric piece (not shown in FIG. 1) and a second fabric piece (not shown in FIG. 1). The cutting tool is to cut the composite fabric sheet into pieces of equal length, such that a length of the first fabric piece corresponds to a length of the second fabric piece. Moreover, the compound fabric sheet is cut such that longitudinal edges of the first and the second fabric piece has the elastomer material. For example, the composite fabric sheet is cut along a lateral axis to obtain the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece.
[0032] Furthermore, the splicing assembly 104 includes an alignment
mechanism (not shown in FIG. 1) to align the second fabric piece adjacent to the first fabric piece. The first fabric piece and the second fabric piece are aligned adjacent to each other such that a first longitudinal side of the second fabric piece is parallel to a second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece. In addition, the splicing assembly 104 includes a pressure die (not shown in FIG. 1) to apply pressure to the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece. In an example, the pressure die may squeeze the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece against each other to form a fabric ply. The fabric ply thus formed, has an abutted joint between the second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece and the first longitudinal side of the second fabric piece. In an example, the elastomer material at the second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece and at the first longitudinal side of the second fabric piece may be pressed to form a butt joint between the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece.
[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the coating assembly 102, as
per an example. In an example, the coating assembly 102 has a housing 202 having a base (not shown in FIG. 2). In this regard, the base of the housing 202 may have a pair of longitudinal sides extending from a pair of longitudinal edges of the base, and a pair of lateral sides extending from a pair of lateral edges of the base. In an example, the housing 202 of the coating assembly 102 has the first opening 106 to receive a plurality of fabric

cords 204 and the second opening 108 to receive an elastomer material. For example, the first opening 106 is provided at a first lateral side of the housing 202 and the second opening 108 is provided at a first longitudinal side of the housing 202 adjacent to the first lateral side.
[0034] Although the coating assembly 102 is depicted to have two
openings, i.e., the first opening 106 and the second opening 108, such depiction of coating assembly 102 should not be construed as a limitation. In an example, the housing 202 of the coating assembly 102 may have a third opening at a second longitudinal side adjacent to the first lateral side having the first opening 106 and opposite to the first longitudinal side. In such a case, the coating assembly 102 may receive the fabric cords 204 through the first opening 106, a first elastomer material through the second opening 108, and a second elastomer material through the third opening. For example, the first elastomer material and the second elastomer material may be made of same or different compound.
[0035] Returning to the present example, the coating assembly 102
comprises an extruder head 114 coupled to the first opening 106 to receive the fabric cords. To such an end, the extruder head 114 may include an insertion die 206 fixed on the extruder head 114. In an example, the extruder head 114 may have separate eyelets, wherein the insertion die 206 is fixed at an output of the extruder head 114 so as to extrude the fabric cords 204 therethrough. For example, the insertion die 206 may have one or more openings of fixed cross-section to enable extrusion of the fabric cords 204 therethrough. In an example, a number of fabric cords fed to the coating assembly 102 may be in a range of about 100 to 500.
[0036] The coating assembly 102 further comprises the coating die 116
coupled to the second opening 108 and the insertion die 206. The coating die 116 may have one or more holes of fixed cross-section to enable extrusion therethrough. In an example, the coating die 116 receives the elastomer material from a feed hopper 208, via the second opening 108. In such a case, the elastomer material may be fed to the feed hopper 208,

from where it may be supplied to the coating die 116 when required. For example, the feed hopper 208 may be a heated barrel. In an example, the elastomer material may be manufactured using, for example, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, carbon black, silica, fabric, and so forth.
[0037] In operation, the fabric cords 204 enter the coating assembly 102
from the first opening 106. In particular, the fabric cords 204 is fed to the extruder head 114, wherein the fabric cords 204 passes through separate eyelets of the extruder head 114 and enter the insertion die 206 fixed at the output of the extruder head 114. In an example, the fabric cords 204 are extruded through the insertion die 206 to form a fabric mesh. In an example, the fabric cords 204 may be single end cords. For example, the fabric cords 204 may be made of one of polyester, cotton, rayon, nylon, Kevlar, fiberglass, and aramid.
[0038] Thereafter, the fabric mesh extruded from the insertion die 206 is
forwarded to the coating die 116. The coating die 116 receives the elastomer material. In an example, the elastomer material fed to the coating die 116 is heated such that the elastomer material is in semi-solid or liquid state. The coating die 116 then coats the fabric mesh with the elastomer material to form the composite fabric sheet 118. In an example, the fabric mesh and the elastomer material are co-extruded through the coating die 116 to form the composite fabric sheet 118. The fabric mesh and the elastomer material are co-extruded at high temperature and pressure to ensure high-strength bonding between the fabric mesh and the elastomer material. Such coating of the fabric mesh with the elastomer material to form the composite fabric sheet eliminates conventional calendaring process for manufacturing a fabric ply. Subsequently, process of manufacturing the composite fabric sheet 118 is simplified owing to smaller size of the coating assembly 102 which is less bulky and requires less area and manpower. In this manner, costs associated with the manufacturing of the composite fabric sheet 118 is reduced. Moreover, the composite fabric sheet 118 produced using the coating assembly 102 has optimum fabric output

thereby ensuring cost-effective production of the composite fabric sheet 118 without compromising on quality thereof.
[0039] In an example, dimensions of the composite fabric sheet 118 may
depend on a type of tire to be manufactured. In particular, the dimensions of the composite fabric sheet 118 may be pre-determined based on a use of a tyre to be manufactured using the composite fabric sheet 118. In such a case, the tyre manufactured using the composite fabric sheet 118 may be used in, for example, a two-wheeler, truck, car, and the like. In an example, the composite fabric sheet 118 is produced to have a predefined length based on a batch size of the coating assembly 102. Moreover, a width of the composite fabric sheet 118 is about 250mm. Further, a thickness of the composite fabric sheet is in a range of about 1.0 mm to 1.2 mm. To such an end, such dimensions of the composite fabric sheet should not be construed as limiting in any way. In other implementations of the present subject matter, the dimensions of the composite fabric sheet 118 may be scaled based on the use of the tyre.
[0040] The composite fabric sheet 118 produced by the coating assembly
102 is then passed through a cooling assembly 120 for cooling. The cooling assembly may include a plurality of cooling drums (depicted as cooling drums 210-a, 210-b, 210-c, 210-d). The cooling drums 210-a, 210-b, 210-c, 210-d may have cooled surface, wherein heat may be extracted from the composite fabric sheet 118 when the composite fabric sheet 118 comes in contact with the cooled surface of the cooling drums 210-a, 210-b, 210-c, 210-d. For example, the cooling drums 210-a, 210-b, 210-c, 210-d may be cooled using water and/or air. Once cooled, the composite fabric sheet 118 is fed to a splicing assembly (such as the splicing assembly 104) for further processing for manufacturing a fabric ply. The construction and operation of the splicing assembly 104 is explained in conjunction with the following FIGS.
[0041] FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a splicing assembly 104, as per an
example. The splicing assembly 104 is operatively coupled to the coating

assembly 102. In operation, the splicing assembly 104 receives a composite fabric sheet (such as the composite fabric sheet 118) from the coating assembly 102, particularly, the cooled composite fabric sheet 118 from the cooling assembly 120.
[0042] The splicing assembly 104 includes a cutting tool 302 to cut the
composite fabric sheet 118 into a first fabric piece and a second fabric piece. In particular, the cutting tool may cut pieces of desired length from the composite fabric sheet 118. For example, the cutting tool 302 may be a hydraulic cutting machine or a laser cutting machine.
[0043] In an example, the splicing assembly 104 may include a sensor
arrangement (not shown in FIG. 3) coupled to the cutting tool 302. In an example, the sensor arrangement may include a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) for causing the cutting tool 302 to cut the composite fabric sheet 118 precisely.
[0044] Further, the splicing assembly 104 includes an alignment
mechanism to align the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece. In an example, the alignment mechanism comprises a splicing conveyor being operated based on input from the sensor arrangement. In an example, the splicing conveyor may include at least two pulley system with one or more belt that rotates about the two pulley system. For example, the sensor arrangement may provide input to the pulley system to control the movement of the belt to align the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece.
[0045] In accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter, the
alignment mechanism may have a first conveyor belt 304 and a second conveyor belt 306. The second conveyor belt 306 is arranged perpendicular to the first conveyor belt 304. In an example, a length of the first conveyor belt 304 is about 1480mm, and a width of the first conveyor belt 304 is about 420mm. Moreover, a length of the second conveyor belt 306 is about 1560mm, and a width of the second conveyor belt 306 is about 1150mm.

[0046] In an example, the cutting tool is 302 may be positioned on the
first conveyor belt 304, wherein the cutting tool may receive the composite fabric sheet 118 and cut it into the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece on the first conveyor belt 304. For example, the sensor arrangement may be coupled to the first conveyor belt 304 and the second conveyor belt 306 of the alignment mechanism. To such an end, the sensor arrangement may control operation of the first conveyor belt 304 and the second conveyor belt 306.
[0047] Furthermore, the splicing assembly 104 includes a pressure die
308 to apply pressure to the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece to form a fabric ply. In an example, the pressure die may have a cavity defined between a pair of hardened set of protrusions. In such a case, the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece are held between the set of protrusions to apply pressure on them.
[0048] In operation, the cutting tool 302 may cut the composite fabric
sheet 118 into pieces of desired length. In this manner, the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece may be cut from the composite fabric sheet 118. To such an end, a length of the first fabric piece corresponds to a length of the second fabric piece. Moreover, longitudinal edges of the first and the second fabric piece has elastomer material.
[0049] In an example, the dimensions of the first fabric piece and the
second fabric piece, specifically, the length of the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece, may be pre-determined based on a type of a tyre to be manufactured using the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece. For example, the length of the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece may be scaled based on the use of the tyre. In this regard, the tyre may be used in, for example, a two-wheeler, car, truck, and the like.
[0050] In an example, the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece
may be cut simultaneously from the composite fabric sheet 118. In particular, the cutting tool 302 may cut the first fabric piece from the composite fabric sheet 118 at a first time instant on the first conveyor belt

304. The first fabric piece is further conveyed on the first conveyor belt 304.
The first fabric piece is then conveyed to the second conveyor belt 306,
which is perpendicular to the first conveyor belt 304. Due to this, the first
fabric piece is rotated about a first vertical axis. The first fabric piece is then
positioned at a first pre-defined location on the second conveyor belt 306.
[0051] In a similar manner, the cutting tool 302 may cut the second fabric
piece from the composite fabric sheet 118 at a second time instant on the first conveyor belt 304. The second fabric piece is then conveyed further on the first conveyor belt 304 and then to the second conveyor belt 306. Moreover, the second fabric piece when conveyed to the second conveyor belt 306 rotates about a second vertical axis. In this manner, the first and the second fabric pieces are turned or rotated by 90 degrees using the arrangement of the first conveyor belt 304 and the second conveyor belt 306. The second fabric piece is then positioned at a second pre-defined location on the second conveyor belt 306. The second predefined location is adjacent to the first predefined location where first fabric piece is positioned. In this manner, the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece are aligned adjacent to each other on the second conveyor belt 306. In particular, a second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece is parallel to a first longitudinal side of the second fabric piece. In this manner, the alignment mechanism including the first conveyor belt 304 and the second conveyor belt 306 may align the second fabric piece adjacent to the first fabric piece. In an example, the sensor arrangement may ensure precise alignment of the second fabric piece adjacent to the first fabric piece using the alignment mechanism.
[0052] In an example, the length of the first fabric piece and the second
fabric piece is in a range of about 400 mm to about 1500 mm. Moreover, a
width of the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece is about 250 mm.
[0053] The aligned first fabric piece and the second fabric piece are then
positioned within the pressure die. For example, the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece are positioned within the cavity of the pressure die

such that the second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece is parallel to a first longitudinal side of the second fabric piece. Thereafter, the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece may be pressed against each other to form a fabric ply.
[0054] In an example, the pressure die may apply pressure so as to cause
the elastomer material at the second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece to bond with the elastomer material at the first longitudinal side of the second fabric piece to form the fabric ply. The fabric ply may have an abutted joint between the second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece and the first longitudinal side of the second fabric piece without any stitching. Notably, the joint does not result in any overlap between the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece. Due to this, the fabric ply has a uniform thickness and density. Subsequently, a tyre thus manufactured, has less number of splices and high uniformity value. Moreover, radial force variation in the tyre using such fabric ply is less.
[0055] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the pressure die 308 of the
splicing assembly 104, as per an example. The pressure die 308 includes a frame 402. In an example, the frame 402 may form base structure of the pressure die 308. For example, the frame 402 may be made up of hardened metal, alloy or wood.
[0056] In an example, the pressure die 308 may further include a pair of
bottom beams (depicted as a bottom beam 404) and a pair of top beams
(depicted as a top beam 406). Moreover, the pressure die 308 may include
a support beam 408 and a reference beam 410. In particular, the beams
404, 406, 408 and 410 may provide strength to the pressure die 308 and
may enable movement of other components of the pressure die 308. For
example, the beams 404, 406, 408 and 410 may be made of steel.
[0057] Furthermore, the pressure die 308 may include a plurality of
mounting plates (depicted as a mounting plate 412). In an example, the mounting plates may enable mounting of the beams 404, 406, 408 and 410 with the frame 402. In another example, the mounting plates may enable

mounting between the beams 404, 406, 408 and 410. In yet another example, the mounting plates may enable mounting of any component of the pressure die 308 with another component of the pressure die 308 or external surface, such as floor, wall, and the like.
[0058] Continuing further, the pressure die 308 may include a guiding
assembly 414. In particular, the guiding assembly 414 may include a first set of protrusions (not shown in FIG. 4) and a second set of protrusions (not shown in FIG. 4) spaced apart from each other. Further, the first set of protrusions and the second set of protrusions may be movable towards each other. A cavity may be defined between the first set of protrusions and the second set of protrusions. For example, the first set of protrusions and the second set of protrusions may be made of a metal or an alloy, for example, steel.
[0059] In an example, the first set of protrusions may extend from the pair
of bottom beams, such as the bottom beam 404, towards the pair of top
beams, such as the top beam 406. Moreover, the second set of protrusions
may extend from the pair of top beams, such as the top beam 406, towards
the pair of bottom beams, such as the bottom beam 404. In an example, a
shape of the protrusions, of the first set of protrusions and the second set
of protrusions, may be one of conical, pyramidal, and prism. To such an
end, the protrusions of the first set of protrusions may fit within gaps defined
between the protrusions of the second set of protrusions, when the first set
of protrusions and the second set of protrusions come in contact.
[0060] In operation, the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece are
fed to the pressure die 308. In particular, the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece are positioned within the guiding assembly 414, such as within the cavity defined between the first set of protrusions and the second set of protrusions. As mentioned previously, the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece may be arranged adjacent to each other such that a second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece is parallel to a first longitudinal side

of the second fabric piece. In addition, longitudinal sides of the first fabric
piece and the second fabric piece may have elastomer material.
[0061] Once arranged, the first set of protrusions and the second set of
protrusions are moved towards each other. In this manner, the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece are pressed between the first set of protrusions and the second set of protrusions under high pressure to form the fabric ply having an abutted joint. The first fabric piece and the second fabric piece may be squeezed against each other by holding them under pressure, so as to form the butt joint between them. In particular, the elastomer material at the second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece may be joint with the elastomer material at the first longitudinal side of the second fabric piece to form the fabric ply. Therefore, the fabric ply may have an abutted joint between the second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece and the first longitudinal side of the second fabric.
[0062] In an example, a distance between the first set of protrusions and
the second set of protrusions is about 1.0 mm, and a servo motor is connected with the first set of protrusions so as not to exceed a predefined difference in distance between the first set of protrusions and the second set of protrusions.
[0063] It may be noted, a cutting tool (such as the cutting tool 302) of the
splicing assembly 104 may continuously cut pieces of the composite fabric sheet (such as the composite fabric sheet 118), and wherein such pieces are rotated by 90 degrees and at least two pieces are aligned adjacent to each other. The aligned pieces are further fed to the pressure die 308, wherein the pressure die 308 applies pressure onto the two pieces aligned adjacent to each other to form a fabric ply. In this manner, the splicing assembly 104 may produce a plurality of fabric plies having abutted joint continuously. Such fabric plies produced may be used for manufacturing tyres.
[0064] Additionally, the manufacturing of the fabric plies is not restricted
to any size thereof. To such an end, butt splicing of the pieces of the

composite fabric sheet may be performed on any number of pieces of the composite fabric sheet to produce fabric ply of any size, for example, truck and non-truck sizes. Therefore, butt splicing between pieces, such as the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece, of composite fabric sheet overcomes width limitation due to overlapping joint. Moreover, the butt spliced joint enables greater uniformity in the fabric ply produced, thereby strengthening the fabric ply.
[0065] Although examples for the present disclosure have been
described in language specific to structural features and/or methods, it is to be understood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed and explained as examples of the present disclosure.

I/We Claim:
1. A system for manufacturing a fabric ply, the system comprising:
a coating assembly having a first opening to receive a plurality of fabric cords and a second opening to receive an elastomer material, the coating assembly comprising:
an extruder head coupled to the first opening to receive the plurality of fabric cords to form a fabric mesh; and
a coating die coupled to the extruder head and the second
opening, wherein the coating die is to coat the fabric mesh with the
elastomer material to form a composite fabric sheet; and
a splicing assembly operatively coupled to the coating assembly to
receive the composite fabric sheet, wherein the splicing assembly
comprises
a cutting tool to cut the composite fabric sheet into at least a first fabric piece and a second fabric piece, wherein a length of the first fabric piece corresponds to a length of the second fabric piece, and longitudinal edges of the first and the second fabric piece has the elastomer material;
an alignment mechanism to align the second fabric piece adjacent to the first fabric piece such that a first longitudinal side of the second fabric piece is parallel to a second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece; and
a pressure die to apply pressure to the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece to form the fabric ply, the fabric ply having an abutted joint between the second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece and the first longitudinal side of the second fabric piece.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, the splicing assembly further
comprising a sensor arrangement, the sensor arrangement being coupled
to the cutting tool, wherein the sensor arrangement causes to operate the

cutting tool to cut the composite fabric sheet into at least the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1, the alignment mechanism
comprising a splicing conveyor being operated by a sensor arrangement,
the splicing conveyor comprising a first conveyor belt and a second
conveyor belt perpendicular to the first conveyor belt, wherein
the first conveyor belt is to receive the first fabric piece;
the second conveyor belt is to cause the first fabric piece to rotate about a first vertical axis and position the first fabric piece at a first pre-defined location;
the first conveyor belt is to receive the second fabric piece; and the second conveyor belt is to cause the second fabric piece to rotate about a second vertical axis and position the second fabric piece at a second pre-defined location, the second pre-defined location being adjacent to the first pre-defined location , wherein the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece are aligned such that the second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece is parallel to the first longitudinal side of the second fabric piece.
4. The system as claimed in claim 1, the pressure die of the splicing
assembly having a first set of protrusions and a second set of protrusions
spaced apart from each other, wherein
the first set of protrusions and the second set of protrusions are movable towards each other;
the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece, having the second longitudinal side of the first fabric piece parallel to the first longitudinal side of the second fabric piece, are positioned within a space between the first set of protrusions and the second set of protrusions; and

the first fabric piece and the second fabric piece are pressed between the first set of protrusions and the second set of protrusions under high pressure to form the fabric ply having an abutted joint.
5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein a distance between the
first set of protrusions and the second set of protrusions is about 1.0mm and
a servo motor is connected with the first set of protrusions so as not to
exceed a predefined difference in distance between the first set of
protrusions and the second set of protrusions.
6. The system as claimed in claim 1, the system further comprising a cooling assembly operatively coupled to the coating assembly and the splicing assembly, wherein the cooling assembly cools the composite fabric sheet to a room temperature and feeds cooled composite fabric sheet to the splicing assembly.
7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extruder head comprises an insertion die fixed on the extruder head, wherein the insertion die extrudes the plurality of fabric cords to form a fabric mesh.
8. The system as claimed in claim 1, the coating assembly further comprising a third opening, the third opening being adjacent to the first opening and opposite to the second opening, wherein the coating assembly is to:
receive the plurality of fabric cords, via the first opening; receive a first elastomer material, via the second opening; and receive a second elastomer material, via the third opening.
9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a thickness of the
composite fabric sheet is in a range of about 1.0 mm to about 1.2 mm.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the length of the fabric
piece is in a range of about 400 millimetres (mm) to about 1500 mm, and a width of the composite fabric sheet is of about 250 mm.