Abstract:
The run-flat tire of this invention includes a pair of bead regions, a crown region with a tread and a tread reinforcing package including a cap ply and self supporting sidewalls between each bead region and the crown region. An innerliner ply maintains air within the inflated tire. The self supporting sidewalls each include a first crescent-shaped reinforcing member, an inner carcass layer, an inner sidewall supporting complex and an outer sidewall and bead protecting complex. The supporting sidewalls effectively have a plurality of crescent-shaped reinforcing members and a plurality of carcass layers. The sidewall supporting complexes are realized by providing first and second partial carcass layers along with a filler rubber portion and a second crescent-shaped reinforcing member, which can be formed by a separate tire building operation. The sidewall protecting complexes can be formed in a similar operation. The run-flat tire of this invention can be realized within standard production rates for building tires. The inflated vs. deflated performance tradeoffs in ride comfort, handling, radial stiffness and endurance of the tire are substantially maintained with improved mass and rolling resistance over previous run-flat tires. This is accomplished with a run-flat tire having relatively small weight increases over a standard tire and with a rim that can be used interchangeably with the standard tire.
Abstract:
This invention relates to a pneumatic tire comprising a tread surface and two separate side parts of an elastomeric synthetic resin and optionally reinforcing elements, wherein the side part not only forms the side wall of the tire but extends from the rim wire to the mid-line of the tire and therefore also forms the foundation for the tread surface on one side, and to a process for the manufacture of such pneumatic tires.
Abstract:
On a building drum, anchoring structures to beads, carcass plies, a belt structure and/or other annular composite components are sequentially assembled with a liner, sidewalls, sidewall inserts, under-belt inserts or other annular elastomer components. Each of the sidewall inserts, sidewalls, or under-belt inserts is made as a one piece construction in a service station operating far away from the building drum for storage on a movable storing device. Actuating members operating on the movable storing device carry the annular elastomer components from the service station to the building drum. A transfer member picks up the annular elastomer components from the movable storing device to transfer them to the building drum.
Abstract:
It is a run-flat tire 1 provided with a carcass 6 extending from a tread portion 2 through a sidewall portion 3 to a bead core 5 in a bead portion 4, and a side-reinforcement rubber layer 10 disposed inside the carcass 6 in the sidewall portion 3 and having a substantially crescent-shaped cross-section. In a tire meridian cross section including the tire rotational axis under a normal state such that the tire is mounted on a normal rim, inflated to a normal internal pressure and loaded with no load, the tire inner-cavity surface 11 includes a side inner-cavity surface 12. A distance in the tire radial direction of the side inner-cavity surface 12 from a bead toe 4e of the bead portion 4 is in a range of 0.4 times to 0.9 times the length H in the tire radial direction of the tire inner-cavity surface 11. The side inner-cavity surface 12 includes a smooth surface 15 which does not have unevenness, and the total surface area of the smooth surface 15 is more than 90% of the total area of the side inner-cavity surface 12.
Abstract:
A pneumatic tire including a cylindrical annular structure, a rubber layer that will become a tread portion provided along a circumferential direction of the annular structure, on an outer side of the annular structure, and a carcass portion including fibers covered by rubber, provided on both sides in a direction parallel to a center axis (Y-axis) of a cylindrical structure including the annular structure and the rubber layer.
Abstract:
An apparatus for building tire comprises an outer shaft 3, an intermediate shaft 2, and a center shaft 1 which are disposed coaxially with each other, a building drum 14 supported on the outer shaft 3 and having a uniform outer diameter over the entire length, and means for rotating these shafts disposed on one side of the building drum 14. The building drum 14 consists of axially divided two drum portions 15, 16 which are displaced in mutually approaching and separating directions and are radially expanded and contracted. The intermediate shaft 2 is reciprocably connected to one drum portion 15. The one drum portion 15 is drivably connected to the other drum portion 16 to be able to reciprocably move in mutually opposite directions. Cam members 28, 29 bringing the drum portions into radial expansive/contractive transformations are reciprocably connected to the center shaft 1. The apparatus further comprises a first motor constantly drivably connected to the intermediate shaft 2 and to the center shaft 1 and selectively drivably connected to the outer shaft 3, and a second the second motor constantly drivably connected to the center shaft 1.
Abstract:
A green tire includes a surface layer defining a green tire surface and made up of a plurality of windings of an unvulcanized rubber tape. A part of each of the windings is exposed on the green tire surface so that the exposed part has a width of from 50% to 80% of the width W1 of the rubber tape. Each of the windings has a substantially rhomboid cross section and has one end at an acute angle corner exposed on the green tire surface and the other end at the opposing acute angle corner. An angle theta of a diagonal line of the rhomboid drawn between the one end and the other end is not more than 30 degrees with respect to a tangential line to a profile line of the green tire surface.
Abstract:
An apparatus for building tire comprises an outer shaft 3, an intermediate shaft 2, and a center shaft 1 which are disposed coaxially with each other, a building drum 14 supported on the outer shaft 3 and having a uniform outer diameter over the entire length, and means for rotating these shafts disposed on one side of the building drum 14. The building drum 14 consists of axially divided two drum portions 15, 16 which are displaced in mutually approaching and separating directions and are radially expanded and contracted. The intermediate shaft 2 is reciprocably connected to one drum portion 15. The one drum portion 15 is drivably connected to the other drum portion 16 to be able to reciprocably move in mutually opposite directions. Cam members 28, 29 bringing the drum portions into radial expansive/contractive transformations are reciprocably connected to the center shaft 1. The apparatus further comprises a first motor constantly drivably connected to the intermediate shaft 2 and to the center shaft 1 and selectively drivably connected to the outer shaft 3, and a second the second motor constantly drivably connected to the center shaft 1.
Abstract:
In the manufacture of run-flat tyres, annular reinforcing inserts are applied through spiralling of a continuous elongated element of elastomer material on a service drum associated with a building station engaging a primary drum on which the carcass structure is made. An annular transfer member picks up the annular reinforcing inserts from the service drum to transfer them to the primary drum.
Abstract:
In a run flat tire provided with a pair of bead sections (1) each having an annular bead (1a), side wall sections (2) respectively extending to an outer side in a tire diametrical direction from the bead sections (1), a carcass layer (4) constituted by a carcass ply (14) wound up by the bead (1a), a reinforcing rubber layer (9) arranged in the side wall section (2) so as to be formed in a crescent cross sectional shape, an annular protrusion section (10) protruding to an outer side in a tire width direction from the bead sections (1), and an annular bead (1b) arranged in the annular protrusion section (10), an end section (15) of the wound-up carcass ply (14) is arranged at a position equal to or less than 95% of a height (h) in the tire diametrical direction to a tire inner peripheral side end of the bead (1b) on the basis of a tire outer peripheral side end of the bead (1a).