Abstract:
Embodiments of the invention include a method of forming a pneumatic tire having a heat insulating layer and a pneumatic tire having a heat insulating layer, for reducing the thermal cooling of a tread of a pneumatic tire. A flexible heat insulating layer is applied to the tire at a location radially inward from the tire tread and opposite the tire tread relative the tire thickness. The heat insulating layer is characterized as having thermally insulating properties configured to maintain at least a portion of the tire tread at or above a desired elevated temperature greater than a glass transition temperature for any such portion of the tire tread under normal tire operating conditions. The heat insulating layer is also characterized as having a low thermal conductivity.
Abstract:
A tire has a sipe with areas of reduced thickness. The sidewalls of the sipe may have undulations that extend both in the radial and transverse directions of the tire and the areas of reduced thickness are found in between a peak to peak or a valley to valley coincidence of the undulations. Twice the value of the amplitude of the undulations in the radial direction of the tire is greater than 95% of the value of the half pitch of those undulations. The ratio of the area of the regions of the sipe having reduced thickness to the area of the thicker regions of the sipe may meet a minimum threshold. The apparatus may also include a sipe blade that extends from a curing member that for tire molding or retreading.
Abstract:
A tire tread (10) having one or more grooves (201, 2O2), one or more split bridges (24) arranged in each groove (201, 2O2), wherein the one or more split bridges (24) having a narrow gap (26) arranged along the width of the corresponding split bridge (24) and extending fully across the length and height of the corresponding split bridge (24), a top side of the one or more split bridges (24) is arranged closest to an outer side (16) of the tread (10), at least a portion of the top side is spaced apart from the outer side (16) of the tread (10) in a direction of a depth of the groove (201, 2O2) by a variable distance, and a bottom side of the one or more split bridges (24) is spaced apart from a bottom of the groove (201, 2O2) to form a void between the corresponding split bridge (24) and the bottom of the groove (201, 202).
Abstract:
The present invention includes a tire tread for a tire having laterally and circumferentially extending grooves that define tread blocks. The tread includes one or more split bridges extending within one groove of said grooves and extending from one of a pair of opposing sides. Each of the one or more split bridges has a length spanning the groove width except for a narrow gap, the length being formed by one or more projections extending from one of the opposing sides and towards the other of the opposing sides. One projection of the one or more projections extends from one side of the opposing sides of the one groove, where each of the one or more split bridges is spaced a predetermined distance from a bottom surface of the groove to provide a void between the split bridge and the bottom surface.