Abstract: In a tire cord fabric, especially one comprising a multiplicity of parallel steel cords, an improvement is provided whereby the various sources of supply of the tire cords may be identified. In a preferred embodiment, the improvement comprises the substitution of at least one pair of modified steel cords, for example spirally wrapped steel cords, for an equal number of regular steel cords with the spirally wrapped cords being spaced from each other by a particular number of the regular cords for each cord manufacturer. For example, a spacing of 10 regular cords between a pair of special cords may represent manufacturer A, while a spacing of 12 regular cords between a pair of special cords may represent manufacturer B, etc. Thus, each of several sources of supply of the regular cords may be identified according to the number of regular cords between a pair of special cords.

Abstract: A metallic reinforcing cord structure suitable for reinforcing elastomeric articles characterized by a high compression modulus which increases resistence to buckling and fatigue failure and by improved adherence between the core and the elastomeric article in which it is embedded is disclosed. The cord comprises a core consisting of two equal diameter brass plated steel wires and an outer layer of six equal diameter brass plated steel wires disposed about the core wires, the diameter of the outer layer wires being between about 1.23 and about 1.43 times the diameter of the core wires. The two core wires are twisted about one another and the outer wires are twisted about the core. Both the core and the outer wires are laid in the same direction.This abstract is not to be taken either as a complete exposition or as a limitation of the present invention, however, the full nature and the extent of the invention being discernible only by reference to and from the entire disclosure.