Abstract: The present invention is a pneumatic tire and wheel assembly capable of being run in a deflated condition comprising a wheel having a wheel rim, a pneumatic tire mounted on the rim, where the pneumatic tire has an interior cavity, an annular insert mounted on the wheel rim and inside the interior cavity of the tire, and a lubricant comprising a substance selected from the group consisting of stearic acid, sodium oleate, sodium palmitate, polyethylene wax, polypropylene wax, and mixtures thereof, and a substance selected from the group consisting of paraffin oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, rapseed oil, tricresyl phosphate and naphthalenic oil and mixtures thereof. When the assembly is used with the tire in deflated condition, the normally solid lubricant liquefies, and thereby facilitates relative movement of the interior surface of the tire contacting the annular insert and the annular insert. In one embodiment of the invention, the insert comprises rubber or polyurethane.

Abstract: The invention comprises an improved non-pneumatic tire, and particularly a shear layer for a non-pneumatic tire wherein the shear layer comprises an elastomeric composition that includes a metal salt of a carboxylic acid. The shear layer preferably comprises a dienic elastomeric composition that includes a metal salt of a carboxylic acid. In one embodiment of the invention, the metal salt of the carboxylic acid is zinc diacrylate or zinc dimethacrylate. In one embodiment of the invention, the metal salt of the carboxylic acid is zinc diacrylate or zinc dimethacrylate, and a peroxide curative agent is employed.

Abstract: A tire equipped with at least one receiving antenna (2) of a reception device (1) which includes an electronic device (10) intended to be remote controlled by electromagnetic coupling with at least one transmitting antenna (8). This receiving antenna (2) is intended to be connected to the electronic device (10) and is divided into several loop parts (2.1, 2.2) arranged in a parallel circuit, these loop parts (2.1, 2.2) each having a surface (s1, s2), these surfaces (s1, s2) being juxtaposed so that during rolling of the tire the loop parts (2.1, 2.2) are coupled successively and continuously to the transmitting antenna (8).

Abstract: A resilient tire that supports a load without internal air pressure includes a ground contacting tread portion and sidewall portions extending radially inward from said tread portion and anchored in bead portions. A bias ply carcass extends between the beads to support the sidewalls. A reinforced annular band is disposed radially inward of the tread portion. The band comprises an elastomeric shear layer at a radially outer side of the bias ply carcass and a membrane adhered to a radially outward side of the elastomeric shear layer. Each of the bias ply and membrane has a longitudinal tensile modulus sufficiently greater than the shear modulus of the shear layer so that when under load the ground contacting portion of the tire deforms to a flat contact region through shear strain in the shear layer while maintaining constant the length of the membranes.

Abstract: The invention relates to a radially expandable assembly drum (1) for the manufacture of tires, said drum having a body mounted on a central shaft (2) having a generally cylindrical central surface for receiving the products to be assembled and ends of different diameters, the drum comprising a lifting device (20, 21) located at each end of the body of the drum having a cylindrical outer receiving surface (221, 231) for products to be assembled, characterized in that the lifting device (21) arranged close to the end of lesser diameter is radially displaceable relative to the body (10) of the drum (1) between a position wherein its surface (231) has substantially the same diameter as that of the central surface of the body (10) and a position wherein its surface (231) has a diameter less than that of the central surface of the body (10), the radial displacement of this lifting device (21) being synchronized with the radial expansion of the drum (1).

Abstract: The invention concerns a process for the manufacture of a tire comprising the following steps: a) laying a carcass reinforcement on a generally flat receiving surface; b) turning up at least one lateral end of the carcass reinforcement over itself to obtain a semi-finished product having a turnup; c) laying a complete turn of the semi-finished product so obtained in the circumferential direction around a generally cylindrical receiving surface; d) joining together the opposing ends of the semi-finished product to obtain a joint; and e) positioning a bead wire over the turnup so formed.

Abstract: A tire having a tread composed of two non-conductive layers, each layer containing a circumferential insert of conductive mix, the inserts having a wider interface at the interface of the two layers. An apparatus for extruding a layer, provided with a conductive insert, including a main extruder for extruding a non-vulcanized, non-conductive layer, and a micro-extruder having an extrusion head, provided at its end with a nozzle, for extruding a conductive insert in the layer.

Abstract: A method of lubricating a tire cavity and more particularly the interface zone between a safety support and the inside the cavity of a tire enables lubricant to be dispensed in the interface zone only when the mounted assembly comprising the support, the tire and a wheel is in a runflat condition and where the non-instantaneous contact established between the inside surface of the tread and the seal allows the lubrication port to be unblocked. The invention also concerns a lubrication device and a seal enabling the method to be implemented, and a support and a reservoir enabling implementation of the method.

Abstract: A device for detecting substantially sudden and significant loss of pressure in a tire, comprising: a pressure variation detector capable on the one hand of responding in a safety time interval to a substantially significant and rapid variation in the pressure inside the tire cavity, and on the other hand of acting on another element cooperating with said detector; a management module, cooperating with said detector and capable, on the basis of the information supplied by said detector, of sending a signal when a given pressure variation threshold is reached.

Abstract: A tire and wheel assembly that permits hand-mounting of the tire on the wheel is provided. The following parameters are identified in a specific relationship so as to provide a tire that permits such hand mounting: Ct is the circumference of the wheel well, from the mounting side flange, H is the radial height of the rim flange, and Y is the axial width of the rim flange, and M represents an amount of additional length, preferably about 80 millimeters.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacture of a tire, the apparatus including a drum with shoulder having a generally cylindrical main receiving surface to receive the products to be assembled, the main receiving surface being radially retractable. The drum has a shoulder axially to the side edges of said main receiving surface. The drum is mounted on a shaft. At least one associated axially movable side crown is mounted coaxially with the drum. The drum has a lateral protuberance coaxially juxtaposed to at least one of its shoulders. The side crown is axially slidable at least partly under the lateral protuberance, the lateral protuberance forming a quasi-cylindrical support surface whose outside diameter is smaller than the diameter of the main receiving surface. The side crown has a substantially cylindrical outer surface capable of passing axially outside of the lateral protuberance.

Abstract: A tire pressure monitoring system, comprising: a pressure measuring sensor in fluid communication with the ambient pressure of the tire; a noise detector, adapted to detect the noise produced by the vehicle when it is started; a management module, adapted to receive and process data supplied by the pressure sensor on the one hand and on the other hand by the noise detector such that, when the vehicle is stopped, the pressure sensor operates in “economy” mode; when the vehicle is running, the pressure sensor operates in “normal” mode.

Abstract: The invention proposes a method for regulating a stability control system of a vehicle based on the forces acting at the center of each wheel of the vehicle. The actions of the driver, i.e. steering, acceleration or braking, produce forces (changes in forces) are transmitted by the tires to the ground. Control of the operating means of the vehicle (active anti-roll device, engine torque, braking torque, load per wheel or direction) utilizes instructions resulting from the actions of the driver to apply forces. The invention proposes a method of expressing, in terms of forces, the inputs of the driver as a function of the inertia of the vehicle body, velocity of forward movement of the vehicle, and angle at the steering wheel (steering wheel velocity and steering wheel acceleration). If the actual forces that are measured do not correspond to the forces desired by the driver, the active system compensates for this difference by acting on the force distributions in the chassis.

Abstract: A tire manufacturing method includes a method for optimizing the uniformity of a tire by reducing the after cure radial force variation. The after cure radial force variation vector is modeled as a vector sum of each presenting contributions arising from the tire building steps—the “tire room effect vector” and a vector representing contributions arising from the vulcanization and uniformity measurement steps—the “curing room effect vector.” In further detail, both the tire room and curing room effect vectors can be further decomposed into sub-vectors representing each radial force variation contribution for which a measurable indicator is available. For a series of tires, the method obtains such measurements as the before cure radial runout (RRO) at one or more stages of the building sequence, measurements of loading angles on the tire building equipment, and measurements made during vulcanization process.