Abstract: A carcass for a self-sealing pneumatic tire is constructed by starting with an extruded thin flat strip of puncture sealant both surfaces of which are detackified. The strip is place on a building drum and its upper surface is wiped clean so that an inner liner may be adhered to it. Thereafter, the carcass is conventionally completed with superimposed successive layers of belts, and tread along with bead rings, etc. The carcass is then cured in a conventional curing press so that the sealant is cured by contact with the curing bladder. The curing sealant is not restrained in any way, but does not flow. Alternatively, a laminate of the sealant is formed with the inner liner, with only the exposed surface of the sealant detackified so that it adheres neither to the building drum nor to the curing bladder. The detackifier remains on the sealant.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for extruding a flat strip of uniformly thick sealant stock from an extruder which extrudes the sealant stock with a rotary helical action. The stock consists essentially of a vulcanizable mixture of a high molecular weight (mol wt) elastomer, a low mol wt elastomer, a curing agent and a processing aid selected from a tackifier and a homogenizer. The strip is less than about 10 mm thick, and at least 10 times as wide as it is thick. The stock does not flow and cannot be poured even at 212.degree. F. The stock is supplied to the extruder by a reciprocating pump which maintains an intermittent pressure yet provides the required uniform thickness of strip. Each component of the stock strongly adheres to any surface, to all metal surfaces and to each other, making it difficult to obtain a homogeneous mixture.

Abstract: The heat-sink capacity of a thick-walled article being cured with a hot liquid supplying heat to one side of the wall, allows the point of least cure (PLC) to receive a higher rate of cure equivalents even after the hot liquid is replaced with a cold liquid. In the mean while, on the other side of the wall continues to be heated. Because such a change-over is effected before the PLC has received the minimum number of cure equivalents required to effect a cure at the PLC (a "pre-cure change-over"), a valving arrangement is provided which allows the changeover to be effected without permitting a pressure drop in the bladder sufficient to permit the tire to "blow" because it is as yet uncured when the change-over is effected. Such a pre-cure change-over cannot be made when steam is replaced with water at ambient temperature.

Abstract: A machine for testing the uniformity of tires. The machine comprises: a test spindle configured to receive a rim supporting a tire; an index table having a pair of index spindles; indexing means to rotate the index table whereby the index spindles may move a tire between an operator loading station and an index station; a loader robot adapted to move between the test spindle and the index station for transporting therebetween a tire; a roadwheel movable between a retracted position out of contact with a tire and an advanced position in driving contact with a test tire; motor means to rotate the roadwheel while in its advanced position; and transducer means coupled to the test spindle to determine vibrations of the test tire when rotated by the roadwheel as caused by non-uniformities within the tire. Also disclosed is a method for testing tires as with the disclosed machine.

Abstract: A process for disposing of toxic organic waste fluids comprising contacting a polymeric carrier particle, such as ground tire rubber, with a toxic organic fluid that dissolves in the solid polymeric carrier. The waste fluid dissolved in the polymeric carrier forms a stable product for transportation and incineration.

Abstract: A rim assembly and a spindle assembly including locking ramps for releasably coupling them for concurrent rotation. The rim assembly has an exterior peripheral flange, an interior axial opening, a plurality of locking ramps extending radially inwardly into the opening with locking ramps having inclined surfaces on one face thereof. The spindle assembly has a taper body with an exterior face to be received within the opening of the rim assembly, a locking rotor coupled to the taper body, locking ramps extending radially outwardly therefrom with inclined surfaces on one face thereof couplable with the inclined surfaces of the rim assembly upon the rotation of said locking rotor. Locking pins are also included to lock the locking rotor in a first orientation with respect to the taper body when the inclined surfaces of the assemblies are out of contact. Also disclosed are the assemblies, per se.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of substantially precluding the accumulation of combustible organic vapors in a storage container by placing comminuted vulcanized rubber as an absorbing medium in contact with the vapors.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for evaluating the level of objectionable noise associated with the operation of a tire by virtue of its tread contacting a road surface, which comprises digitizing the tread design on a coordinate system so as to define load-supporting portions of the tread in contact with the pavement, and distinguish them in binary form from those portions of the tread which are not in contact, as multiple matrix elements; defining a generally arcuate profile of a leading or trailing edge of a footprint of the tread by fitting an equation to the edge; sequentially performing the time ensemble summation, of the noise produced by each matrix element, over every matrix element on the entire circumferential surface; converting the sequence of summations to a periodic analog signal; converting the analog signal to a sound; and, aurally evaluating the sound. In a simplified case 0's and 1's along at least one footprint edge are sequentially summed around the circumference of the tire.