Abstract: The invention provides a tire and a method for analyzing the temperature exposure to the tire. The tire and the method allow an investigator to determine the maximum temperature the tire experienced during its operation. This information offers a potential cause for the tire failure by allowing the investigator to determine a maximum temperature experienced by an area of the tire by reviewing a non-reversible, temperature-indicating label positioned at a location in the tire. The information may be used to identify a potential cause of a tire failure after the failure has occurred. The information may also be used to identify a damaged tire before the tire fails.

Abstract: A vehicle air spring assembly has a pair of spaced end plates which sealing engage a bladder to form an air chamber. A pair of bead skirts are attached to the end plates to guide the bladder radially outwardly as the air spring is compressed. By guiding the bladder as it expands radially outwardly, the bead skirts control the effective area with respect to the air spring height, thus controlling the dynamic load and dynamic spring rate of the air spring. The bead skirts are formed complementary in shape and nestle together as they move towards one another. This nestling reduces pinching of the bladder when the air spring is compressed during use.

Abstract: A flexible sleeve for an air spring terminates in end portions which define a pair of open ends. The sleeve has inner and outer layers of a flexible material with a plurality of reinforcement elements disposed within the materials with the reinforcement elements extending throughout the end portions. Inner and outer layers of the end portions are joined to the inner and outer layers of the sleeve, by non-overlapping joints with the inner and outer layers of the end portions having a higher modulus of elasticity than the inner and outer layers of the sleeve.

Abstract: An air spring has a pair of spaced end members with a flexible sleeve ending therebetween forming an intervening air chamber. A partition is mounted in a hollow interior of one of the end members and forms an auxiliary air reservoir in the end member. A control valve having a moveable plunger is mounted on the one end member and is connected to a source of pressurized air. The plunger extends between the main air chamber and auxiliary reservoir and is controlled by a solenoid for selectively providing air passages between the pressurized air and the main air chamber and between the main air chamber and auxiliary reservoir to change the volume of the main air chamber to change the spring rate of the air spring.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes a tread pattern having circumferential and lateral grooves forming a plurality of circumferentially extending ribs, each rib having a plurality of tread blocks. A plurality of tie bars extend circumferentially across certain of the lateral grooves between adjacent tread blocks in at least two of the ribs which are located equally opposite of a mid-circumferential plane of the tire. The tie bars have a pair of sidewalls and a sloped top surface with the slope of the top surface in one of the ribs being opposite to the slope of the tie bars in the other rib to generate a residual aligning torque (RAT) on the tire.