Abstract: A wire strand for reinforcing elastomers such as tires and conveyor belts comprises multiple individual filaments bundled in a core and an outer layer on a common axis. Each individual filament is tangential to all adjacent surrounding filaments and all filaments have identical lay direction and length in a hexagonally close-packed cross section, which is to say that the strand filaments are of bunched configuration. In accordance with the invention, the outer layer includes filaments of differing diameters so disposed with respect to each other and with respect to the filaments of the core that the outer edges of all filaments in the outer layer, viewed cross sectionally, lie substantially on a common radius from the strand axis.

Abstract: A passenger car tire that combines a number of design features or parameters which yield a tire which has road noise, tread wear and handling performance characteristics which are equal to or better than those exhibited by comparable prior art tires, which possesses improvements in mud and snow performance not heretofore approached in prior art high performance tires, and in which heat dissipation characteristics are such that ornamental white sidewall lettering may be applied without in any way detracting from performance and durability characteristics. Moreover, and most surprisingly, the tire of the present invention is actually lighter in weight than is the most comparable prior art high performance tire, which does not possess the improved mud and snow characteristics of the invention.

Abstract: A material finishing line which includes a plurality of finishing tanks disposed in a linear array and a self-propelled hoist movable along an elongated track extending parallel to the finishing line. The hoist includes a base which contains the propulsion and control mechanism, and a guide fixedly projecting upwardly from the base. A pick-up arm is slidably carried on the guide and is cantilevered therefrom over the finishing line so as to pass over successive tank locations as the hoist is propelled along the track. The pick-up arm is raised and lowered by an hydraulic ram coupled to the base, and is held in horizontal orientation by a pair of chains trained around sprockets affixed to the guide and attached to the pick-up arm.