Abstract: Under-inflation of a tire caused by natural deflation is subject to speci monitoring when all of the tires are in an established temperature range.

Abstract: The innerliner ply of a tire has been modified in thickness to provide a profiled innerline ply. A permeability relationship is established for the material of the innerliner that allows the average thickness of the innerliner ply to be adjusted based on its temperature. The maximum and minimum thickness are located in relation to the maximum and minimum internal temperature locations within the tire. A gradual change in thickness is used between the maximum and minimum thickness locations. An object of the invention is to limit the air flow through the tire in locations which have a high internal temperature. This limited air flow will improve the deterioration of rubber products in the tire and maintain an allowable inflation pressure air loss rate.

Abstract: The run-flat tire has a tread for contacting a ground surface and a belt package with belt plies interior to the tread for support of the tread. A plurality of radially reinforced carcass layers are positioned interior to the belt plies and include at least one carcass layer that extends between spaced apart annular beads. The tire has a pair of sidewalls each extending radially inward from shoulders at lateral edges of the belt package to the annular beads. The sidewalls have a plurality of sidewall stiffening members to support the tire during a loss of inflation pressure. The carcass layers are disposed with the sidewall stiffening members to help support the run-flat tire with a loss of inflation pressure.

Abstract: The tire of this invention has a belt package with a combination of a steel refinforced inner belt ply and an aromatic polyamide reinforced outer belt ply. The breaking strength, tensile modulus, secant modulus and other material properties for the reinforcing members in each belt ply are defined. The strength per unit width of the aromatic polyamide reinforced ply is made to be within zero to 30 percent greater than the strength per unit width of the steel reinforced belt ply. The tire of this invention has angles of the aromatic polyamide reinforcing members from the mid-plane greater than the angles of the steel reinforcing members from the same mid-plane by 1 to 8 degrees. High impact endurance values are disclosed to be a function of the tensile modulus, breaking strengths and belt ply widths for each ply as well as a function of the composite shear stiffness values.

Abstract: A new low-profile tentering system for a tenter machine is realized according to the present invention by a tenter frame including low-profile rail assemblies for carrying an endless carrier. A series of attachment blocks of the endless carrier have tentering connectors to provide for transporting a sheet material under widthwise tension in a longitudinal path through the tenter machine.Each rail assembly has guideways for supporting and carrying an endless carrier within the guideways. The tentering system of this invention uniquely uses a plurality spherical bearing balls for transporting the endless carrier within slots of the guideways. The endless carrier includes an endless belt or endless chain connecting a series of attachment blocks for holding the bearing balls in a position so that they can freely rotate within the guideways. Tentering connectors are carried by the attachment blocks of the endless carrier for supporting spaced apart edges of the sheet material.