Abstract: A method to manufacture an electronic device (1) to be applied to rubber article. The device comprises (i) an electronic element (5, 6, 7), (ii) a covering element made of one or more layers (3) of thermoplastic material and arranged to cover said electronic element (5, 6, 7), and (iii) at least a rubber layer (4) arranged to cover at least part of an outer surface (3a) of the covering element. The method comprises a preliminary step comprising (a) a deposition operation, during which an adhesive solution consisting of a basic water solution comprising a latex of an elastomer rubber and a combination of resorcinol and formaldehyde is applied on at least part of one outer surface (3a) of said covering element; and (b) a heating operation, during which the part of the outer surface of the covering element on which the adhesive solution was applied is kept at a temperature ranging from 120 to 230° C. for an amount of time ranging from 2 to 15 min.

Abstract: A forklift is provided for the handling of pneumatic tires each having a central cavity and a transponder. A gripping device is configured to engage one or more pneumatic tires. A reader device comprises an antenna and is configured to communicate with transponders of the one or more pneumatic tires. A displacement unit supports at least the antenna of the reader device and is configured to move the antenna between a waiting position, wherein the antenna is arranged at a certain distance from the one or more pneumatic tires engaged by the gripping device, and a working position, wherein the antenna is arranged in close proximity to the one or more pneumatic tires engaged by the gripping device and communication is enabled with respective transponders thereof.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire (1) having: a toroidal carcass (2), which consists of a body ply (3) partially collapsed onto itself and therefore having two lateral flaps; two annular beads (4), each of which is surrounded by the body ply (3) and has a bead core (5) and a bead filler (6); an annular tread (7); a pair of sidewalls (11) arranged externally to the body ply (3) between the tread (7) and the beads (4); a pair of abrasion gum strips (12) arranged externally to the body ply (3) under the sidewalls (13) and at the beads (4); and a transponder (13) which is arranged in contact with the body ply (3) at a flap of the body ply (3) and is located below an edge (19) of the body ply (3) between the edge (19) of the body ply (3) and the bead (4).

Abstract: A system (1) for applying a sealing agent to the surface (5) of an internal cavity (2) of a pneumatic tyre (3) provided with an applicator device (12) for supplying a strip of sealing agent that is applied to the surface (5) and an opto-electronic device (4*; 20) that is integral to the nozzle (18) of the applicator device (12) and that is provided with at least one sensor element (9*; 20) that is able to acquire a plurality of images of the surface (5) and to provide a plurality of signals that are indicative of said plurality of acquired images; and an electronic processing system (11) connected to the opto-electronic device (4*; 20), and to the applicator device (12) and configured so as to acquire the signals that are indicative of the plurality of images acquired by the opto-electronic device (4*; 20); and to control the application of the sealing agent as a function of the plurality of signals that are indicative of the plurality of images acquired by the opto-electronic device (4*; 20).

Abstract: An application system and method for applying a sealing agent to the inner surface of a pneumatic tire includes: rotating, by means of a support device, the pneumatic tire about an axis of rotation; applying a layer of sealing agent to the inner surface of the pneumatic tire by means of a dispensing head arranged within the pneumatic tire itself; pressing, by means of a pressure roller, the just applied layer of sealing agent against the inner surface of the pneumatic tire; pushing the pressure roller against the just applied layer of sealing agent by means of an actuator which generates a force having a desired value; determining, by means of a force sensor, a measured value of the force generated by the actuator; and cyclically varying the force generated by the actuator as a function of the measured value of the force.

Abstract: A tire damage detection method includes a tire damage detection stage comprising: outputting quantities indicative of speeds of a vehicle and a corresponding wheel from an acquisition device to a processing device; computing, based on the received quantities, a normalized wheel speed indicative of a ratio of the wheel speed to the vehicle speed; and detecting a potential damage to a tire based on a predefined tire damage model and on the normalized wheel speed. A preliminary stage comprises: performing tests involving test tire impacts against/on different obstacles at different vehicle speeds; measuring/acquiring test-related wheel and vehicle speeds during the performed tests; computing test-related normalized wheel speeds based on the test-related wheel and vehicle speeds; and determining the predefined tire damage model to be used in the tire damage detection stage based on the test-related normalized wheel speeds and the test-related vehicle speeds that correspond to the test tire impacts.

Abstract: A method to manufacture an electronic device to be applied to rubber article. The device comprises an electronic element, two layers of thermoplastic material which are arranged in a sandwich-like manner so as to contain, between one another, the electronic element, and at least an outer rubber layer arranged to cover an outer surface of at least one of the respective thermoplastic layers. The method comprises a preliminary step comprising (a) a deposition operation, during which an adhesive solution consisting of a basic water solution comprising a latex of an elastomer rubber and a combination of resorcinol and formaldehyde is applied on at least one outer surface of one of the layers of thermoplastic material; and (b) a heating operation, during which the layers of thermoplastic material on which the adhesive solution was applied are kept at a temperature ranging from 120 to 230° C. for an amount of time ranging from 2 to 15 min.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for reading and/or writing data from/on RFID tags of tires conveyed on a conveyor belt in a conveyance direction, wherein each tire is fitted with a respective RFID tag storing a univocal identifier of said tire. An antenna is installed over or nearby the conveyor belt and configured to radiate RF signals toward a footprint area on the conveyor belt and receive backscattered RF signals from said footprint area. A reader is connected to the antenna to operate the latter in transmission and reception. A preliminary calibration step is applied to the reader and a reading and/or writing step is carried out by operating the calibrated reader.

Abstract: A rubber compound for the production of tire portions comprising a polymer base with a cross-linkable unsaturated chain, a filler system and a vulcanization system. The filler system comprises (a) a quantity, greater than or equal to 25 phr, of a first carbon black having a surface area smaller than or equal to 170 m2/gr; (b) a second carbon black having a surface area greater than or equal to 300 m2/gr in a quantity that is such that the ratio between the quantity of said first carbon black and the quantity of said second carbon black is greater than or equal to 5 and smaller than or equal to 13; (c) a quantity ranging between 0.5 and 2.0 phr of a dispersant agent comprised in the class of aromatic amides and having an unsaturation suited to interact with the polymer base with a cross-linkable unsaturated chain.

Abstract: Tread for a pneumatic tyre comprising a sipe having a sipe extension (L) and a sipe depth (P) along a direction of wear (U), wherein said sipe has at least two sections (S1, S2) along said direction of wear (U) having respective differentiated conformations, such that an intersection profile (P1, P2) between the sipe and a surface (T1, T2) parallel to the contact surface of the tread is different for each of said at least two sections (S1, S2), wherein at least one surface section (S1) of said at least two sections (S1, S2) has a depth (PS) that is variable along said sipe extension (L), said two sections (S1, S2) being connected by a transition section (S3) defining a transition line (TL) between the respective sections (S1, S2), said variable depth (PS) of said surface section, presenting a maximum depth (PSMAX) and a minimum depth (PSMIN), and wherein the surface section (SI) has a twisted configuration.

Abstract: A rubber compound for the preparation of a tread portion of a pneumatic tyre. The compound comprises at least one cross-linkable unsaturated chain polymer base capable of assuming all of the chemical-physical and mechanical characteristics of an elastomer after cross-linking, a filler comprising silica, a plasticizing agent and a curing system. The cross-linkable unsaturated chain polymer base has a peak Tan ? value between ?15° C. and 5° C. while the plasticizing agent is made up of an aliphatic chain comprising at least one polar group and has a melting temperature of between 5° C. and 40° C.

Abstract: A rubber compound for the preparation of portions of pneumatic tyres comprising a cross-linking unsaturated chain polymer base, a filler system and a vulcanization system. The filler system comprises (a) a first carbon black having a surface area less than or equal to 170 m2/gr in a quantity greater than or equal to 25 phr; (b) a second carbon black having a surface area greater than or equal to 250 m2/gr in a quantity such that the ratio between the quantity of the first carbon black and the quantity of the second carbon black is greater than or equal to 3 and less than or equal to 10; (c) a carbon black dispersing agent in a quantity of less than or equal to 1 phr.

Abstract: The invention concerns a system and a method for detecting potential damages to tires of motor vehicles due to impacts against/on obstacles.