Abstract: The needle (12) of the device for inserting a wire into a tire has: a piercing zone (18) having an axis of symmetry, and a duct (30) having a proximal opening and a distal opening (36) opening into the zone (18) and off-center relative to the axis, the duct consisting of the proximal opening and of a rectilinear profiled section including the distal opening.

Abstract: There is provided a method and control system for controlling a switching device in a power converter according to a modulation scheme. The switching device couples a direct current (DC) source to provide an alternating current (AC) output at a particular switching frequency. The method comprises the step of, in each switching period, switching the switching device between active configurations providing a finite voltage at the output and inactive configurations providing a zero voltage at the output. The ratio between the total period of time in which the switching device is in an active configuration and the total period of time in which the switching device is in an inactive configuration is the same for each switching period and is determined according to the desired voltage at the AC output.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing a section from a tire is disclosed. The method and apparatus are configured so that one side of a saw blade used to cut a section from a tire is treated by dulling. The treatment allows for the removal of a section of a tire so cords embedded in various layers of the tire are protected from damage and the surface texture surrounding the removed section of the tire is adequate for repair.

Abstract: The invention relates to a rubber composition based on at least one diene elastomer, a reinforcing filler comprising at least carbon black and an inorganic filler with an inorganic filler content of less than or equal to 50 parts by weight per hundred parts of elastomer, characterized in that the composition is obtained from a first masterbatch comprising at least one first diene elastomer and carbon black, and having a dispersion of the carbon black in the elastomeric matrix that has a Z value of greater than or equal to 90, added to which is the inorganic filler and at least one second elastomer, identical to or different from the first elastomer, and also to the process for preparing such a composition.

Abstract: Tread for civil engineering tires, having blocks in the central part and edge ribs, each block having a width Ltb measured parallel to transverse edges and a width Lcb measured along the circumferential direction, wherein each edge rib has a plurality of recesses, forming housings, with a transverse width Lte and a circumferential length Lce, delimited over the whole of its height He by transversely orientated walls and a circumferentially orientated wall, having a suitable geometry to receive at least an end part of a block of the central region with a circumferential clearance Ac in the circumferential direction and a transverse clearance At in the transverse or axial direction, these clearances determined to ensure that, in the usual running conditions of the tire the end part of said block of the central region is at least partially in contact with at least one of the transversely orientated walls of each recess, thereby preventing each of the blocks, having its ends locked in said recesses, from coming i

Abstract: The present invention relates to the use of a compound of formula (I): wherein: —R represents —OH or —NH2; —A1 represents a divalent alkylene radical, straight or branched, having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms; —A2 represents a divalent alkylene radical, straight or branched, having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms; —X1 and X2 represent, independently of each other, —NH— or —O—; —A3 represents a divalent alkylene radical, straight or branched, having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms; —Z represents a hydrogen or a group of formula (A?): wherein A1, A3 and R are as defined above in formula (I), for the preparation of a polymer chosen among polyurethane, polyester and polyamide.

Abstract: A layer of cellular material forms a running layer (14A) of a tread (14) in which tread pattern elements (20, 22, 26) are made. In order to form the cellular material, an uncured blank is provided with a mass of material comprising p,p?-oxybis(benzenesulphonyl hydrazide) that forms a pore-forming agent. The uncured blank is placed in a vulcanization mold (28) comprising molding elements (30, 32, 34). At least 95% of the molding elements (30, 32, 34) each satisfy the following two conditions: a) the molding element (30, 32, 34) is separated from at least one other molding element (30, 32, 34) by a distance, expressed in millimeters, of less than or equal to DM=6.85+0.0065T3, T, greater than or equal to 3 phr, being the amount of p,p?-oxybis(benzenesulphonyl hydrazide) in the mass of material intended to form the cellular material, b) the molding element (30, 32, 34) is intended to form a tread pattern element (20, 22, 26) having a depth at least equal to 80% of the thickness of the running layer (14A).

Abstract: A tire mold equipped with features for protecting the tread mold segments from damage is described. One or more impact absorbers are positioned between tread mold segments and operate to preclude contact between the shoulders of the tread mold segments when such are biased back into their original position as a tire is removed from the tire mold. By precluding such contact, the tread mold segments are protected from damage that can affect the appearance of the cured tire.

Abstract: The process includes a non-crosslinked self-sealing composition which is introduced into an extrusion means, the geometric and thermodynamic characteristics of which have been specially adapted. The speed and temperature conditions of the extrusion means are adjusted so that, at an application nozzle forming the outlet die of the extrusion means, the self-sealing composition is crosslinked. The application nozzle is brought close to the internal surface of the casing previously set in relative motion with respect to the application nozzle, and an extruded and crosslinked bead that has a given width and profile is deposited directly on the internal surface of the casing.

Abstract: The tire has a crown part with sidewalls that end in beads. The crown part has a tread and a crown reinforcement. The crown reinforcement has protective, working and additional reinforcements. The protective reinforcement has a protective layer with elastic metal reinforcers which form an angle at least equal to 10°. The working reinforcement has working layers with crossed metal reinforcers and forming, with the circumferential direction, an angle at most equal to 60°. The additional reinforcement has a layer with an axial width at most equal to 0.9 times the shortest of the axial widths of the working layers and comprising metal reinforcers which form an angle at most equal to 25°. A tread pattern design of the tread has circumferentially oriented grooves. The mean axial distance between the two grooves closest to the equatorial midplane is greater than the maximum axial width of the additional reinforcement.

Abstract: The building drum includes a support (20), a central shaft (30) and an outer circumferential surface coaxial with the axis of rotation of the drum. The building drum also has a principal cylindrical surface (100) axially bounded by a shoulder (101) extended by a lateral protuberance (102) for receiving the products which have to be assembled. Several segments together define the principal cylindrical surface, and those segments are being divided into first and second groups of adjacent segments (103a, 103b) mounted so as to move between a first position in which they are circumferentially juxtaposed and a second position in which the adjacent segments are radially offset. Several adjacent elbow levers (140) form the shoulder (101) and the protuberance (102) in the expanded position of the drum and each elbow lever (140) is mounted with articulation on the segment (103a, 103b) and on the support (20).

Abstract: A process for preparing a carbon species partially or completely covered with silica, including: bringing the carbon species into contact, in an aqueous medium, with one or more cationic surfactants, adjusting the pH of the reaction medium of the suspension using an alkaline agent to a pH that varies from 8 to 10, adding one or more alkali metal silicates to the reaction medium obtained, while maintaining the pH of the reaction medium between 8 and 10.

Abstract: A mold for vulcanizing and molding a tire, the tire having a tread delimited by two sidewalls, at least one of which is provided with a complex protuberance, the mold having a ring for molding the tread of the tire and two shells for molding the sidewalls, the mold having an annular insert that separates the mold into at least two portions, namely a ring portion and a shell portion in the radially lower region of the sidewalls, the insert having two adjacent concentric elements that are intended to mold the complex protuberance, namely a radially outer element associated with the ring, and a radially inner element associated with the shell.

Abstract: A tread for a pneumatic tire in which air column resonance sound is reduced and wear of the groove fences and tread portion are caused to be approximately the same, while drainage performance is maintained, wherein a plurality of groove fences are formed and are installed within at least one circumferential groove, extending from the bottom of the circumferential groove, and block at least 70% of the cross-sectional area of the circumferential groove, and the bending parameter of the groove fences, defined as E·I/(h3l) (where E is the modulus at 10% elongation of the material used for the groove fences, I is the second moment of area of the groove fence, h is the height of the groove fence, and l is the width of the groove fence) is at least equal to 250 Pa and at most equal to 350 Pa.

Abstract: A tire made of rubber material, comprising a tread (2), said tread (2) having a plurality of grooves (21), each groove (21, 23) having a groove bottom, walls flanking the groove bottom and transition regions between the walls and the groove bottom. The tire is characterized in that all or some of the grooves (21, 23) comprise a texture (3) extending only over the groove bottom and over at least a part of the transition regions associated with this groove bottom, said texture (3) contrasting with the rest of the tire (2).

Abstract: The invention relates to a rubber composition based on one or more specific functionalized diene elastomers and on one or more carbon blacks with a CTAB specific surface varying from 100 to 200 m2/g, the functionalized diene elastomer or elastomers being composed of a specific diene elastomer functionalized, at the chain end or in the middle of the chain, by a tin functional group and of a content of less than 15% by weight, with respect to the total weight of the functionalized diene elastomer, of a non-tin functional elastomer. The diene elastomer exhibits a monomodal distribution of molecular weights before functionalization and a polydispersity index before functionalization of less than or equal to 1.3. This composition makes it possible to obtain tires having an improved wear resistance and which are characterized by decrease in rolling resistance, without damaging the processing and the wet grip.

Abstract: Provided is a pneumatic tire capable of yielding excellent water-draining performance, while reducing air column resonance. This pneumatic tire (1) has a tread (3) and at least one ply (2) arranged toward the interior of the tread in the radial direction. The tread has at least one main channel (4) and a flexible fence (5) formed inside the main channel. The main channel has a bottom (413) and opposing first and second wall surfaces (411, 412). The flexible fence extends along the width of the main channel so as to block at least 70% of a cross sectional area of the main channel, and is arranged at intervals so that at least one is present in the main channel in the tread footprint when the tire rolls. A plurality of recesses having an opening that opens in the main channel are formed on the bottom, first wall surface and/or second wall surface of the main channel, the flexible fence being connected to the recess and extending into the main channel via the opening of the recess.

Abstract: A self-sealing elastomer composition that includes a diene elastomer, a hydrocarbon resin with a given softening temperature, and a liquid plasticizing agent, is manufactured according to a process that includes successive stages. In one stage, the hydrocarbon resin is incorporated in the diene elastomer by kneading the resin and the elastomer in a mixer at or up to a temperature referred to as “hot compounding” temperature, which is greater than the softening temperature of the resin, in order to obtain a masterbatch. In another stage, the liquid plasticizing agent is incorporated in the masterbatch by kneading the agent and the masterbatch in the same mixer or in another mixer, in order to obtain the self-sealing composition. The self-sealing composition then is formed dimensionally.

Abstract: A barrier layer for impeding the flow of inflation gas through an inflatable article, the barrier layer constructed of a material that is based upon a cross-linkable rubber composition, the cross-linkable rubber composition comprising, per 100 parts by weight of rubber (pbr) at least 50 phr of a primary elastomer selected from at least one of a halogenated butyl rubber or a polymeric halogenated rubber comprising C4 to C7 isooleiln derived units, para-alkylstyrene derived units and para-(haloalkylstyrene) derived units. The rubber composition may further include between 0 phr and 50 phr of a secondary diene elastomer and a platy filler. Additionally the rubber composition includes 1,3-phenylene dimaleimide and is cured with a sulfur curing system, which includes an accelerator.