Abstract: A washing machine and a washing method, comprises an inner cylinder, an outer cylinder, and solid particles as a washing medium. The inner cylinder is driven into rotation by a driver unit. A side wall of the inner cylinder is spirally shaped and drives the particles into a spiral movement and flipping within the inner cylinder. When the inner cylinder is spinning, the screw thread drives the particles into flipping in all directions, back-and-forth and up-and-down, within the inner cylinder, thus allowing for increased mixing between clothes and the particles, for simplified washing process while also for improved cleaning rate, and for facilitated recycling of the particles.

Abstract: A tire having an improved wet grip, in particular for a passenger vehicle, a van, or two-wheel vehicle, includes a tread of which includes a rubber composition. The rubber composition includes at least (phr meaning parts by weight per hundred parts of elastomer): as a first diene elastomer, from 55 to 95 phr of natural rubber or synthetic polyisoprene; as a second diene elastomer, from 5 to 45 phr of a polybutadiene or butadiene copolymer having a Tg greater than ?70° C.; as a reinforcing filler, from 60 to 90 phr of an inorganic filler; as a plasticizer, more than 5 phr of a thermoplastic hydrocarbon resin exhibiting a Tg greater than 20° C.; and optionally, from 0 to 20 phr of a plasticizing agent, which is a liquid at 23° C.

Abstract: A turn-on drive circuit for a power transistor comprising a first circuit comprising a resistor and capacitor in parallel and a second circuit comprising a resistor, the second circuit being in series in the drive path with the first circuit. A turn-off drive circuit for a power transistor comprising a first circuit comprising a first resistor and a second resistor in series in the drive path of the power resistor and a second circuit comprising a capacitor in parallel with one of the resistors of the first circuit.

Abstract: This invention relates generally to shear band of a tire that has means for inducing buckling when the tire is subjected to high deformations, and, more specifically, to a tire that has a shear band with at least one membrane that has a reinforcement having predetermined configurations for controlling the buckling behavior of the reinforcement when the membrane is subjected to compressive stress.

Abstract: A cross-linkable or cross-linked rubber composition having a diene rubber selected from one or more natural rubbers, one or more synthetic rubbers or combinations thereof as well as a petroleum hydrocarbon resin. The petroleum hydrocarbon resin may be characterized as having a number-average molecular weight of between 750 and 1000 g/mole, a glass transition temperature of between 20° C. and 60° C. and a polydispersity index of between 1.8 and 3. Furthermore, the resin has units resulting from the polymerization of dicyclopentadiene and dicyclopentadiene codimers with an olefinic composition. Additionally, the rubber composition may include a reinforcing filler that is selected from an inorganic filler, an organic filler or combinations thereof. The composition is useful as a material for articles that include tire components, such as a tire tread.

Abstract: Tire (10) for a heavy goods vehicle comprising a radial carcass reinforcement (60) anchored in each of the beads (50) to an anchoring structure (700), comprising a circumferential reinforcement (70), the carcass reinforcement (60) being partially wrapped around the anchoring structure (700), the tire (10) also comprising a coupling reinforcement (150) comprising a first part (151) in contact with the carcass reinforcement (60) and being extended by a second part (152) in contact with the anchoring structure (700) as far as a point (157) radially on the outside of the anchoring structure (700), located axially between the axially innermost point (702) and the axially outermost point (704) of the anchoring structure (700), the tire (10) also comprising a stiffening reinforcement (160) surrounding the coupling reinforcement (150) and running radially on the inside of the anchoring structure (700) and of the coupling reinforcement (150), wherein the axially outside end point (166) of said stiffening reinforcement

Abstract: A tire having an improved wet grip, in particular for a passenger vehicle, a van, or a two-wheel vehicle, includes a tread formed of a rubber composition. The rubber composition includes at least (phr meaning parts by weight per hundred parts of elastomer): as a first diene elastomer, from 55 to 95 phr of natural rubber or synthetic polyisoprene; as a second diene elastomer, from 5 to 45 phr of a polybutadiene or butadiene copolymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) which is greater than ?70° C.; as a reinforcing filler, more than 90 phr and less than 150 phr of an inorganic filler; and as a plasticizer, more than 10 phr of a thermoplastic hydrocarbon resin exhibiting a glass transition temperature (Tg) greater than 20° C.

Abstract: A voltage measurement is made between two points in a circuit. If the measured voltage exceeds a predetermined amount, a switch is operated to electrically connect the two points.

Abstract: This invention relates generally to tires having treads that have a configuration and/or properties for providing suitable snow and dry traction, and, more specifically, to a tire that has a tread that has a maximum value for sipe density in the contact patch, a minimum value for lateral groove density in the contact patch, and a minimum value for the longitudinal contact surface ratio. In certain embodiments, the pitch length of pitches or repeating units of tread geometry along the circumferential direction of the tire is within a certain range and the tread depth is below a specified value. Tires with treads having a configuration that falls within these design parameters exhibit a desirably good level of snow and dry traction.

Abstract: In a rubber-coated fabric, a plurality of warp cords is included with a spacing d between, sides of adjacent warp cords, each of the warp cords being coated with a layer of rubber compound, A cut line may further be included that separates groups of the warp cords, each group having a predetermined number of the warp cords. The cut line, may be formed by between 2 and 6 adjacent cut line warp cords, wherein a distance dc, between any two sides of adjacent cut Hue warp cords may be no more than. 50% of d. The layer of rubber compound that coats- the rubber-coated fabric is thin enough to outline the cut line on a surface of the rubber-coated woven fabric.

Abstract: An aqueous adhesive composition includes: a phenol/aldehyde resin; and an unsaturated elastomer latex. The phenol/aldehyde resin is based on at least: an aromatic polyaldehyde bearing at least two aldehyde functional groups and including at least one aromatic nucleus; and phloroglucinol. The adhesive composition is useable to make a textile material adhere to a crosslinkable rubber composition, and may be used as an advantageous alternative to a formaldehyde-based RFL adhesive.

Abstract: Inner tube for a pneumatic tyre, notably for a bicycle, characterized in that it has an elastomeric gastight layer consisting of an elastomeric composition comprising at least one styrene/isobutylene/styrene thermoplastic elastomer (called “SIBS”) and in that it includes a self-sealing material disposed inside the cavity formed by the airtight elastomeric layer.

Abstract: An aqueous adhesive composition includes: a phenol/aldehyde resin; and an unsaturated elastomer latex. The phenol/aldehyde resin is based on: an aromatic polyaldehyde bearing at least two aldehyde functional groups and including at least one aromatic nucleus; and a polyphenol including at least one aromatic nucleus. If there is just one aromatic nucleus, the nucleus bears two or three hydroxyl functional groups in a meta position with respect to each other or with respect to one another, with a remainder of the nucleus being unsubstituted. If there are plural aromatic nuclei, at least two of the nuclei each bear two or three hydroxyl functional groups in the meta position with respect to each other or with respect to one another, with two positions ortho to at least one of these hydroxyl functional groups being unsubstituted. The adhesive composition is useable to adhere a textile material to a crosslinkable rubber composition.

Abstract: A washing machine and a washing method, comprises an inner cylinder, an outer cylinder, and solid particles as washing medium. The inner cylinder is driven into rotation by a driver device. The inner cylinder has arranged on the inner wall thereof scraper blades that protrude inwards and are bent along the wall of the inner cylinder. The scraper blades drives the particles into obliquely upward or obliquely downward movements and flipping, thus allowing for more fully mixing clothes with the particles, for simplified washing process, while also for improved cleaning rate, and for facilitated recycling of the particles.

Abstract: Detection method according to Claim 9, in which, the grey level image of the inner surface of a tyre to be checked is captured and this original image is transformed into an orthonormal space in which the x-axis (OX) represents the circumferential direction, and the y-axis (OY), the predetermined series of filters is applied to the original image of the inner surface of the tyre to be checked in order to obtain a multivariate original image, the multivariate original image is split according to the predefined tiling in the axial and circumferential directions, in such a way as to obtain multivariate sub-images of the inner surface of the tyre to be checked, each of the multivariate sub-images is transformed into one-dimensional vectors, using each of the selected descriptors, in such a way as to obtain a simplified multivariate image of the inner surface of the tyre to be checked, the simplified multivariate image is transformed into the common reduced factorial space, the sub-images of the inner surface o

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the depth of a metal feature in a rubber or elastomeric material is provided. In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for determining the depth of e.g., a metal cable in a tire. A sensor that changes state within range of the metal feature is used to determine the depth of such feature in the material without the necessity of deconstructing the material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tire rubber composition based on at least one diene elastomer, an inorganic filler as reinforcing filler, a coupling agent providing the bonding between the inorganic filler and the diene elastomer, characterized in that the coupling agent is an azosilane compound of following formula (I): (G1)3-a(G2)aSi—Z—NH—C(O)—N?N—C(O)—NH—Z—Si(G1)3-a(G2)a ??(I) in which: G1, identical to or different from one another, each represent a monovalent hydrocarbon-based group chosen from branched or unbranched, substituted or unsubstituted alkyls, having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms, substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyls or aryls, having from 5 to 18 carbon atoms, G2, identical to or different from one another, each represent a hydroxyl group or a monovalent group in the form (G3)n-OG1 in which G3 is a divalent linking group having from 1 to 18 carbon atoms and comprising one or more heteroatoms chosen from O, S, Si and N, n being a number equal to or higher than 0 and less than or equal to 18, Z

Abstract: A vehicle tyre includes a tread formed of a rubber composition that is heat-expandable when unvulcanized, and expanded when vulcanized. When unvulcanized, the composition includes from 50 to 100 phr of a copolymer based on styrene and butadiene; optionally from 0 to 50 phr of another diene elastomer, such as a polybutadiene or a natural rubber; more than 50 phr of a reinforcing filler, such as silica and/or carbon black; between 5 and 25 phr of a sodium- or potassium-including carbonate or hydrogencarbonate; and between 2 and 15 phr of a carboxylic acid having a melting point between 60° C. and 220° C., such as citric acid. A total content of the carboxylic acid and the carbonate or the hydrogencarbonate is greater than 10 phr. Presence of the carboxylic acid and the carbonate or the hydrogencarbonate makes it possible to significantly reduce noise emitted by the tyre during running.

Abstract: A control module for use within a control network, the control module comprising: interface circuitry for enabling communication with an external device; communication means configured to communicate with the external device over the control network by communication with the interface circuitry; coupling means configured to mechanically couple the control module to an adjacent control module and provide a data connection between the communication means and the adjacent module; and an electrical isolation in the data connection between the communication means and the coupling means.

Abstract: A vehicle tyre includes a tread formed of a heat-expandable rubber composition when in an unvulcanized state. The composition includes: from 50 to 100 phr of a copolymer based on styrene and butadiene; optionally from 0 to 50 phr of another diene elastomer, such as a polybutadiene or natural rubber; more than 50 phr of a reinforcing filler, such as silica and/or carbon black; between 5 and 25 phr of a blowing agent, such as an azodicarbonamide compound; and between 5 and 25 phr of a heat-fusible compound having a melting point between 70° C. and 150° C., such as urea or a heat-fusible urea derivative. A total content of the blowing agent and the heat-fusible compound is greater than 15 phr. Use of the composition enables, after the tyre is vulcanized, a significant reduction in noise emitted by the tyre during running.