Abstract: A pneumatic tire is described having a triangular shaped apex which extends radially outward of the bead core, and wherein the apex is formed of at least two zones. Each zone is formed of a different material, wherein the first zone extends from the base of the apex to the tip of the apex, and the second zone is located adjacent the ply. The zones are preferably formed by extrusion to form one cohesive apex. The first zone is formed of a material having a G?/G? ratio in the range of about 0.155 to about 0.183. The second zone is formed of a material having a G?/G? ratio in the range of about 0.125 to about 0.133.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire having a carcass and a belt reinforcing structure wherein the belt reinforcing structure is a composite belt structure having at least one radially inner spiral layer and at least one zigzag belt reinforcing structure located radially outward of said spiral layer. The zigzag belt width is preferably wider than the spiral layer.

Abstract: A wind-up side cord of a chafer is arranged in such a manner that an angle of inclination of a first line connecting a first point and a second point with respect to a tire circumferential direction is 20 to 40 degrees, and is formed as a circular arc shape which is convex to an outer side in the tire radial direction, a turn-up side cord of the chafer is arranged in such a manner that an angle of inclination of a second line connecting a third point and a fourth point with respect to the tire circumferential direction is 30 to 50 degrees, and is equal to or less than 5 degrees in a change of the angle of inclination with respect to the tire circumferential direction, and a distance in the tire circumferential direction from a fifth point to the first line is 2 to 12 mm.

Abstract: In a pneumatic tire, center land portions include a circumferential narrow groove extending in the tire circumferential direction so as to partition the center land portions in a tire width direction; a plurality of lug grooves disposed in each region of each of the center land portions partitioned by the circumferential narrow groove, extending in the tire width direction, so as to partition each of the regions of the center land portions in the tire circumferential direction; and a plurality of blocks partitioned by the circumferential narrow groove and the plurality of lug grooves. Blocks of the center land portions include one open sipe extending in the tire width direction so as to partition the blocks in the tire circumferential direction, and three or more closed sipes disposed in each of the regions of each of the blocks partitioned by the open sipe.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire has a tread rubber formed by a nonconductive rubber and a side wall rubber formed by the nonconductive rubber. An outer surface of the side wall rubber is provided with a band-like diametrical conductive portion which is formed by a conductive rubber and extends along a tire diametrical direction. An outer end of the diametrical conductive portion is exposed to a ground-contacting surface or is connected to a conductive rubber member which is exposed to the ground-contacting surface. An inner end of the diametrical conductive portion is exposed to a rim contact region or is connected to a rim strip rubber formed by the conductive rubber. A narrow groove is formed by depressing an outer surface of the diametrical conductive portion and extends in a tire diametrical direction in a side wall portion.

Abstract: An article having a fluid permeation prevention layer, such as a pneumatic tire or hose. A tire for example includes an outer tread layer, intermediate sidewall and carcass layers and an innermost air permeation prevention layer: (i) the air permeation prevention (APP) layer having an upper and a lower surface, the layer having a polymer composition exhibiting an air permeation coefficient (APC) of about 25×10?12 cc cm/cm2 sec cmHg (at 30° C.) or less and a Young's modulus of about 1 MPa to about 500 MPa, the polymer composition comprising: (A) at least 10 wt % of at least one. thermoplastic resin component having an APC of about 25×10?12 cc cm/cm2 sec cmHg (at 30° C.) or less and a Young's modulus of more than 500 MPa, which is preferably a polyamide resin or mixture, and (B) at least 10 wt % of at least one elastomer component having an APC of more than about 25×10?12 cc cm/cm2 sec cmHg (at 30° C.

Abstract: A technique for improving the durability of the beads of a radial tire for a heavy vehicle of the civil engineering type, by reducing the rate of spread of cracks initiated at the turned-back end of carcass reinforcement and the spread through the coating, edge-binding and filler polymer materials.

Abstract: A passenger vehicle tire, the crown reinforcement of which has three distinct elements, the three distinct elements comprising: a radial carcass reinforcement formed of reinforcing elements connecting the two beads of the tire, a crown belt comprising reinforcing elements parallel to the circumferential direction of the tire, and a crown triangulation layer comprising reinforcing elements making an angle of between 10 degrees and 80 degrees with the circumferential direction of the tire, the reinforcing elements of the triangulation layer having a flattened cross section.

Abstract: An air maintenance tire includes a tire carcass; a flexible tire component strip such as a chafer component forming a portion of the tire carcass, the tire component strip having a channel formed within an upper surface defined by opposed strip lip portions and a channel bottom wall; an air passageway within the flexible tire component extending between air inlet and air outlet cavities in the flexible tire component, the air passageway extending at least a partial circumferential path around the tire carcass; and an elongate passageway-shaping strip assembly occupying and enclosed within the air passageway of the flexible tire component, the passageway-shaping strip assembly operative forming and maintaining the air passageway to a cross-sectional configuration replicating a cross-sectional configuration of the passageway-shaping strip assembly.

Abstract: A tire for a construction vehicle according to the present invention provides a tire for a construction vehicle having a belt formed by plural layers on the radially outer side of a crown portion of a carcass toroidally extending between a pair of bead portions, in which an outermost belt layer located on the radially outermost side of the belt has a width of 50% or more of a tread width, and a narrow groove is provided such that a distance between an end portion of the outermost belt layer and a bottom portion of the narrow groove is in the range of 15% to 100% of a tread thickness T, where T is a tread thickness at the end portion of the outermost belt layer.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprising, in a tread portion 1, at least two block groups GB, each block group being composed of a plurality of independent blocks 4 defined by grooves, wherein the block groups GB have at least two different values of block number densities D, each of the block number densities D being represented by the formula: D=a/{PL×W×(1?N/100)}, wherein PL (mm) represents a reference pitch length of the block 4 in the block group GBn, W (mm) represents a width of the block group, a (pieces) represents the number of the blocks existing in a reference zone of the block group, the reference zone being demarcated by the reference pitch length PL and the width W, and N (%) represents a negative ratio in the reference zone; wherein the block number density of at least one block group is within a range of 0.003 (pieces/mm2) to 0.04 (pieces/mm2).

Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion provided with a plurality of blocks, each of the block having a block wall surface facing a transverse groove inclined at an angle (theta) of from 5 to 40 degrees with respect to the tire axial-direction so as to define an acute-angled corner and an obtuse-angled corner on the block. The block wall surface between the acute-angled corner and the obtuse-angled corner is provided with at least two slits having a width of from 0.3 to 2.0 mm. A distance P2 measured from the acute-angled corner to one of the at least two slits which is nearest to the acute-angled corner is more than a distance P1 measured from said obtuse-angled corner to one of said at least two slits which is nearest to the obtuse-angled corner; each distance is measured along the radially outer edge of the block wall surface to the widthwise center of the slit.

Abstract: A method of producing a pneumatic tire with a surface fastener including filling an uncured rubber between engagement elements of a surface fastener to form a protective rubber layer in which the engagement elements are buried; placing the surface fastener having the protective rubber layer on an uncured tire in a manner that a surface of the surface fastener opposite a surface having the engagement elements is in intimate contact with an inner surface of the tire; and curing the uncured tire having the surface fastener by use of a curing machine equipped with a bladder.

Abstract: The present invention provides a pneumatic tire for a motorcycle which secures a sufficiently large lateral force in the intermediate region contacting the ground particularly when a middle camber angle is applied to the tire and increases a driving force and a braking force. The tire comprises a tread portion 1, side wall portions 2 and bead portions 3. This tread portion 1 comprises five regions of a central region A, shoulder regions C and intermediate regions B. Loss tangent of at least a portion forming a ground contact surface of an intermediate tread rubber 7b disposed over an entire region of the intermediate regions B is larger than both of loss tangent of at least a portion forming a ground contact surface of a central tread rubber 7a disposed over an entire region of the central region A and loss tangent of at least a portion forming a ground contact surface of a shoulder tread rubber 7c disposed over an entire region of the shoulder regions C.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire including a closed sipe in a land portion 3 formed in a tread surface, provided with at least three cuts extending in a radiation direction from an imaginary axis that extends in a depth direction of the land portion, and that terminate in the land portion. The cuts are provided with a spiral-like twist in the depth direction, centered on the imaginary axis, and a twist angle thereof is not less than 10° and not more than 135°. Additionally, a length in the radiation direction of the cuts or a width of the cuts is formed larger at a tread surface side than at a bottom surface side.

Abstract: A tire sidewall may be formed from a composition including a rubber component and a non-ionic surfactant.

Abstract: Tire tread band having a tread surface having at least two wearing layers, a first wearing layer formed by raised elements each having a contact surface, having at least grooves of circumferential orientation, and intended to contact the road surface when new, and at least one wearing layer in contact with the road surface after the first layer has entirely worn away, and containing at least one channel extending in the circumferential direction, and opening onto the tread surface when the wearing layer that precedes it has completely worn away, each wearing layer distinct from the first wearing layer, having transverse incisions distributed in the circumferential direction, extending from a channel of the layer in a direction which is not circumferential, opening fully or partially into at least one other circumferentially oriented channel or groove, irrespective of the level of wear of the other wearing layer.

Abstract: Heavy vehicle tire treads and/or undertread constituted at least in part from a rubber composition comprising between 80 and 100 phr of a natural rubber and between 0 and 20 phr of a synthetic polyisoprene rubber, a reinforcement filler comprising a) between 30 and 50 phr of a highly dispersible silica and b) a carbon black in an amount of between (0.75)C phr and (1.25)C phr as determined by the equation C=?0.8Si+44.3, wherein Si is the amount of the highly dispersible silica, a silane coupling agent and a sulfur curing system comprising between 1.5 and 3 phr of free sulfur and between (0.9)A phr and (L 1)A phr of a sulfenamide accelerator, wherein A is determined by a formula that is a function of the sulfur quantity and the silica weight fraction of the total reinforcement filler.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire has an asymmetric tread pattern and an outboard tread edge and an inboard tread edge to be located outside and inside of a vehicle respectively. Inboard shoulder blocks have an axial width and outboard shoulder blocks have an axial width more than the axial width of the inboard shoulder blocks. The inboard and outboard shoulder blocks are each provided with a plurality of sipes. The sipes of each outboard shoulder block include a circumferential sipe as the axially outermost sipe. The circumferential sipe extends at an angle of not more than 10 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction. The outboard shoulder block has an axially outer sidewall of which surface is provided with a plurality of narrow buttress grooves extending radially inwardly from the outboard tread edge.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire includes, in a tread portion, a pair of circumferential main grooves extending and a land portion provided between the pair of circumferential main grooves and extending in the tire circumferential direction. The land portion includes a bulging portion bulging in a second arc shape in a tire radial direction as a sectional outline of a tread surface of the land portion and chamfered portions connected to the bulging portion and extending straight toward respective groove walls of the circumferential main grooves. A portion of the bulging portion bulges in the tire radial direction with respect to a virtual tread profile line which is determined by a first arc shape in a sectional shape of the tread portion. A maximum bulging amount is 0.1 to 0.8 mm. The virtual tread profile line extends across the chamfered portions.