Abstract: A customised patient-specific 4-in-1 femoral finishing cutting jig comprising a cutting block which is configured to be placed, in use, in contact with the distal resection surface of a femur; the jig being characterised in that it comprises a reference means which is connected to said block; wherein the reference means is configured to position, in use, said block relative to the distal resection surface in a predetermined and patient-specific manner; wherein the reference means comprises a first contact element having a first surface which is configured to face, in use, a first femoral condyle and being customised and patient-specific; said first surface is configured to be placed against a respective portion of a first femoral condyle having a corresponding profile.

Abstract: A customised patient-specific 4-in-1 femoral finishing cutting jig comprising a cutting block which is configured to be placed, in use, in contact with the distal resection surface of a femur; the jig being characterised in that it comprises a reference means which is connected to said block; wherein the reference means is configured to position, in use, said block relative to the distal resection surface in a predetermined and patient-specific manner; wherein the reference means comprises a first contact element having a first surface which is configured to face, in use, a first femoral condyle and being customised and patient-specific; said first surface is configured to be placed against a respective portion of a first femoral condyle having a corresponding profile.

Abstract: A tire includes a carcass, a belt structure, and a tread band. The belt structure includes at least two belt plies and at least one belt layer radially external to the belt plies. The at least one belt layer extends at least for an axial width of the at least two belt plies and includes at least one first elongated element and at least one second elongated element. The elongated elements form turns substantially oriented in a circumferential direction of the tire. The turns are alternately disposed along an axial development of the at least one belt layer. The at least one first elongated element is a hybrid cord including at least one high-elastic-modulus filament and at least one low-elastic-modulus filament that are twisted together. An elastic modulus of the at least one second elongated element is lower than an elastic modulus of the at least one first elongated element.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a tire includes providing an elastomeric layer on an outer surface of a toroidal support, manufacturing the tire on the toroidal support provided with the elastomeric layer, introducing the tire supported on the toroidal support into a moulding cavity, introducing a fluid under pressure into a space defined between the toroidal support and an inner surface of the tire in order to press an outer surface of the tire against walls of the moulding cavity, and curing the tire. The elastomeric layer forms an inner circumferential surface of the tire. The process further includes causing an electrical current to flow in at least one heating element provided to the outer surface of the toroidal support so as to obtain at least partial precuring of the elastomeric layer. A toroidal support for carrying out the process is also disclosed.

Abstract: A tire for a vehicle wheel includes a carcass structure, a tread band extending circumferentially around the carcass structure, a belt structure circumferentially located between the carcass structure and the tread band, and at least one pair of sidewalls applied to the carcass structure in axially opposite positions. The carcass structure includes at least one carcass ply. Ends of the carcass structure are fastened to a pair of annular reinforcing elements, wherein each annular reinforcing element is incorporated in a respective bead of the tire includes at least one cord. The at least one cord includes at least one preformed metallic thread element.

Abstract: A tire for a vehicle wheel includes at least one metallic reinforcing cord comprising a single strand of elementary filaments preformed by sinusoidal waving and wound together. The number of filaments is greater than or equal to 3 and less than or equal to 8. A diameter of each filament is greater than or equal to 0.12 mm and less than or equal to 0.35 mm. A linear density of the at least one reinforcing cord is greater than or equal to 0.18 g/m and less than or equal to 4.0 g/m. A value of a breaking-stress integral of the at least one reinforcing cord is greater than or equal to 5,000 J/m3. In a two-wheeled vehicle, the at least one reinforcing cord in a tire for front-mounting may be distributed with a variable density while, in a tire for rear-mounting, the density may be constant.

Abstract: A pneumatic tyre includes a pair of axially-spaced-apart annular reinforcing elements and bead fillers, a carcass structure, at least one flipper, a tread band, a belt structure, and at least one pair of sidewalls. The carcass structure includes at least one carcass ply, extends between the annular reinforcing elements, and is secured at axially opposite end portions to respective annular reinforcing elements. Each end portion is turned up around the respective annular reinforcing element. Each bead filler is disposed radially outward of the respective annular reinforcing element. The at least one flipper at least partially envelops an associated annular reinforcing element and bead filler and includes a plurality of first elongated reinforcing elements that are substantially parallel to each other. The first elongated reinforcing elements include at least one preformed metallic element having a diameter greater than or equal to 0.05 mm and less than or equal to 0.25 mm.

Abstract: A tyre includes a carcass, a belt structure, and a tread band. The belt structure includes at least two belt plies and at least one belt layer radially external to the belt plies. The at least one belt layer extends at least for an axial width of the at least two belt plies and includes at least one first elongated element and at least one second elongated element. The elongated elements form turns substantially oriented in a circumferential direction of the tyre. The turns are alternately disposed along an axial development of the at least one belt layer. The at least one first elongated element is a hybrid cord including at least one high-elastic-modulus filament and at least one low-elastic-modulus filament that are twisted together. An elastic modulus of the at least one second elongated element is lower than an elastic modulus of the at least one first elongated element.

Abstract: A method of mounting a tire on a rim includes selecting a tire comprising bead cores, stretching the bead cores, sliding the bead cores over a balcony portion of the rim, allowing the bead cores to elastically return to lengths corresponding to diameters of respective seats of the rim, and inflating the tire. The bead cores include one or more portions of material with characteristics of superelasticity and shape memory. Stretching the bead cores may include applying constant load to the bead cores at ambient temperature and/or causing the bead cores to undergo structural change at ambient temperature. The structural change may include complete or partial change from austenitic structure to martensitic structure. The one or more portions of material are deformable at ambient temperature in response to a constant force and recover to original shape upon removal of the constant force.

Abstract: A rubberized fabric for a tire belt includes an elastomeric material and at least one reinforcing metal strap in the elastomeric material. The at least one reinforcing metal strap is made of a shape-memory material. The at least one reinforcing metal strap is oriented at about 0° to an equatorial plane of the tire. The at least one reinforcing metal strap has a width of no less than about 1 mm. The at least one reinforcing metal strap has a first thickness of no greater than about 0.1 mm. The at least one reinforcing metal strap may have coils disposed side-by-side and axially displaced from one another.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a tyre includes providing an elastomeric layer on an outer surface of a toroidal support, manufacturing the tyre on the toroidal support provided with the elastomeric layer, introducing the tyre supported on the toroidal support into a moulding cavity, introducing a fluid under pressure into a space defined between the toroidal support and an inner surface of the tyre in order to press an outer surface of the tyre against walls of the moulding cavity, and curing the tyre. The elastomeric layer forms an inner circumferential surface of the tyre. The process further includes causing an electrical current to flow in at least one heating element provided to the outer surface of the toroidal support so as to obtain at least partial precuring of the elastomeric layer. A toroidal support for carrying out the process is also disclosed.

Abstract: A tire for a vehicle wheel, capable of withstanding the load at low pressure or zero pressure, includes a carcass, a crown, two axially opposed sidewalls, two bead cores, two compression-resistant annular reinforcing elements, and, optionally, a belt structure. The annular reinforcing elements are made of material having high rigidity and very low elastic hysteresis. Each annular reinforcing element is in or adjacent to a zone joining the crown to a sidewall and in a first plane parallel to an equatorial plane of the tire. Each bead core is in a second plane parallel to the equatorial plane. The distance between the first planes is greater than or equal to the distance between the second planes. A camber of an arc between a bead core and an intersection of a carcass ply line with a cylindrical surface passing through the reinforcing elements does not exceed 15% of the arc length.

Abstract: A tyre for a vehicle wheel includes a carcass structure, a tread band extending circumferentially around the carcass structure, a belt structure circumferentially located between the carcass structure and the tread band, and at least one pair of sidewalls applied to the carcass structure in axially opposite positions. The carcass structure includes at least one carcass ply. Ends of the carcass structure are fastened to a pair of annular reinforcing elements, wherein each annular reinforcing element is incorporated in a respective bead of the tyre includes at least one cord. The at least one cord includes at least one preformed metallic thread element.

Abstract: Tyre for motor vehicles, provided with a belt structure (3) interposed circumferentially between the carcass (2) and the tread band (4), and comprising at least one pair of belt plies (5,7) radially superimposed on each other and extending axially substantially by the same amount as said tread band. Each ply (5,7) has a plurality of cords (6,8) orientated obliquely with respect to the equatorial plane of the tyre and in opposite directions, and a reinforcing layer (10) radially external to said at least one pair of belt plies (5,7), having reinforcing elements (11) which are substantially parallel to each other and parallel to the equatorial plane. The reinforcing elements (11) of the 0° layer comprise single metal wires preformed according to a given preforming ratio, which have a high elastic modulus and a considerable elongation at low stresses.

Abstract: A rubberized fabric includes at least one substantially metal-free non-woven web having a plurality of fibers. At least some of these fibers are bonded together. The fibers can be substantially oriented in one or more directions. The fabric also includes at least one elastomeric material at least partially covering the at least one non-woven web. The fabric can be incorporated in various locations in a pneumatic tire, such as in a belt structure. Additionally, a pneumatic tire may include one or more elongated rubberized structures including one or more layers of a non-woven web having a plurality of non-metallic fibers substantially oriented in one or more directions relative to the at least one surface.

Abstract: Tire for vehicle wheels, comprising metallic reinforcing cords made of a single strand of elementary filaments preformed by sinusoidal waving and wound together. Said metallic cords show a value of the integral of the breaking stress not lower than 5000 J/m3.

Abstract: A bead core for locking a tire to a seat of a wheel rim includes a plurality of annular reinforcement elements having an inner transverse dimension smaller than a maximum diameter of the wheel rim, and being sufficiently deformable at ambient temperature to facilitate mounting the tire onto the wheel rim. The plurality of annular reinforcement elements includes at least one tightening element made of a shape-memory alloy responsive to temperature increases by increasing a tightening force on the wheel rim at a predetermined temperature. A tire including the bead core and a method for securing a tire to a rim using the bead core are also disclosed.

Abstract: A bead wire for a bead core of a tire, having at least one portion of its annular extent formed from a material having characteristics of superelasticity, resulting in increasing deformations of the bead core when a constant stretching load is applied at constant temperature. As the load ceases, the bead core recovers from the deformation. The characteristics of the bead core allow mounting a tire incorporating the bead core to a rim at ambient temperature, with intelligent adjustment of the bead core to the dimensions of the seat of the rim. The bead core increases the magnitude of an inward contraction stress as its temperature increases, so that it increases the gripping pressure exerted by the tire beads on the rim when the tire runs in the deflated state.

Abstract: A tire includes a carcass, a tread band, at least a reinforcing belt between the tread band and the carcass, a pair of bead cores disposed one at each end of the carcass with ends of the carcass wrapped around the pair of bead cores to form a pair of beads, and at least one clamp disposed around each bead core, wherein the at least one clamp is made of a shape-memory material. A bead core including at least one clamp made of a shape-memory material, a method for manufacturing a tire including at least one clamp made of a strip of shape-memory material, and a method for manufacturing a bead core including at least one clamp made of a strip of shape-memory material are also disclosed.