Abstract: The tread of a tire designed particularly to run on snowy, icy or wet surfaces. The tread comprises elements in relief (e.g., blocks or ribs), each having a running face and lateral faces. At least one element in relief is provided with an incision defined along a mean plane. The tread comprises at least two holes passing through the element in relief substantially parallel to the mean plane of the incision. Each hole opens onto two lateral faces of the element in relief, and the holes are situated on one and the same side of the mean plane of the incision in spaced relationship to the incision.

Abstract: A tire designed to be mounted and pressurized on a vehicle wheel rim that has at least one circumferential seat for a bead belonging to the tire and an outward radial projection in the vicinity of the seat. A circumferential crown is provided with a tread for ensuring contact with the ground. At least one bead has a portion suitable for being mounted on the rim seat. A wall comprising a structure of rubber and reinforcements connects the crown to the bead. The whole formed by these elements defines with the rim an air chamber. At least one protective element is located in a sector where the tire wall between the crown and the bead could become pinched between the projection and an obstacle external to the tire in response to a violent impact due to the tread meeting this obstacle, causing closure of the internal cavity of the tire in this sector and momentary high compressive stresses perpendicular to the wall of the tire.

Abstract: A self-sealing elastomer composition, in an inflatable article such as a pneumatic tire (1), such composition comprising, as predominant elastomer, a thermoplastic styrene (TPS) elastomer and an extender oil with a content of between 200 and 700 phe (parts per hundred parts of elastomer by weight). An airtight puncture-resistant laminate (10) that can be used in particular in said inflatable article (1), comprises a puncture-resistant first layer (10a) comprising said self-sealing composition and an airtight second layer (10b), for example based on butyl rubber. An inflatable article comprises such a self-sealing composition or such an airtight puncture-resistant laminate.

Abstract: A mold for vulcanizing an unvulcanized tire blank comprises: two axial members each carrying a molding surface for molding a sidewall of the tire, at least one of the axial members being movable between a position for molding the sidewall and a position for unmolding the tire; at least one molding member for molding a channel in a tread of the tire, the molding member being movable between a channel-molding position and a channel-unmolding position; and axial movement means for axially moving the channel-molding member between its molding and unmolding positions. The axial movement means include releasable connection means between the channel-molding member and the axial member.

Abstract: Tire comprising at least two sidewalls, a crown provided radially externally with a tread, a carcass-type reinforcing structure and a crown reinforcement, the inner surface of the sidewalls and of the crown forming an inner wall of the tire, at least one portion of said wall being covered with a self-sealing layer comprising a thermoplastic stirene (TPS) elastomer and the tire being able to be inflated to a given service inflation pressure Pi. For any temperature within a given temperature range, between +30° C. and +100° C., the self-sealing layer has a loss factor tan ? of less than 0.2 and a dynamic modulus G* of less than Pi, tan ? and G* being measured at a frequency of 10 Hz.

Abstract: A tire includes a tread in which there is provided a molded channel. The molded channel is interrupted by at least one furrow of the tread and extends along a curved path. The path of the molded channel is preferably substantially parallel to an outside surface of the tread in a radial section plane of the tire.

Abstract: A mold for vulcanizing an unvulcanized tire blank comprises: two axial members each carrying a molding surface for molding a sidewall of the tire, at least one of the axial members being movable between a position for molding the sidewall and a position for unmolding the tire; at least one molding member for molding a channel in a tread of the tire, the molding member being movable between a channel-molding position and a channel-unmolding position; and axial movement means for axially moving the channel-molding member between its molding and unmolding positions. The axial movement means include releasable connection means between the channel-molding member and the axial member.

Abstract: Inner tube for an inflatable assembly consisting of a tire and of a rim, the said chamber consisting of material of the foam type, characterized in that the said chamber has a length Lc of the normal section of the inner tube greater than the length Lpi of the internal cross section of the corresponding tire mounted on its rim and that in contact with the internal air. This then yields the relationship Lc>Lpi and, in an alternative form, Lc=Lpi.

Abstract: A tire with reduced rolling noise includes a tire structure formed of at least one crown extended by two sidewalls and two beads. A base of each of the two beads is configured to be mounted onto a rim seat. The tire also includes a carcass-type reinforcing structure anchored into the two beads and an additional layer bonded to an inner wall of the tire structure. The additional layer is bonded to the tire structure at its edges and the rest of the additional layer is not bonded. The additional layer includes an inflation valve.

Abstract: A tire with a cellular layer is provided. The tire includes a tire structure formed of at least one crown extended by two sidewalls and two beads. A base of each of the two beads is configured to be mounted onto a rim seat. The tire also includes a carcass-type reinforcing structure anchored into the two beads, and a layer that includes a cellular material, also referred to as a cellular layer. The cellular layer is positioned on an inner wall of the tire structure, such that the cellular layer is bonded to the tire structure over at most over 20% of a surface of the cellular layer and is not bonded to the tire structure elsewhere on the surface.

Abstract: A tire includes, among the conventional tread pattern elements, at least one measuring element having a central zone and an encircling zone. In normal operation, the central zone 10 of a measuring element slides over the ground while, conversely, the tread as a whole does not slide over the ground. Measurements are carried out of the maximum adherence potential with the ground, at any moment, due to the central zone of a measuring element. In an alternative embodiment, the measuring element may comprise a circumferentially extending rib(s) or tread block(s) whose ground contact surface(s) is spaced at a lesser radial distance from the wheel axle than the spacing of the ground contact surfaces of the conventional tread blocks.

Abstract: A rubber tread of a tire includes cavities spaced radially inwardly from a running surface of the tread when new. Each cavity includes an incision, and a groove communicating with a radially inner end of the incision when the tread is new. The incision has a radially outer generatrix following an undulating profile having an amplitude of at least 20% of a maximum height of the cavity. A width of the incision is not greater than 2.5 mm, and the groove width is greater than 2.5 mm.

Abstract: A tread of rubber mix provided with a tread pattern formed by a plurality of elements in relief (1) defining grooves or incisions, this tread furthermore comprising at least one inserted element (3) arranged in a groove between two neighboring elements in relief, this inserted element having a contact face (31) intended to be in contact with the roadway and offset towards the inside of the tread relative to the contact faces of the neighboring elements, this inserted element (3) having lateral faces, some of said faces being provided with a plurality of connecting reliefs (6) of rubber mix making the inserted element (3) and at least one neighboring element (1) integral.

Abstract: A tire tread includes a running surface intended to be in contact with the roadway during travel. The running surface has a plurality of first cut-outs of a depth less than the thickness of the tread and defining tread pattern elements of a height less than the total thickness of the tread. The tread has a plurality of cavities located subjacent the running surface when the tread is new. Each of these cavities eventually forms at least one new groove or incision in the running surface after partial wearing of the tread. Each cavity is delimited by the rubber of the tread and has an upper generatrix beneath the running surface when the tread is new. The upper generatrix of each cavity follows an undulating profile having a series of recesses and elevations, the amplitude of these recesses and elevations being at least 10% of the depth of the new grooves or incisions that are eventually created.

Abstract: A tire includes, among the conventional tread pattern elements, at least one measuring element having a central zone and an encircling zone. In normal operation, the central zone 10 of a measuring element slides over the ground while, conversely, the tread as a whole does not slide over the ground. Measurements are carried out of the maximum adherence potential with the ground, at any moment, due to the central zone of a measuring element. In an alternative embodiment, the measuring element may comprise a circumferentially extending rib(s) or tread block(s) whose ground contact surface(s) is spaced at a lesser radial distance from the wheel axle than the spacing of the ground contact surfaces of the conventional tread blocks.

Abstract: A tire includes at least one sidewall support exhibiting a substantially progressive increase in rigidity as the tire sags during depressurization. The support, which is disposed in the substantially median portion of the tire's sidewalls, includes a circumferential cord disposed in undulating manner in the sidewalls, whereby the axial position of the cord varies around the tire's circumference. At rated pressure, the structural rigidity of the sidewalls is that of a standard tire, while at reduced pressure the sidewalls rigidify in such a way as to be able to bear the load.

Abstract: A tire includes at least one carcass-type reinforcement structure anchored on each side in a bead, each bead being extended radially towards the outside by a sidewall having at least one substantially resilient circumferential cord disposed in the substantially median portion of the sidewalls. The carcass-type reinforcement structure includes a ply of carcass cords extending from the bead to the crown within a sidewall. The carcass cords are arranged in such a way that, in a sidewall zone restricted to the median portion of the sidewall, the carcass cords exhibit different respective axial positions, so as to form around the circumference a succession of substantially regular undulations defining an undulating circumferential profile. Outside of the sidewall zone, the carcass cords of the ply do not form undulations. At reduced pressure the undulations tend to straighten out and rigidify the sidewall in such a way as to be able to bear the load.

Abstract: A tire includes, among the conventional tread pattern elements, at least one measuring element having a central zone and an encircling zone. In normal operation, the central zone 10 of a measuring element slides over the ground while, conversely, the tread as a whole does not slide over the ground. Measurements are carried out of the maximum adherence potential with the ground, at any moment, due to the central zone of a measuring element. In an alternative embodiment, the measuring element may comprise a circumferentially extending rib(s) or tread block(s) whose ground contact surface(s) is spaced at a lesser radial distance from the wheel axle than the spacing of the ground contact surfaces of the conventional tread blocks.

Abstract: A tread of thickness E, intended to be used in a tire having a carcass reinforcement surmounted by a crown reinforcement and including on its outer surface a plurality of grooves of depth h, including at least circumferential grooves separated axially by ribs, is provided with at least one internal, circumferential anti-rubber-on-rubber connection element, the outer wall of which, viewed in meridian section, has in part a contour identical to the contour of the wall of the regrooving groove to be created, the point(s) of said wall which are farthest from the axis of rotation being radially distant from the tread surface by a quantity h1 less than the depth h of the grooves, and the point(s) of said wall closest to the axis of rotation being radially distant from the tread surface by the maximum regrooving height H.

Abstract: A tread (B) provided with a tread pattern formed of a plurality of elements in relief (1, 10) which are defined by grooves and/or incisions (2), this tread pattern comprising on each of its edges, that is to say axially furthest to the outside of the tread, an edge rib (1) of circumferential orientation defined axially to the inside by a groove (2) of the same general orientation and of depth H, this tread furthermore comprising, axially to the outside of each edge rib (1), a rib (3) offset relative to the outer contact surface (11) of the neighboring edge rib (1) by a distance d other than zero, this offset rib (3) being separated from the edge rib (1) by a groove (4) of a depth identical or close to the depth H of the groove (2) defining the edge rib (1), wherein the tread comprises, on either side where a sacrificed rib (3) is formed, a plurality of channels (5) opening on to the lateral faces of the tread, these channels (5) being extended in the tread until they open into the groove (4) between the offse