Abstract: high elongation cable and a tire having a tread belt with an extensible reinforcing cable is provided. The high elongation cable has a 3×7×m or a 4×7×m construction, wherein m is comprised of at least two layers, wherein the outermost layer is comprised of a plurality of twisted filaments, said filaments having a diameter d, wherein the spacing between said twisted filaments is less than the diameter d.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the preparation of a tire (e.g. open torroidal shaped tire) which contains a closed cell cellular rubber within its tire cavity. In one aspect, the cellular rubber is a closed cell cellular rubber composition prepared with an organic peroxide curative with closed cell forming blowing agent. In one aspect, the tire may contain the closed cell cellular rubber under pressure within its tire cavity. In another aspect, the closed cell cellular rubber is formed with a heat profile for the rubber tire casing by utilization of a balance between an organoperoxide and blowing agent to cause a cooperative combination of curing and closed cellular formation of the rubber composition within the tire casing cavity.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire has a pair of shoulder portions extending between a tread portion and opposed sidewall portions. The tire has at least one ply of a composite fabric. The composite fabric has three layers with the middle layer comprising a plurality of straight warp yarns wherein the three layers are bound together with binder yarns. At a minimum, the composite fabric ply is located in the tire shoulders.

Abstract: This invention relates to tires wherein at least a portion of its tire tread containing a running surface is of a rubber composition comprised of a functionalized elastomer, silica reinforcement, particularly precipitated silica aggregates which contain hydroxyl groups (e.g. silanol groups) and a blocked alkoxyorganomercaptosilane coupling agent. The rubber composition may constitute the entire, or major portion of, the running surface of the tread or may be limited to only a longitudinal circumferential strip, or portion, of the running surface of the tread. Such functionalized elastomer is an elastomer which contains functional groups distributed along the polymer chain and/or at its terminal end. Such functional groups may be divided into two categories, namely, a first category which promotes adsorptive interactions with the precipitated silica and a second category which chemically bonds to the precipitated silica.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tire having a tread of a rubber composition containing a specialized high vinyl styrene/butadiene copolymer elastomer which contains reinforcing filler as a combination of rubber reinforcing carbon black and synthetic amorphous precipitated silica together with a coupling agent for said precipitated silica as an alkoxyorganomercaposilane having its mercapto moiety blocked which becomes unblocked to enable the mercapto moiety to interact with the specialized high vinyl styrene/butadiene copolymer elastomer. The tread rubber composition may optionally additionally contain an alkylsilane and/or starch/plasticizer composite.

Abstract: This invention relates to a pneumatic tire having a built-in non-black colored sealant layer and its preparation. The sealant layer is derived from a sealant precursor layer comprised of a butyl rubber, organoperoxide, particulate, synthetic amorphous silica and plant-derived organic agricultural seed flour, together with a non-black colored colorant. The butyl rubber-based sealant precursor layer is build into the tire to form a tire assembly and the butyl rubber component of the sealant precursor layer is depolymerized during a subsequent curing of the tire at an elevated temperature in a suitable mold to form the tire having the resultant built-in sealant. The particulate plant derived organic agricultural seed flour is a renewable raw material in a sense that it can be replenished in nature and therefore not as a significant depletion of non-renewable natural resource. The agricultural plant seed flour is comprised of at least a portion of a ground plant seed (e.g.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire with a built-in sealant layer having a color other than black. The sealant layer is derived from a sealant precursor layer comprised of a butyl rubber, organoperoxide and silica together with a colorant. The butyl rubber-based precursor sealant layer is built into the tire to form a tire assembly and its butyl rubber component is depolymerized during a subsequent curing of the tire at an elevated temperature in a suitable mold to form the tire having the resultant built-in colored sealant layer. The sealant precursor composition may additionally contain clay and/or calcium carbonate. The sealant layer may also contain a small amount of carbon black so long as the sealant layer is of a color which contrasts with black.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tire having a rubber tread comprised of cap/base construction where the tread cap layer provides the running surface of the tread and the tread base layer underlies the tread cap layer and thereby provides a transition between the tread cap layer and the tire carcass. For this invention, the tread cap layer is comprised of a plurality of individual circumferential load-bearing zones of rubber compositions, which exhibit graduated physical properties, and which extend from the outer running surface of the tread cap layer radially inward to said tread base layer. In one aspect, the zoned rubber tread cap layer and rubber tread base layer are co-extruded together to form a unit as an integral tread rubber composite.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire with a built-in sealant layer having a color other than black. The sealant layer is derived from a sealant precursor layer comprised of a butyl rubber, organoperoxide and silica together with a colorant. The butyl rubber-based precursor sealant layer is built into the tire to form a tire assembly and its butyl rubber component is depolymerized during a subsequent curing of the tire at an elevated temperature in a suitable mold to form the tire having the resultant built-in colored sealant layer. The sealant precursor composition may additionally contain clay and/or calcium carbonate.