Abstract: A heavy duty pneumatic tire has a belt and a tread such that ratio of width of the belt to width of the tread is greater than or equal to 0.95 and is not greater than 1.0. The tread has shoulder land portions on outer sides in axial direction, each shoulder portion has a cap layer including a body portion and a pad, the pad has complex elastic modulus greater than complex elastic modulus of the body portion, the body portion has loss tangent less than loss tangent of the pad, and each shoulder portion has ground-contact surface which has outer and inner ground-contact surfaces separated by boundary between the body portion and pad such that ratio of average ground-contact pressure of the outer ground-contact surface relative to average ground-contact pressure of the inner ground contact surface is greater than or equal to 0.85 and is not greater than 0.95.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire has: a circumferential groove on each side of the tire equator; oblique grooves extending from the circumferential groove while inclining to one circumferential direction; and lug grooves extending axially outwardly beyond the tread edges from positions axially outside the circumferential groove while inclining to the one circumferential direction. The lug grooves include: a first lug groove comprising an axially inner steeply-inclined part and an axially outer mildly-inclined part; and a second lug groove extending along the mildly-inclined part. The axially inner end of the first lug groove is at a distance La of 8 to 12% of the tread width from the circumferential groove. The steeply-inclined part inclines at an angle larger than an inclination angle of the oblique grooves.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sheet conveying roller, which effectively reduces the amount of paper dust accumulated on its outer peripheral surface to thereby suppress sheet transportation failure. The sheet conveying roller includes a nonporous tubular elastic member (1). The elastic member (1) has a plurality of recesses (6) or a plurality of through-holes (8) equidistantly arranged in a center axis (L1) direction thereof and equidistantly arranged in a circumferential direction thereof, and each having an opening having a round plan shape in an outer peripheral surface (2) thereof, wherein the recesses (6) each have a constant depth as measured thicknesswise of the elastic member (1), wherein the through-holes (8) each extend thicknesswise through the elastic member (1). A production method includes forming the elastic member by vulcanizing a rubber composition in a vulcanization mold having projections corresponding to the recesses or the through-holes.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire having a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions, a pair of bead portions each with a bead core therein, wherein in a tire meridian section including a tire axis under a standard state that the tire is mounted on a standard rim and inflated to a standard pressure but loaded with no tire load, the tread portion has a tread width TW (mm) being from 80 to 90% of a nominal tire width YW, a profile from a shoulder region of the tread portion to the sidewall portion includes a shoulder profile for defining the shoulder portion, a sidewall profile for defining at least a part of the sidewall portion, and a buttress profile smoothly connecting between the shoulder profile and the sidewall profile.

Abstract: A truck/bus tire has an internal surface covered with an air-seal layer that has an end in a region within 120 mm as measured from a toe tip of a bead portion along a bead base line and is configured of a stack of layers of polymers including a first layer of an elastomer composition containing a SIBS and having a thickness of 0.05-0.6 mm and a second layer of an elastomer composition containing at least one of a SIS and a SIB, having a thickness of 0.01-0.3 mm, and positioned adjacent to a carcass ply. The first and second layers have the elastomer compositions with a dynamic modulus of elasticity (E*) of 2-5 MPa. A pneumatic tire can be provided that includes an air-seal layer having limited variation at an internal surface of the tire for enhanced air permeation resistance and increased rolling resistance.

Abstract: A motorcycle tire comprises a tread portion including a pair of tread edges to define a tread width, and a pair of tread shoulder regions each of which has a 12.5% width region of the tread width from each tread edge, the tread portion provided with a first lateral groove extending from one of the tread shoulder regions to the other one of the tread shoulder regions and a second lateral groove extending from a groove intersection where the first lateral groove and the second lateral groove cross each other, and a protruded portion being provided at least partially in the groove intersection so that a groove depth is reduced.

Abstract: A motorcycle tire improved in transient characteristics when leaned is disclosed, wherein the tread portion has a unidirectional tread pattern comprising: inside oblique main grooves disposed on each side of the tire equator staggeredly, inclined to the axially outside toward the intended rotational direction (R) at an angle of 5 to 30 degrees with respect to the circumferential direction, and each having an inner end (Ai) at a distance of 0 to 30% of the half tread width (W) from the tire equator; and outside oblique main grooves 11 disposed on each side of the tire equator staggeredly, inclined to the axially outside toward the counter-rotational direction at an angle of 10 to 60 degrees with respect to the circumferential direction, and each having an inner end (Bi) axially inside the outer end (Ao).

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a surface modification method for a rubber vulcanizate or a thermoplastic elastomer, which can impart various functions such as sliding properties and biocompatibility according to its use. The present invention relates to a surface modification method for modifying a rubber vulcanizate or a thermoplastic elastomer as an object to be modified, the method including: Step 1 of forming polymerization initiation points on a surface of the object to be modified; Step 2 of radical polymerizing monomers starting from the polymerization initiation points to grow polymer chains on the surface of the object to be modified; and Step 3 of functionalizing the polymer chains.

Abstract: An inventive electrically conductive rubber composition comprises a rubber component at least including an SBR, an EPDM and an epichlorohydrin rubber, a crosslinking agent component for crosslinking the rubber component, and a foaming agent component. The foaming agent component comprises a foaming agent alone in a proportion of not less than 0.1 part by mass and not greater than 8 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the rubber component. Alternatively, the foaming agent component comprises the aforementioned proportion of the foaming agent and not greater than 5 parts by mass of a urea foaming assisting agent based on 100 parts by mass of the rubber component. An inventive transfer roller (1) includes a tubular roller body (2) formed from the electrically conductive rubber composition.

Abstract: A motorcycle tire includes a tread portion having a first region and a second region divided by the tire equator, with the tread portion being provided with first inner inclined grooves provided in the first region and second inner inclined grooves provided in the second region, first and second inner inclined grooves alternately arranged in a tire circumferential direction, the inner inclined groove extending from an axially inner end Ai toward an anti-designated rolling direction to an axially outer end Ao at an angle ? of 0-20 to the tire circumferential direction, and first outer inclined grooves provided in the first region and second outer inclined grooves provided in the second region, and first and second outer inclined grooves alternately arranged in the tire circumferential direction, the outer inclined groove extending from an axially inner end Bi toward a designated rolling direction to an axially outer end Bo.

Abstract: A tread portion of a pneumatic ti re includes inner land portions between outer circumferential main grooves disposed most on tread ground-contact end sides and at least one inner circumferential main groove on the inner side thereof. The inner land portions are divided into inner blocks by inner lateral grooves inclined at an angle ? of 10 to 40°. The inner lateral grooves consist of first inner lateral grooves and second inner lateral grooves which are alternately arranged in a circumferential direction. The first inner lateral grooves include a wide-width part connecting to the outer circumferential main groove and a narrow-width part connecting to the inner circumferential main groove.

Abstract: Provided are a rubber composition for a tire, in which while the use of petroleum resources is reduced as much as possible, the compatibility of microfibrillated plant fibers with the rubber component is enhanced by a simple method, which can lead to a balanced improvement in tensile properties, handling stability, and fuel economy; a method of preparing the rubber composition; and a pneumatic tire formed from the rubber composition. The present invention relates to a rubber composition for a tire, containing a rubber component, microfibrillated plant fibers, and an industrial lignin. It is preferable that the rubber component should contain at least one selected from the group consisting of natural rubber, modified natural rubber, synthetic rubber, and modified synthetic rubber, and it is preferable that the microfibrillated plant fibers should be cellulose microfibrils.

Abstract: In a pneumatic tire in which axial grooves are arranged on an outer surface of a tread portion so as to be spaced apart from each other in a tire circumferential direction, a rib-forming region including at least one inward rib which projects from an inner surface of the tread portion inwardly in a tire radial direction and extends in a direction intersecting the axial grooves and across axial groove-inward regions inward of the axial grooves in the tire radial direction is provided in the inner surface of the tread portion.

Abstract: Provided are a rubber composition for a tire, in which while the use of petroleum resources is reduced as much as possible, the compatibility of microfibrillated plant fibers with the rubber component is enhanced by a simple method, which can lead to a balanced improvement in tensile properties, handling stability, and fuel economy; a method of producing the rubber composition; and a pneumatic tire formed from the rubber composition. The rubber composition for a tire contains a rubber component; microfibrillated plant fibers; and natural shellac resin. It is preferable that the rubber component should include at least one selected from the group consisting of natural rubber, modified natural rubber, synthetic rubber, and modified synthetic rubber, and it is preferable that the microfibrillated plant fibers should be cellulose microfibrils.

Abstract: Provided are a rubber composition for a tire which makes it possible to improve the handling stability and fuel economy in a well-balanced manner by a simple method without requiring any chemical reaction process for surface treatment of microfibrillated plant fibers; and a pneumatic tire formed from the rubber composition. The rubber composition for a tire contains: a rubber component; microfibrillated plant fibers; a phenol resin; and a curing agent. It is preferable that the rubber component should include at least one selected from the group consisting of natural rubber, modified natural rubber, synthetic rubber, and modified synthetic rubber, and it is preferable that the microfibrillated plant fibers should be cellulose microfibrils.

Abstract: A computerized method for simulating a fluidized state of a plastic material in a chamber, comprises steps of: generating a chamber model which is a finite volume model of the chamber; defining a material model of the plastic material; defining a gas-phase model of gas; and making a flow calculation of the material model and the gas-phase model which are in the chamber model, wherein the material model is provided with viscosity of the plastic material, and the gas-phase model is provided with viscosity which is more than the actual viscosity of the gas.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire with a designated installing direction to a vehicle, includes a tread portion with an inboard and an outboard tread edges, the tread portion provided with a pair of inboard and outboard center main grooves and a pair of inboard and outboard shoulder main grooves to form a center portion, a pair of middle portions, and a pair of shoulder portions, each of the inboard center main groove, the outboard center main groove and the inboard shoulder main groove having a groove width of from 10 to 20 mm, the outboard shoulder main groove having a groove width of from 2 to 5 mm, the outboard shoulder portion provided with outboard shoulder lateral grooves each extending from the outboard tread edge without reaching the outboard shoulder main groove, and the outboard middle portion provided with outboard middle lateral grooves.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire has bead cores provided in bead portions. The bead cores include a first bead wire, and a second bead wire having an elongation ?, where ? (%)=?L/L×100, L is a length of each of the bead wires under no load, and ?L is an elongation amount obtained when a unit load is applied. The elongation ? of the second bead wire is greater than an elongation of the first bead wire. The number of the second bead wire provided in an innermost side portion in a tire radial direction is at least one.

Abstract: Provided is a pneumatic tire using a rubber composition which makes it possible to keep rolling resistance low, prevent the accumulation of static electricity during the running of the tire, suppress an increase over time in electrical resistance of the tire, and improve durability. The present invention relates to a rubber composition, including: a rubber component including two or more diene rubber; and carbon black having a nitrogen adsorption specific surface area of 400 m2/g or more in an amount of 5 to 30 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component, wherein the rubber composition has a degree of carbon black dispersion determined by counting agglomerates based on JIS K 6812 “Method for the assessment of the degree of pigment or carbon black dispersion in polyolefin pipes, fittings and compounds” of 90% or more.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a masterbatch which enables microfibrillated plant fibers to be well dispersed in a rubber composition so that they can provide reinforcement equal to or greater than that by conventional fillers; a rubber composition containing the masterbatch; and a pneumatic tire produced using the rubber composition. The present invention relates to a masterbatch containing a modified natural rubber with a phosphorus content of 200 ppm or less, and microfibrillated plant fibers. Preferably, the microfibrillated plant fibers in a primary form have an average fiber diameter of 4 nm to 10 ?m and an average fiber length of 100 nm to 200 ?m.