Chafer Or Sealing Strips Patents (Class 152/543)
  • Patent number: 7556076
    Abstract: A tire comprising at least one reinforcement structure of carcass type anchored on either side of the tire in a bead, the base of which is intended to be mounted on a rim seat, each bead being extended radially outward by a sidewall, the sidewalls extending radially towards outward to join a tread, the reinforcement structure extending circumferentially from the bead towards said sidewall, an anchoring zone for the reinforcement structure, said tire furthermore comprising an anti-vibration means arranged circumferentially in the junction zone of the shoulder and the sidewall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Pascal Prost, Alain Valle
  • Patent number: 7543620
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire has a carcass structure extending through a pair of opposing bead portions and an inner liner located inward of the carcass structure, each bead portion comprising a bead core about which is wrapped the carcass structure and a toeguard. Each bead portion has a bead toe, a bead base, and a bead heel, the bead base extending between the bead toe and the bead heel. The bead heel has a profile corresponding to a sector of an ellipse or approximates a sector of an ellipse by having a dual radius structure. The bead base may have a dual taper configuration. The bead core may be substantially centered in the bead portion, as determined by the material thickness at three locations about the bead core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Michael David Kachner, Thulasiram Gobinath, David Louis Winter, Kelly Sue King, Michael Christopher Kulton, John Patrick Roman, Judy Ann Birt, Randall Raymond Brayer, Sr., Robert Allen Losey, Ching-Chih Lee
  • Publication number: 20090107608
    Abstract: This invention relates to a tire with resistance to rim slip, namely slippage of a rubber tire on an associated rigid wheel rim of a tire/rim assembly. The invention relates to a rubber chafer component of a tire for seating the tire against a rigid tire rim. The rubber chafer component is comprised of a rubber composition which contains zinc rosinate within and on the surface of said rubber composition, and thereby the chafer component promotes an increased coefficient of friction of the chafer component against a rigid tire rim of a tire/rim assembly as compared to a more conventional zinc stearate contained in a tire chafer rubber composition. The zinc rosinate is a product of rosin acid and zinc oxide formed in situ within said rubber composition of is added directly to the rubber composition as zinc rosinate. The more conventional zinc stearate is a product of stearic acid and zinc oxide formed in situ within a rubber composition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Inventor: Paul Harry Sandstrom
  • Patent number: 7523774
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial ply tire for heavier load conditions having a reduced weight, high durability bead area. The pneumatic tire includes a tire bead and a carcass ply folded about the bead to define a main body portion and a turnup portion. The turnup portion is folded around the bead and located adjacent the main body portion radially outward of the bead. The turnup portion has a turnup height of approximately 35-45% of the total section height. A thin rubber strip associated with the bead is disposed between the main body portion and the turnup portion and has an insert height of approximately 25% of the total section height. The pneumatic tire further includes a chafer having a maximum chafer gauge of not more than approximately 1.5 times the thickness of the tire side wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Jean-Claude Lahure, Olivier de Barsy, Xavier Sebastien Benolt Fraipont
  • Patent number: 7520307
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire largely improves the run-flat durability while preventing the deterioration of the ride comfort to the input of vibrations to the tire at a normal state and comprises a reinforcing rubber 6 arranged inside a sidewall portion 2 and having a crescent form at its cross section, in which one cord reinforcing layer 9 having a rubberized structure of steel cords is arranged along a turnup portion 5a of a carcass ply 5 around a bead core 4 and an interval between the steel cords in the cord reinforcing layer is within a range of 2.5-20 times a diameter of the cord.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Katsuno
  • Patent number: 7506675
    Abstract: A composite sheet has confined flexibility and is used in a safety pneumatic tire which is self-supporting under zero inflation pressure. The composite sheet comprises a matrix of high modulus solid objects, low modulus material, and optionally a matrix of cords, the high modulus solid objects being assembled to form a mechanism which allows the composite sheet to bend easily within predetermined ranges and confines the composite sheet from further bending when the limits of the predetermined ranges are reached. The safety pneumatic tire comprises a pair of the composite sheets disposed at sidewall regions under a carcass and/or a layer of the composite sheet disposed above a belt package. A method of making the composite sheet includes forming a chain of the high modulus solid objects having a desired locking position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Inventors: Lifeng Su, Qi Gao
  • Patent number: 7503364
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire whose lateral rigidity is efficiently increased and that enables further improvement of driving stability. The pneumatic tire has bead fillers on the outer peripheral side of bead cores. Sheet-like auxiliary fillers are arranged on both sides of a bead filler, so that not less than ? in the height direction of the bead filler is sandwiched by the auxiliary fillers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Atsushi Tanno
  • Publication number: 20090056851
    Abstract: A heavy duty tire comprises: a bead filler disposed radially outside a bead core and axially outside a carcass main portion; a bead-reinforcing layer made of steel cords; and a chafer made of a rubber extending along the bead bottom surface. The chafer rubber has a complex elastic modulus in a range of 8 to 12 MPa and a 100% modulus in a range of 4.0 to 5.5 MPa. In the bead-reinforcing layer, the steel cord count is 25 to 40/5 cm, the steel cord diameter is 0.8 to 1.2 mm, and the cord angle is 30 to 60 degrees with respect to the tire radial direction. The bead filler comprises a main filler made of a low modulus rubber and a fastening filler made of a high modulus rubber. The fastening filler has an L-shaped cross sectional shape and comprises an axially-extending base portion and a radially-extending axially inner portion. The main filler has a part wedged between the base portion and axially inner portion of the fastening filler.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Inventor: Kiyoto Maruoka
  • Publication number: 20090020207
    Abstract: There is provided a rubber composition for a chafer, enabling generation of crack in a chafer at mounting or dismounting a rim to be suppressed as well as improving durability of a bead part by improving hardness and elongation at break. Namely, the present invention provides a rubber composition for a chafer, which comprises a rubber component comprising a butadiene rubber in which syndiotactic-1,2-polybutadiene having an average primary particle diameter of not more than 100 nm is dispersed, and has a JIS-A harness of 75 to 85 and elongation at break in a tensile test of not less than 180%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 25, 2006
    Publication date: January 22, 2009
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Otsuki, Takashi Wada
  • Patent number: 7441577
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire 10 has a carcass ply 12 or plies 12, 14 with a locked tie-in construction and a wrap-around toeguard 18. Each wrap-around toeguard 18 is a non cord reinforced elastomeric unitary strip wound 360 degree in a singular annular bead. The wrap-around toeguard cord reinforced unitary strip 18 can be formed of a single elastomeric composition having a shore hardness D of greater than 40. Alternatively the wrap-around toeguard may additionally include an apex portion 29 and a chafer portion 27 along with the toeguard portion 28, each portion 27, 29 being co-extruded or otherwise hot formed and shaped with the toeguard portion 28 to form the unitary strip 18 and can have distinct elastomeric composition relative to the toeguard portion 28.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co
    Inventors: James Oral Hunt, Michael Christopher Kulton, Paul Bryson Allen, Timothy Lee Fry
  • Patent number: 7406992
    Abstract: A tire comprising at least one reinforcement structure of the carcass type anchored on either side of the tire in a bead, the base of which bead is intended to be mounted on a rim seat, the reinforcement structure extending circumferentially from the bead towards the sidewall, at least one arrangement of main cords along a substantially circumferential path being arranged substantially adjacent to the structure, the arrangement of the cords of the at least one arrangement being such that the number of main cords arranged on the axially inner side relative to the structure is greater than the number of main cords arranged on the axially outer side relative to the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Pedro Costa Pereira, Bernard Guerinon
  • Patent number: 7387146
    Abstract: A heavy duty tire including bead portions each with a bead core, and a carcass ply containing a main portion extending between bead portions and a pair of edge portions wound around the bead cores, the wound edge portion including a turnback part extending axially inwardly from a position on the axially outside of the bead core and an auxiliary cord layer disposed on the radially outside of the turnback part, whereby the end of the turnback part is positioned at a distance of from 2.0 to 8.0 mm from the radially outer surface of the bead core. In a normally inflated unloaded state of the tire, the turnback part is curved such that the diameter of the turnback part decreases continuously from the end to the position in the axial outside of the bead core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyohito Maruoka, Minoru Nishi
  • Patent number: 7347243
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprising a radial carcass (5) of at least one carcass ply including a main body portion (3a) and a turnup portion (3b), and a reinforcing member (7) including at least two reinforcing layers. The at least two reinforcing layers (6a, 6b) are cross reinforcing layers (21) arranged so as to envelop at least the turnup portion of the radial carcass and cross cords of these layers with each other. Outer ends of the cross reinforcing layers, located outward from the turnup portion (3b) of the radial carcass in the widthwise direction of the tire, are outward from an outer end (13) of the turnup portion of the radial carcass in the radial direction of the tire. A crossing angle ? between cords of adjacent cross reinforcing layers with respect to a circumferential direction (15) of the tire is more than 50° but less than 1300°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Waki
  • Patent number: 7320350
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire may include a floating reinforcing layer disposed between a body ply and the sidewall of the tire. The reinforcing layer may extend from a point beneath the rim flange of the wheel to a point just above or below the maximum section width of the tire. By adding stiffness to the sidewall region at and above the rim, the reinforcing layer enhances the durability of tire without sacrificing ride comfort.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2008
    Assignee: Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC
    Inventor: Richard J. Wright
  • Patent number: 7231951
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire having a pair of spaced apart bead components, a connecting carcass between said bead components, and a rubber chafer positioned around at least a portion of each of said bead components and intended for contacting a rigid rim of a wheel, wherein said chafer comprises a self lubricating rubber composition, the self lubricating rubber composition comprising at least one rubber and from 1 to 50 phr of at least one additive selected from alcohols of formula I, esters of formula II, or amides of formula III wherein R1 and R2 are independently selected from C12-C36 alkyl, C12-C36 alkenyl, or C12-C36 alkadienyl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2007
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Paul Harry Sandstrom, Thomas Joseph Segatta, James Seven Guzi, Robert Anthony Neubauer
  • Patent number: 7210512
    Abstract: A tire includes a carcass-type reinforcement structure anchored on either side of the tire in a bead. Each of the beads includes an anchoring zone having a plurality of circumferential cord windings cooperating with the adjacent portion of the reinforcement structure. The cord windings are arranged to form a cord stack in which the distance between the cord of a radially innermost winding and an adjacent portion of the reinforcement structure differs from the distance between the cord of the radially outermost winding and an adjacent portion of the reinforcement structure, wherein the stack is non-parallel to the reinforcement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Bernard Guerinon
  • Patent number: 7188655
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire including a radial carcass (5) of at least one carcass ply including a main body portion (3a) and a turnup portion (3b), and a reinforcing member (7) including at least two reinforcing layers. The at least two reinforcing layers (6a, 6b) are cross reinforcing layers (21) arranged so as to envelop at least the turnup portion of the radial carcass and cross cords of these layers with each other. Outer ends of the cross reinforcing layers, located outward from the turnup portion (3b) of the radial carcass in the widthwise direction of the tire, are outward from an outer end (13) of the turnup portion of the radial carcass in the radial direction of the tire. A crossing angle ? between cords of adjacent cross reinforcing layers with respect to a circumferential direction (15) of the tire is more than 50° but less than 130°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Waki
  • Patent number: 7172002
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions, a pair of bead portions, a bead core disposed in each bead portion, a carcass comprising a ply of carcass cords extending between the bead portions through the tread portion and sidewall portions and turned up around the bead core in each bead portion, and an inner liner made of air-impermeable rubber extending on the tire cavity side of the carcass from one of the bead portions to the other. The radially inner end of the inner liner is located radially inside the radially innermost end of the carcass. In a radial region between the radially innermost end of the carcass and the radially outermost end of the bead core, the thickness of the inner liner is not less than 0.15 time but not more than 4.0 times the cross section diameter of the carcass cord.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Ueyoko, Minoru Nishi, Kazuki Numata
  • Patent number: 7172000
    Abstract: A tire intended to be fitted on a vehicle bearing a heavy load, such as a lorry, construction vehicle and/or aircraft, which tire comprises a carcass reinforcement radially surmounted by a crown reinforcement and a tread. The crown reinforcement is composed of at least two plies of metallic reinforcement elements, which are parallel to each other within the respective ply and are crossed from one ply to the next, forming angles of between 10 and 35° with the circumferential direction. Disposed in each shoulder is an additional ply of reinforcement elements which are parallel to each other in the ply and are oriented radially. The axially inner edges of the additional shoulder ply are radially adjacent to at least one edge of one of the plies of the crown reinforcement. The axially outer edge of the additional shoulder ply is radially lower than the edge of the ply to which the additional shoulder ply is adjacent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Olivier Ferlin
  • Patent number: 7165590
    Abstract: A heavy duty pneumatic radial tire includes a carcass ply, in which a ply folding portion folding a bead core is successively disposed in a ply body. The ply folding portion includes a main portion folded along the bead core, and a winding-up portion extending continuously to the main portion and apart from the bead core. The winding-up portion extends with an inclination of an angle ? in a direction in which a diameter is increased inward in the tire axial direction, the angle ? being set to 20 to 65 degrees with respect to an upper surface in the radial direction of the bead core, a distance La from the upper surface in the radial direction of the bead core at the inner end point of the winding-up portion being set to 5 mm to 15 mm, and a distance Lb between the inner end point of the winding-up portion and the ply body being set to 1 mm to 5 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Sugiyama, Minoru Nishi, Hirotoshi Ohtsuki
  • Patent number: 7152646
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a heavy duty tire comprising a carcass comprising a carcass ply of cords extending between bead portions and turned up around a bead core in each bead portion from the inside to outside of the tire so as to form a pair of turnup portions and a main portion therebetween, and a bead reinforcing layer comprising at least one reinforcing ply of cords disposed of each said bead portion, wherein the turnup portion comprises a turnup main part extending an inner region inside a extension line obtained by extending a radially outer surface of the bead core, and a turnup sub part extending an outer region outside said extension line through a portion near the radially outer surface of said bead core, and wherein the reinforcing cord ply comprises a center portion extending along the radially inside the turnup main part, an axially outside portion extending from the center portion to the radially outside of the tire apart from said turnup portion, and an axially inside portion extend
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoto Maruoka, Minoru Nishi
  • Patent number: 7150301
    Abstract: A tire for a motor vehicle includes at least one carcass ply, a belt structure radially external to the at least one carcass ply, a tread band radially external to the belt structure, a pair of sidewalls axially-external to the at least one carcass ply, and a pair of beads. The beads include bead wires or circumferentially-inextensible annular inserts. Opposite lateral edges of the at least one carcass ply are associated with respective beads. The at least one carcass ply includes a first composition having an elastic modulus at 70° C. less than or equal to 5.0 MPa and a viscous modulus at 70° C. less than or equal to 0.50 MPa. The sidewalls include a second composition having an elastic modulus at 70° C. greater than or equal to 3.5 MPa and a viscous modulus at 70° C. less than or equal to 0.50 MPa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2006
    Assignee: Pirelli Pneumatici S.p.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Serra, Angela Amaddeo, Luciano Garro, Marco Nahmias Nanni
  • Patent number: 7137425
    Abstract: A high-performance, low-profile tire for four-wheeled passenger car comprises a carcass comprised of at least two carcass cord plies each extending between a pair of bead cores and wound around the respective bead core from an inside of the tire toward an outside thereof, a belt, a tread rubber, a bead apex extending outward from the bead core in the radial direction of the tire and having a tapered sectional form, a flipper arranged outside the carcass in the radial direction of the tire and wound around the bead core and bead apex from an inside of the tire toward an outside thereof, and at least one bead-side reinforcing layer arranged to pass between a turnup portion of the flipper and the bead apex and extend up to a vicinity of a tire maximum width, and has an aspect ratio of 35–55%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2006
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuo Hayashi
  • Patent number: 7096909
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial ply tire 100 for use on aircraft has a radial reinforced carcass 20 having at least one axially inner ply 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D of textile cords 21 wound around a pair of bead cores 33. The improved bead structure 30 has a flipper 50 having an axially inner leg LI and axially outer leg LE. The ends LI, LE of the flippers 50 are above the bead core height Bh and below the apex A of an elastomeric strip 40 satisfying the relation Bh<LE<0.7D and Bh<LI<0.7D. Additionally, the tire carcass 20 has at least one axially outer ply 2E, 2F of textile cords 21 extending from bead 30 to bead 30 along the turn-ups 20A, 20B, 20C and 20D of the axially inner plies 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D. The plies 21 are closely spaced along the natural ply path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Ueyoko
  • Patent number: 7096908
    Abstract: A self-supporting tyre for a vehicle wheel includes a carcass structure, a belt structure, a tread band, a pair of sidewalls, and at least one elastic stiffening insert. The carcass structure includes at least one carcass ply provided with end flaps engaged with respective annular reinforcing structures. The annular reinforcing structures are disposed in coaxial relationship with a geometric rotation axis of the tyre at positions axially spaced apart from each other. Each annular reinforcing structure includes at least one first circumferentially inextensible annular anchoring insert. The at least one elastic stiffening insert is incorporated into the carcass structure, at least at one of the sidewalls, and includes a radially internal end portion at least partly disposed in axial side-by-side relationship against the at least one first annular anchoring insert. A method of making the tyre is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Pirelli Pneumatici S.p.A.
    Inventors: Maurizio Boiocchi, Renato Caretta, Stefano Gaiazzi
  • Patent number: 7093635
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial ply tire 100 for use on aircraft has a radial reinforced carcass 20 having at least one axially inner ply 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D of textile cords 21 wound around a pair of bead cores 33. The improved bead structure 30 has a flipper 50 having an axially inner leg LI and axially outer leg LE. The ends LI, LE of the flippers 50 are above the bead core height Bh and below the apex A of an elastomeric strip 40 satisfying the relation Bh<LE<0.7 D and Bh<LI<0.7 D. Additionally, the tire carcass 20 has at least one axially outer ply 2E, 2F of textile cords 21 extending from bead 30 to bead 30 along the turn-ups 20A, 20B, 20C and 20D of the axially inner plies 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D. The plies 21 are closely spaced along the natural ply path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Ueyoko
  • Patent number: 7093637
    Abstract: Radial tire including a crown, two beads extended by sidewalls including a radial carcass reinforcement, the carcass reinforcement extending into the crown and anchored in each bead to at least one element that is inextensible in the circumferential direction, the tire including in at least one sidewall a supplementary reinforcement formed of rubber with reinforcing elements inclined relative to the circumferential direction and wherein, when viewed in meridian cross-section: the supplementary reinforcement includes at least one group of at least two strips that extend in the circumferential direction; each strip, of width Li essentially equal to or greater than the total width Lt of the reinforcement divided by the total number of strips in the group concerned, is formed of rubber reinforced by a plurality of cables or wires inclined at an angle ? between 30° and 90°; within any one group, each circumferential strip is superimposed partially with an adjacent strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Laurence Burlacot
  • Patent number: 7086439
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions, a pair of bead portions, a carcass, a belt, and a reinforcing member arranged in a tire zone including at least the sidewall portion, wherein a shearing rigidity in the circumferential direction of the reinforcing member is made larger at a first tire zone located at an outside of the vehicle than at a second tire zone located at an inside of the vehicle in the same tire at a posture of mounting the tire onto a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Matsumoto, Daisuke Maehara
  • Patent number: 7059373
    Abstract: The invention concerns a tire comprising at least a first and a second bead radially extending to at least a first and a second sidewall, respectively, and the sidewalls being joined to a tread; said first bead having a seat the generatrix of which has its axially inner end on a circle of diameter greater than the diameter of the circle on which is located the axially outer end. The tire further comprises a carcass reinforcement formed of at least one carcass ply and anchored in the first bead to at least one annular bead anchoring element. When the tire is mounted on its operating rim and inflated to its recommended pressure, the meridian profile of the carcass reinforcement has a tangent to the point of tangency of the meridian profile with the anchoring element of the first bead that forms, relative to the axis of rotation, an angle open towards the outside and at most equal to 70°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Olivier Muhlhoff
  • Patent number: 7040368
    Abstract: A heavy duty tire comprises a carcass ply turned up around a bead core in each bead portion to form a pair of turnup portions and a main portion, and a bead reinforcing layer disposed in the bead portion and comprising an axially outer part and an axially inner part, wherein under a 50 kPa state of the tire in which the tire is mounted on a standard rim and inflated to 50 kpa: the turnup portion inclines towards the carcass ply main portion at an angle of less than 90 degrees; the distance La of the end of the turnup portion from the radially outer side of the bead core is in a range of from 5 to 12 mm; the radial height Ho of the axially outer part is in a range of from 20 to 35 mm; the distance To of the end of the axially outer part from the axially outer surface of the bead portion is in a range of from 6 to 12 mm; and the ratio To/Ho of the distance To to the height Ho is in a range of from 0.25 to 0.5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyohito Maruoka, Akio Miyori
  • Patent number: 7040369
    Abstract: The present invention provides a pneumatic radial tire, in which rolling resistance is reduced and durability is improved without losing toe-chip resistance when assembling the rim. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pneumatic radial tire having a chafer comprising a rubber composition having complex modulus of 9 to 13 MPa measured under conditions of temperature of 70° C., frequency of 10 Hz and dynamic strain of ±2%, loss tangent of 0.08 to 0.11 and tensile elongation at break of at least 230% measured according to JIS-K6251.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Michio Hirayama
  • Patent number: 7025103
    Abstract: An antiabrasive band includes a vulcanized elastomeric compound including at least one natural or synthetic rubber. A value of a loss factor of the compound at 70° C. is less than or equal to 0.130. A value of a storage modulus of the compound at 70° C. is greater than or equal to 6 MPa. A tire for a vehicle wheel is also disclosed, including at least one carcass ply and a pair of beads. A first edge of the at least one carcass ply is folded externally around one or more first bead wires and a second edge of the at least one carcass ply is folded externally around one or more second bead wires. Each bead includes one or more respective bead wires, a bead filling, and the antiabrasive band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Pirelli Pneumatici S.p.A.
    Inventors: Antonio Serra, Marco Nahmias Nanni
  • Patent number: 7011127
    Abstract: A tire for heavy load use includes a carcass ply made of steel cords including ply turn-up portions that are turned up around bead cores from inside to outside in a tire axial direction. Each ply turn-up portion includes a turn-up sub-portion that is first turned up around the bead core and that extends in an inclined manner towards the ply main portion at an angle ?, that is less than 90°, with respect to an outer surface of the bead core in the tire radial direction. The steel cords of the turn-up sub-portion include piercing steel cords that pass through the steel cords of the ply main portion. As a result, the durability of the bead portions is improved while achieving a light-weighted structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kiyoto Maruoka
  • Patent number: 6986375
    Abstract: The invention relates to the heavy duty radial tire with a bead-wind structure. And carcass cords of the carcass extend while inclining to one side in the tire and the other-side inclined region that extends while inclining to the other side with a lowermost position of the bead core in the tire axial direction being substantially the center. Or, the reinforcing ply is similarly inclined as the carcass cords. With this arrangement, it is possible to improve engaging force of the carcass ply or the reinforcing ply to the bead cores so that shifts of the carcass ply in a blow-by direction can be effectively restricted. It is also an object to provide a heavy duty radial tire that is capable of restricting damages of the beads at the inner end positions A.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoto Maruoka, Yasuo Mitarai
  • Patent number: 6973950
    Abstract: A tire comprising at least one reinforcement structure of the carcass type anchored on either side of the tire in a bead, the base of which bead is intended to be mounted on a rim seat, the reinforcement structure extending circumferentially from the bead towards the sidewall, at least one arrangement of main cords along a substantially circumferential path being arranged substantially adjacent to the structure, the arrangement of the cords of the at least one arrangement being such that the number of main cords arranged on the axially inner side relative to the structure is greater than the number of main cords arranged on the axially outer side relative to the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Pedro Costa Pereira, Bernard Guerinon
  • Patent number: 6972061
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial ply tire (500) comprises a tread (510), a belt structure (512), and a carcass (514). The carcass (514) has a radial ply (518) and two bead sections (530A, 530B). Each bead section (530A, 530B) has a bead (532) and a component apex (534) with a inner apex (534A), a middle apex (534B) and an outer apex (534C).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Donald Chester Kubinski, Mark Daniel Banas, Thomas Alan Murray
  • Patent number: 6951234
    Abstract: An aircraft tire, the inflation pressure of which is greater than 12 bar, comprises a crown, two sidewalls and two beads, a carcass reinforcement anchored in the two beads and a crown reinforcement. The carcass reinforcement comprises at least two circumferential alignments of first reinforcing threads of high elasticity modulus. The means for anchoring the first reinforcing threads within each bead comprises second reinforcing threads oriented circumferentially and axially bordering the circumferential alignments of the first reinforcing threads, the first reinforcing threads and second reinforcing threads being separated by a layer of mix of very high elasticity modulus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2005
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Yves Herbelleau, Bernard Guerinon, Pierre Roux
  • Patent number: 6935394
    Abstract: A tire for vehicles carrying heavy loads, comprising in at least one bead an additional reinforcement composed of a plurality of discontinuous reinforcing elements, these discontinuous reinforcing elements being orientated essentially circumferentially to form a plurality of circles C, C1, C2 concentric on the rotation axis of the tire mounted on its rim, each circle being defined by a mean radius (R, R1, R2) measured relative to the said rotation axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Pierre Durif, Gilles Sallaz, Philippe Gervais
  • Patent number: 6923234
    Abstract: Tire including at least one carcass reinforcement of at least one ply anchored in each bead B to at least one bead wire, each bead being reinforced by at least two reinforcement plies formed of reinforcing elements inclined relative to the circumferential direction at an angle between 10° and 30°, said reinforcement plies being axially adjacent to the carcass ply wherein the reinforcing elements of at least one ply of the carcass reinforcement, in each part adjacent to the two bead reinforcement plies, are inclined relative to the circumferential direction at an angle between 50° and 80° and are radial in the part located between the radially upper ends of said two reinforcement plies, said ends being located radially outside the sidewall points that define the maximum axial width of the tire when mounted on its intended wheel rim and inflated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Luc Bestgen, Michel Ahouanto
  • Patent number: 6913051
    Abstract: Tire, comprising at least one carcass-type reinforcement structure extending circumferentially from the bead to the sidewall and a crown reinforcement, each of the beads further comprising a main anchoring zone for supporting the reinforcement structure, the tire comprising a rim protector provided by a rubber projection extending axially outwardly relative to the sidewall and comprising at least one secondary anchoring zone comprising a plurality of circumferential cord windings, the windings cooperating with an adjacent portion of a secondary reinforcement structure via a rubber anchoring mix. Since anchoring is distributed between the bead and the rim protector, new architectural or design possibilities are opened up, for example permitting the use of the restricted space of the bead in an optimum manner. Thus, for example, the presence of the secondary anchoring zone at the rim protector helps greatly to improve the behavior of the tires, in particular resistance to drift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Pascal Auxerre
  • Patent number: 6910513
    Abstract: A tire P, which is intended to be mounted on a rim, the seats of which form an angle with the axis of rotation of between 0° and 6°, and comprises a radial carcass reinforcement (1) anchored within each bead B to a bead wire (2) so forming an upturn (10), said bead wire (2) being radially surmounted, axially between the main portion of the reinforcement (1) and its upturn (10), by at least one rubber mix profile (3) substantially triangular in form and of an elevated Shore A hardness, wherein the meridian profile of the axially outer surface of each bead B, exhibiting an abrupt discontinuity of curvature, is combined with the presence above the bead wire of a rubber mix profile (3) of elevated hardness, said profile (3) being axially in contact over its entire height with the upturn (10) of the carcass reinforcement (1) and separated from the main portion of said reinforcement (1) by a low hardness rubber mix profile (4), while a third profile (5), axially to the outside of the upturn (10), consists of a mix
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Oliver Ferlin
  • Patent number: 6899154
    Abstract: A tire carcass structure includes at least one carcass ply and a pair of annular reinforcing structures. The at least one carcass ply includes a first and second series of strip segments. Each strip segment extends around a cross-section profile of the carcass structure to define two lateral portions and an annulus portion. Each annular reinforcing structure includes at least one primary portion and at least one additional portion. The at least one primary portion includes a first circumferentially-inextensible annular insert and a filling body. The at least one additional portion includes at least one second circumferentially-inextensible annular insert. The first annular insert and the at least one second annular insert include one or more elongated elements extending in substantially-concentric turns. A radial extension of the at least one second annular insert is less than a radial extension of the first annular insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Pirelli Pneumatici S.p.A.
    Inventor: Renato Caretta
  • Patent number: 6896021
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire has a carcass structure extending through a pair of opposing bead portions and an inner liner located inward of the carcass structure, each bead portion comprising a bead core about which is wrapped the carcass structure and a toeguard. Each bead portion has a bead toe, a bead base, and a bead heel, the bead base extending between the bead toe and the bead heel. The bead heel has a profile corresponding to a sector of an ellipse or approximates a sector of an ellipse by having a dual radius structure. The bead base may have a dual taper configuration. The bead core may be substantially centered in the bead portion, as determined by the material thickness at three locations about the bead core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2005
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Michael David Kachner, Thulasiram Gobinath, David Louis Winter, Kelly Sue King, Michael Christopher Kulton, John Patrick Roman, Judy Ann Birt, Randall Raymond Brayer Sr., Ching-Chih Lee, Robert Allen Losey
  • Patent number: 6880601
    Abstract: A tire including two beads which are intended to be in contact with seats of a mounting rim and two sidewalls, this tire including first reinforcing threads forming a carcass reinforcement, each bead including an anchoring structure for the carcass reinforcement formed of at least one circumferentially oriented second reinforcing thread cooperating with an adjacent portion of the carcass reinforcement by means of an anchoring rubber material having an elasticity modulus at 10% deformation at least equal to 30 MPa, wherein this tire includes, at least axially on one side of the anchoring structure of the carcass reinforcement, a rubber mix referred to as a “decoupling mix”, this decoupling mix having an elasticity modulus, at 10% deformation, less than half of the elasticity modulus of the anchoring mix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Yves Potin
  • Patent number: 6860307
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions, a pair of bead portions, a carcass, a belt, and a reinforcing member arranged in a tire zone including at least the sidewall portion, wherein a shearing rigidity in the circumferential direction of the reinforcing member is made larger at a first tire zone located at an outside of the vehicle than at a second tire zone located at an inside of the vehicle in the same tire at a posture of mounting the tire onto a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Matsumoto, Daisuke Maehara
  • Patent number: 6840297
    Abstract: A heavy-duty tire, wherein each bead portion (2) is defined by a metal bead bundle (3), about which are turned up a body ply (8), a reinforcing strip (9), and an outer cover layer (10). The outer cover layer is defined by an innerliner (11), an abrasion gum strip (12) which is connected to the innerliner (11) by a splice (14) and is located beneath the innerliner (11), and a sidewall (13). Between the reinforcing strip and the outer cover strip (10), there is inserted a damping strip (21) directly contacting the abrasion gum strip (12) and defined by a mix impermeable to air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Luca Farinola
  • Patent number: 6834699
    Abstract: A tire, designed to carry heavy loads, having a radial carcass reinforcement formed of at least one ply of inelastic reinforcing elements and anchored in each bead to a bead wire so as to form a turn-up whose end is a radial distance HRNC away from the base of the bead, each bead being reinforced by at least two additional reinforcement armatures, at least one first armature being formed of radial reinforcement elements and at least one second armature being formed of elements that make with the circumferential direction an angle &agr; such that 0°≦&agr;≦45°, the first reinforcement armature being formed of radial elements and being wrapped around the bead wire outside the carcass reinforcement while the second armature is not wrapped around the said bead wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2004
    Assignees: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements, Michelin-Michelin & CIE
    Inventor: Patrick Corsi
  • Patent number: 6823914
    Abstract: A tire wherein one or more rubberized organic fiber cord layers extending over an end of a carcass turnup portion in a radial direction of the tire are arranged so as to extend from a position near to an outside of the bead core over the end of the turnup portion toward the outside of the tire and spread apart to the turnup portion. A tire wherein one or more rubberized organic fiber cord layers are arranged so as to extend from a position extending over an end of a bead portion reinforcing layer made of a steel cord layer toward the outside of the tire extending over the end of the turnup portion in the radial direction of the tire and spread apart to the reinforcing layer. And also, a tire wherein a cord layer portion of one or more rubberized organic fiber cord layers extending over the end of the turnup portion in the radial direction of the tire and outside the turnup portion has a first bent portion bending toward the inside of the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiya Miyazono
  • Patent number: 6820670
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a pair of bead portions each provided therein with a bead core made of windings of at least one wire, a carcass ply of cords extending between the bead portions and turned up around the bead core from the axially inside to the outside of the tire to form a pair of turnup portions and a main portion therebetween, a rubber bead apex disposed radially outside the bead core and between each said turnup portion and the main portion, and a fiber reinforced rubber spacer interposed between the bead core and the carcass ply to provide a positive distance between the carcass ply cords and bead core wire. The fiber reinforced rubber spacer has a securing portion which extends radially outwardly and axially outwardly from the axially inside of the bead core while separating from the bead core but contacting with the rubber bead apex. A distance (L1, L2) between an outermost point of the securing portion and the bead core is in a range of from 0.05 to 1.0 times a height of the bead core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2004
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Ueyoko, Shinichi Miyazaki, Kazuki Numata, Tsuneyuki Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 6814119
    Abstract: A self-supporting tire for vehicle wheels includes a carcass structure having at least one carcass ply, a belt structure, a tread band, at least one pair of sidewalls, and at least one pair of resilient stiffening inserts incorporated into the carcass structure. The at least one carcass ply includes axially-inner strip lengths and axially-outer strip lengths, and may also include axially-intermediate strip lengths. Each of the strip lengths extend in a U-shaped configuration around a cross-section outline of the carcass structure to define two side portions spaced apart from each other in an axial direction and a crown portion extending at a radially-outer position between the side portions. The resilient stiffening inserts are axially interposed between the side portions of the axially-inner strip lengths and the side portions of the axially-outer strip lengths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2004
    Assignee: Pirelli Pneumatici S.p.A.
    Inventors: Renato Caretta, Pierangelo Misani, Luca Frisiani