Chafer Or Sealing Strips Patents (Class 152/543)
  • Patent number: 6807997
    Abstract: A tire has a carcass reinforcement ply, anchored within each bead by winding around an annular element whose tensile strength is less than the tensile strength necessary for a bead wire of a conventional tire of the same dimension, and an assembly of at least two textile bead reinforcement layers arranged in contact with the annular element, wherein the annular element has a tensile strength of between 3 and 5 times the tension imparted to the carcass reinforcement by the recommended inflation pressure, and an elongation at break between 2 and 6%, all the reinforcement layers having a tensile strength of between 0.5 and 1 time the tensile strength of the annular element, and the total of the tensile strengths of the annular element and of the assembly of the reinforcement layers being between 6 and 8 times the tension imparted to the carcass reinforcement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Forrest Patterson, Michel Ahouanto
  • Patent number: 6807994
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire having a rubber component where the rubber in said component is comprised of (A) from 10 to 75 phr of a rubber gel selected from the group consisting of polybutadiene gel, styrene butadiene gel, acrylonitrile-butadiene gel, chloroprene gel, natural rubber gel, and mixtures thereof; (B) from 1 to 25 phr of syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene; and (C) a rubber containing olefinic unsaturation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Stephan Franz Westermann, Georges Marcel Victor Thielen, Ghislain Adolphe Leon Thise
  • Patent number: 6807996
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a bead core and a rubber bead apex provided in each bead portion, and a carcass comprising a carcass ply turned up around the bead core from the inside to the outside of the tire to form a pair of turned up portions and a main portion therebetween. The bead apex is made of hard rubber disposed between the main portion and turned up portion and extending radially outwards from the bead core. The length (LA) of the bead apex is in a range of from 0.1 to 0.25 times the tire section height (H). A reinforcing cord layer is disposed along the axially inside of the turned up portion. The radially outer end (FU) of the reinforcing cord layer is positioned radially outside the radially outer end (BU) of the bead apex but radially inside the maximum tire section width point (M). The radially inner end (FD) of the reinforcing cord layer is positioned radially outside the radially outer end of the bead core but radially inside the radially outer end (BU) of the bead apex.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuo Wada
  • Patent number: 6802351
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions and a pair of bead portions and a radial carcass of at least one rubberized carcass ply containing steel cord therein and wound around the bead core to form a part or a whole of a wound portion of the carcass ply as a wind contact part along the peripheral face of the bead core, wherein at least one steel cord reinforcing layer is arranged in the bead portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Kimura, Hiroyuki Kato, Takaya Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 6758253
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions, a pair of bead portions, a radial carcass extending between a pair of bead cores and having a turnup portion, a bead filler rubber, and one or more reinforcing cord layers arranged at a side face zone ranging from the bead portion to the sidewall portion, in which the reinforcing cord layer is a layer of one or more rubberized cords spirally wound about an axial line of the tire and has an inner end in a radial direction of the tire between a position located outward from an outer periphery of the bead core in the radial direction and a position located inward from a tapered end of the bead filler rubber in the radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2004
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Yohei Itoi
  • Publication number: 20040112498
    Abstract: A tire comprising two beads which are intended to be in contact with seats of a mounting rim and two sidewalls, this tire comprising first reinforcing threads forming a carcass reinforcement, each bead comprising 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, this tire being characterized in that it comprises, 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: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2003
    Publication date: June 17, 2004
    Applicant: Michelin Recherche Et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Yves Potin
  • Patent number: 6742559
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire which includes a carcass having a carcass main extending from a bead core in one of the bead portions to a bead core in the other bead portion, and a pair of carcass turnups extending axially outside the carcass main; a tread rubber disposed in the tread portion; a sidewall rubber disposed in each of the sidewall portions; and a wing rubber interposed between the tread rubber and sidewall rubber. Each of the carcass turnups extends from axially outside of the bead core to a point in the sidewall portion. While extending from axially outside of the bead core to the point in the sidewall portion, the carcass turnup approaches the carcass main and adjoins the carcass main from a first radial height to a second radial height and then separates from the carcass main from said second radial height so as to form a separating part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Wako Iwamura
  • Patent number: 6736177
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a carcass comprising one ply of cords extending between the bead portions through the tread portion and sidewall portions and turned back in each said bead portion from the axially inside to the axially outside of the tire and wound around the bead core so as to form a pair of wound portions and a main portion therebetween, wherein a radially outer part of the wound portion, which is defined as extending axially inwards along the radially outer face of the bead core, has a certain length when measured along the radially outer face which is not less than 0.5 times the width of the radially outer face, and an organic fiber cord layer is disposed between the radially outer part and the radially outer face of the bead core, and a distance between the cords of the radially outer part and the radially outer face of the bead core in a normal direction to the radially outer face is in a range of from 0.05 to 1.0 times the section height of the bead core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Ueyoko
  • Patent number: 6732776
    Abstract: The invention improves tire flat spotting by providing a bead assembly that has bead filler elements disposed outside the body cords so that the turn up portion of the ply of body cords is disposed immediately back against the main portion of the ply of body cords above the bead core. This carcass structure increases the stiffness of the lower sidewall and decreases the flat spotting experience by the tire. In one embodiment of the invention, a reinforcing ply is wrapped around the bead filler elements to further increases the stiffness of the lower sidewall. In another embodiment, a bead filler element is disposed inside the body cords so that an air pocket is not formed in the carcass during the manufacturing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC
    Inventors: Neel K. Mani, John L. Turner, Thomas R. Branca, Hidetoshi Yokota, Brian E. Moore, Stanley J. Olesky
  • Patent number: 6719030
    Abstract: The pneumatic tire has a single carcass ply reinforced with parallel metallic cords, each cord composed of at least one filament having a tensile strength of at least (−2000×D+4400 MPa) ×95%, where D is the filament diameter in millimeters. The turnup portion of the single carcass ply 12 in the bead portion of a pneumatic tire is interposed between the bead core 11 and a toe guard 18, and the radially outer edge of each turnup portion being in contact with the main portion of the carcass ply and extending to an end point 0.5 to 4.0 inches (12.7 to 101.6 mm) radially outward of the bead core. The toe guard 18 has a first and second end and each end is disposed directly adjacent to the carcass ply. The first end 18a of the toe guard is located on the axially inner side of the main portion of the carcass ply at a location about 0.4 to 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Amit Prakash, Donald Woodrow Gilliam, Gary Edwin Tubb
  • Publication number: 20040060632
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a cord-reinforced layer such as carcass, belt, bead reinforcing layer which is made of metallic cords, each metallic cord is made up of six to twelve metallic filaments whose diameter is in a range of from 0.15 to 0.45 mm, the metallic filaments include waved filaments and unwaved filaments, each waved filament is two-dimensionally waved at a wave pitch and wave height before twisted, the wave pitch is in a range of from 5.0 to 35.0 times the diameter of the filament, and the wave height is in a range of from 0.2 to 4.0 times the diameter of the filament, and the metallic filaments are twisted together into the cord at a twist pitch of from 10 to 40 mm so that the two-dimensionally waved filaments are each subjected to a certain rotation around its axial.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2003
    Publication date: April 1, 2004
    Applicants: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Miyazaki, Kazumi Yamazaki, Osamu Toda, Yasuo Sakai
  • Patent number: 6701988
    Abstract: A pneumatic radial tire having an aspect ratio of no more than 60% comprises at least one carcass ply composed of a main body portion and a turn-up portion, a stiffener made of a soft rubber stock and a hard rubber stock, and a reinforcing member extending at an outside of the turn-up portion in a widthwise direction of the tire through a cushion rubber, wherein at an inflation state of the tire under a given air pressure, a height of an outer end of the turn-up portion in the radial direction is no more than 0.33 times a section height of the carcass ply, and a thickness ratio (d2/d1) is within a range of 1.2-1.8.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Yuuji Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20040025998
    Abstract: Runflat tire construction is optimized for tire ride comfort by reducing tire wall gauges in the tread-shoulder-to-upper-sidewall transition region and compensating with supporting sidewalls that constantly increase in thickness (gauge) from the transition region to a bead/flange area where a chafer extends above a wheel rim flange. Thus the bead and lower sidewall area are reinforced to a maximum and the shoulder area gets only the minimum stiffness necessary to achieve the required runflat performance. Within the context of wall gauges that constantly increase from the transition region to the bead/flange area, a mid-sidewall gauge ratio MSGR, being equal to a mid-sidewall gauge G2 divided by a shoulder gauge G1, is approximately within the range of 1.1 to 1.4, preferably approximately equal to 1.3; and a bead/flange gauge ratio BFGR, being equal to a bead/flange gauge G3 divided by a shoulder gauge G1, is approximately within the range of 1.5 to 1.8, preferably approximately equal to 1.7.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2002
    Publication date: February 12, 2004
    Inventor: Roland Close
  • Publication number: 20040016495
    Abstract: A tyre 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: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2003
    Publication date: January 29, 2004
    Inventors: Antonio Serra, Angela Amaddeo, Luciano Garro, Marco Nahmias Nanni
  • Publication number: 20030226632
    Abstract: An assembly comprising a tire (P) without an inner tube, provided with two beads and intended to be mounted on a mounting rim (J) comprising seats (440) extended radially towards the outside by flanges (R), and a rubber sealing piece (E) arranged between said rim and said tire, characterized in that the diameters (DP) of the tire bead seats are greater than the corresponding diameters (DJ) of the rim seats (440), said tire (P) being provided integrally with the sealing piece (E) formed of three parts which are integral with each other, a central part (51), made of material impermeable to the inflation gases, being placed axially between the beads of the tire, this central part (51) being extended axially beneath the beads of the tire by edges (50) integral with said beads, means being provided for facilitating the separation of the central part from the lateral parts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2003
    Publication date: December 11, 2003
    Applicant: Michelin Recherche Et Technique S.A.,
    Inventor: Olivier Ferlin
  • Patent number: 6659148
    Abstract: The tire of the invention incorporates an active nylon flipper in each bead region. The flipper is active in the sense that it actively absorbs differential shearing strains that arise between each turnup end of the ply and each rigid metal bead during heavy-duty service. In conjunction with each of the two flippers, a chipper protects the portion of the ply lying closest to the wheel rim when the tire is mounted. A nylon patch overlaps the respective end of each chipper, the turnup end of the ply, and the radially outermost part of each flipper. The shearing modulus of the nylon material of each flippers and each patch is intermediate between the shearing moduli of the adjacent materials, which thus distributes and absorbs shearing stresses in ways that reduce the tendency of the turnup ends and the radial most part of the chippers to separate from the adjacent tire structures during heavy-duty operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Jean-Claude Alié, Michèle Marie Joseph Emile Spriet
  • Patent number: 6613173
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a carcass made from at least one cord array comprised of many arch portions of a cord extending between a pair of bead portions in a meridional direction and arranged over a full circumference of the tire at an equal interval P in a circumferential direction of the tire and many circumferential portions of the cord alternately arranged in the bead portions, each connecting ends of adjacent arch portions to each other in the bead portion and extending substantially in the circumferential direction. In this case, the cord array is arranged at n layers (n is an integer of 2 or more) while offsetting these layers by a distance L obtained by dividing the interval P by n in the circumferential direction. Further, the bead wire reinforcing layer is arranged outward from the overlap region of the circumferential portions in the radial direction so as to sandwich the cord array from both sides thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Yuichiro Ogawa
  • Publication number: 20030141000
    Abstract: Motor vehicle tire (100) which has reduced rolling resistance (FIG. 1), the said tire comprising at least one carcass ply (101) whose opposite lateral edges are folded externally to form carcass folds (101a) around respective right and left bead wires (102), each bead wire being encased in a respective bead (103), each bead also comprising a respective bead filling (104) and antiabrasive band (105), in which the said antiabrasive band (105) consists of a vulcanized elastomeric compound comprising at least one natural or synthetic rubber and has a loss factor (tan &dgr;=E″/E′) at 70° C.≦0.130 and a storage modulus E′ at 70° C.≧6 MPa.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2002
    Publication date: July 31, 2003
    Inventors: Antonio Serra, Marco Nahmias Nanni
  • Patent number: 6598643
    Abstract: A tire for mounting on a rim, the flanges of which have rounded rim hooks, has at least two beads and a carcass reinforcement formed of at least one ply of reinforcement elements. Each bead is devoid of a bead wire. The carcass reinforcement has in each bead a meridian profile which is curved axially and radially from the outside to the inside to form an axially inner edge located at an angle open axially and radially towards the inside. The carcass reinforcement is reinforced in each bead at least radially to the outside and axially to the inside, firstly by at least one first continuous additional layer, formed of inextensible circumferential reinforcement elements and secondly by at least one second continuous additional layer, formed of inextensible, radial reinforcement elements the two additional layers having meridian profiles substantially parallel to the meridian profile of the carcass reinforcement in the bead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Pierre Durif
  • Patent number: 6598644
    Abstract: A tire having at least one bead seat inclined towards the outside and a radial carcass reinforcement (1) wound within said bead around a bead wire (2) from the heel to the toe of the bead B to form an upturn (10), the edge of which, viewed in meridian section, is located on the radially outer face (31) of a profiled element (3) of rubber mix. The profiled element is located axially and externally adjacent to the bead wire (2), and has, viewed in meridian section, the shape of a drop of water with an apex A located beneath the section of the bead wire (2), and a Shore A hardness greater than the Shore A hardness(es) of the rubber mixes (6, 7) located axially and radially above the bead wire/profiled element assembly. The carcass reinforcement upturn (10) is extended by a reinforcement armature (11) which surrounds the profiled element (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Claude Eynard
  • Publication number: 20030136488
    Abstract: Tire comprising a carcass reinforcement of at least one ply of reinforcing elements parallel to one another within each ply and making with the circumferential direction an angle &agr; such that 60°<&agr;<90°, said ply being anchored in each bead to an anchoring element in the bead and each bead being connected radially to a tread by a sidewall comprising an inextensible reinforcement ring and a profiled element of rubber mixture located axially inside said ply and located radially between said anchoring element and said sidewall ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2003
    Publication date: July 24, 2003
    Inventor: Olivier Muhlhoff
  • Patent number: 6591883
    Abstract: A tire for heavy loads, having an inextensible radial carcass ply anchored to a bead wire to form an upturn, the end of which is located at a radial distance from the base of the bead. Each bead is reinforced by at least two additional reinforcement armatures, one armature formed of radial inextensible metallic reinforcement elements and a second armature formed of metallic elements forming an angle with the circumferential direction, the first armature being formed of at least one ply wound around the anchoring bead wire on the inside of the carcass reinforcement to form two strands, such that the axially inner strand, between the radially lower end of its radially upper edge parallel to the meridian profile of the carcass reinforcement and its point of tangency with the anchoring bead wire, follows a rectilinear trace referred to as “shortest-path”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Pascal Auxerre
  • Publication number: 20030111152
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire bead area construction for improved chafer cracking resistance during run-flat (uninflated) tire operation comprises a chafer reinforcement fabric component that is positioned at the surface of the chafer wherever it may contact the wheel rim flange during normal tire operation, and especially during uninflated tire operation. The fabric component may be anchored by extending it around the bead. The fabric component may replace the toeguard, thereby further reinforcing and protecting the bead area by extending the chafer reinforcement fabric component along the surfaces of the bead area wherever surfaces of the tire can contact the wheel rim and rim flange during mounting of the tire and during operation of the tire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2001
    Publication date: June 19, 2003
    Inventors: Laurent Colantonio, Fernand Antoine Joseph Fourgon, Frank Philpott, Frank Schmitz, Alain Emile Francois Roesgen
  • Publication number: 20030102068
    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 exceeding 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: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2003
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshiya Miyazono
  • Publication number: 20030075254
    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 o
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2002
    Publication date: April 24, 2003
    Applicant: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventor: Oliver Ferlin
  • Patent number: 6543503
    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 exceeding 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: April 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiya Miyazono
  • Publication number: 20030041943
    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: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Ueyoko
  • Publication number: 20030037856
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises at least one carcass ply of steel cords, in which a wrap part wound on a bead core along its outer peripheral face is disposed in a turnup portion of the carcass ply and at least one wire chafer wound around the bead core from a main body portion of the carcass ply toward the turnup portion thereof in a widthwise direction is embedded in the bead portion or the main body portion of the carcass ply is adequately regulated so as to enhance lateral stiffness of the bead portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2002
    Publication date: February 27, 2003
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kato, Takahiro Kimura
  • Patent number: 6523591
    Abstract: A tire to be mounted on a rim of axial width L, with flanges with rounded rim hooks, having a tread joined to two beads (3) by two sidewalls (2) and at least one carcass reinforcement (1) formed of at least one ply of reinforcement elements, characterized in that each bead (3) is without a bead wire, the carcass reinforcement (1) having in each bead (3) a meridian profile which is curved axially and radially from the outside to the inside to form an axially inner edge located in an angle a open axially and radially towards the inside, one of the edges of which is parallel to the axis of rotation, the carcass reinforcement (1) being reinforced in each bead (3) at least radially to the outside and axially to the inside by at least one first continuous additional layer (6), of meridian profile substantially parallel to the meridian profile of the carcass reinforcement (1) in the bead (3) and including at least one first section composed of at least one ply (61, 62, 63) of inextensible reinforcement elements form
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2003
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin-Michelin & Cie
    Inventors: Jean Billieres, Pierre Durif
  • Publication number: 20030034108
    Abstract: A tire with a carcass reinforcement ply, anchored within each bead by winding around an annular element, the tensile strength of which is less than the tensile strength of a conventional tire bead wire of the same dimension, and an assembly of at least two textile bead reinforcement layers which are arranged in contact with the annular element, wherein the annular element is metallic, has a tensile strength of between 3 and 5 times the tension imparted to the carcass reinforcement by the recommended inflation pressure, and the elongation at break of which is at least equal to 6%, all the reinforcement layers formed of elements of aromatic polyamide having a tensile strength of between 0.5 and 1 time the tensile strength of the annular element, and the total of the tensile strengths of the annular element and of the assembly of the reinforcement layers being between 6 and 8 times the tension imparted to the carcass reinforcement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2002
    Publication date: February 20, 2003
    Applicant: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Forrest Patterson, Michel Ahouanto
  • Patent number: 6513559
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire is disclosed, which comprises: (1) a reinforcing rubber layer made of short fiber reinforced rubber, alternatively (2) a reinforcing rubber layer having hardness set in a range of 90° to 99° of JIS-A hardness, which is arranged in an area of a bead section from a bead toe section along a tire inner wall surface, and wherein a chafer composed a non-metallic fiber cord having a high strength and a high elastic modulus is provided to cover an outer side of the reinforcing rubber layer from the tire inner wall surface to the bead toe area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jun Arakawa
  • Publication number: 20030019557
    Abstract: The pneumatic tire has a single carcass ply reinforced with parallel metallic cords, each cord composed of at least one filament having a tensile strength of at least (−2000×D+4400 MPa)×95%, where D is the filament diameter in millimeters. The turnup portion of the single carcass ply 12 in the bead portion of a pneumatic tire is interposed between the bead core 11 and a toe guard 18, and the radially outer edge of each turnup portion being in contact with the main portion of the carcass ply and extending to an end point 0.5 to 4.0 inches (12.7 to 101.6 mm) radially outward of the bead core as measured along the main portion of the carcass ply of the tire. A toe guard 18 associated with each bead core 11 has a first and second end and each end is disposed directly adjacent to the carcass ply. The first end 18a of the toe guard is located on the axially inner side of the main portion of the carcass ply at a location about 0.4 to 3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2002
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Applicant: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Amit Prakash, Donald Woodrow Gilliam, Gary Edwin Tubb
  • Patent number: 6505663
    Abstract: A tire having two beads and a radial carcass reinforcement, each bead having no anchoring bead wire and being reinforced by an armature including at least two plies turned up over themselves to form four reinforcement layers axially close to one another, the two axially innermost layers being composed of elements parallel to one another from one layer to the next, and the two layers axially at the center being composed of elements crossed from one layer to the next, and the reinforcement layers have their radially outer edges positioned within the bead at different heights such that any annular strip of the reinforcement armature of the bead, having at least two layers of reinforcement elements and located between two parallels to the rotation axis of the tire, is formed of at least two layers of reinforcement elements crossed from one layer to the next.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Michel Ahouanto, Luc Bestgen, Forrest Patterson
  • Publication number: 20020195186
    Abstract: A cylindrical body ply is mounted around a cylindrical bladder, and annular beads are set on both axial end portions of the body ply. In this state, while the spacing between both axial ends of the body ply is narrowed, an axial intermediate portion of the body ply is increased in diameter by the bladder. Subsequently, bending members formed of rigid bodies are radially moved from the inside to the outside of the body ply to bend both axial end portions of the body ply by the bending members. The bent portions of the body ply wrap around corresponding beads. With the use of the body ply manufactured in this way in a tire, the resulting tire can be reduced in the manufacturing cost and weight.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2002
    Publication date: December 26, 2002
    Inventor: Shigemasa Takagi
  • Publication number: 20020189738
    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: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2002
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Inventor: Patrick Corsi
  • Publication number: 20020189737
    Abstract: Formation of a carcass ply takes place by laying down onto a toroidal support (11), a first and a second series of strip-like sections (13, 14) cut to size from a continuous strip-like element (2a) and each comprising longitudinal thread-like elements (15) incorporated into a layer of elastomer material (18). The sections (13) of the first series are sequentially disposed at some circumferential distance from each other, to form side portions (19) to the end flaps (19a) of which primary portions (4a) of respective bead-reinforcing structures (4) are applied. The sections (14) of the second series are each interposed in the space defined between two sections of the first series (13), with the respective end flaps (20a) overlapping the primary portions (4a) of the annular structures (4). Additional portions (24) of the annular structures are applied to the end flaps (20a) of the sections (14) belonging to the second series.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2002
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Applicant: PIRELLI PNEUMATICI S.p.A.
    Inventor: Renato Caretta
  • Patent number: 6494242
    Abstract: The tire of the invention has an optimized path of the outermost carcass designed to maximize the extent of tensile stress in the sidewall and bead portions of the tire. The invention further provides separate reinforcement structures in the bead portion for anchoring the carcass or carcasses in the bead and for retaining the bead on the mounting rim during deflated operation, and said anchoring reinforcement also facilitates the maintenance of the desirable carcass profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique
    Inventor: Roger Cary Cottrell
  • Patent number: 6491077
    Abstract: A tire with a form ratio H/S between 0.3 and 0.8 has a carcass reinforcement (1) which is covered radially by a quasi-cylindrical crown reinforcement (3) and which is tangential at T to a holding circle C. The common tangent at T to the circle C and to the meridian profile of the carcass (1) makes an angle &agr; of between +20° and −80° with respect to a line parallel to the rotation axis and passing through the tangency point T. In its portion located between the tangency point T and the point E of greatest axial width, the carcass reinforcement (1) is provided with a reinforcement armature (6) of circumferentially non-extensible elements. Viewed in meridian cross-section and when the tire is fitted and inflated to the recommended pressure, the carcass (1) has a meridian profile consisting of four circular arcs configured to improve the endurance of the tire while improving its rolling resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale Des Establissements Michelin-Michelin & Cie
    Inventors: José Merino Lopez, Pascal Auxerre
  • Patent number: 6491079
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises at least one carcass ply of steel cords, in which a wrap part wound on a bead core along its outer peripheral face is disposed in a turnup portion of the carcass ply and at least one wire chafer wound around the bead core from a main body portion of the carcass ply toward the turnup portion thereof in a widthwise direction is embedded in the bead portion or the main body portion of the carcass ply is adequately regulated so as to enhance lateral stiffness of the bead portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kato, Takahiro Kimura
  • Patent number: 6491078
    Abstract: A tire for heavy loads and having beads intended to be mounted on flat rim seats or rim seats which are inclined at 5°, including at least one radial carcass ply formed of inextensible reinforcement elements and anchored in each bead to a bead wire to form an upturn, the end of which is located at a radial distance HRNC from the base of the bead. Each bead is reinforced by at least two additional reinforcement armatures, at least one first armature formed of at least one ply of radial textile reinforcement elements which is located axially to the outside of a second armature formed of at least one ply of inextensible elements forming an angle &agr; with the circumferential direction such that 0°≦&agr;≦45°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale des Establissements Michelin-Michelin & Cie
    Inventor: Patrick Corsi
  • Patent number: 6478064
    Abstract: A heavy duty radial tire comprises: a carcass ply 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; a bead apex rubber disposed between each of the turnup portions and the main portion, each. of the turnup portions extending radially outwardly beyond a radially outer end of the bead apex to adjoin the main portion; a chafer rubber disposed along at least an axially outer surface of each of the bead portions so as to define at least a flange-contacting part for contacting with a flange of a wheel rim; the height of the radially outer end of the bead apex being in the range of from 7 to 35% of the height of the carcass at the tire equator and being less than the height of the radially outer end of the chafer rubber; and the flange-contacting part being devoid of a concave profile. When the carcass ply is made of steel cords whose sectional area is in the range of from 0.10 to 0.25 sq.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2002
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Ueyoko
  • Patent number: 6463975
    Abstract: A tire, at least one radial carcass reinforcement of which is anchored within each bead B to two bead wires and to form an upturn, characterized in that, viewed in meridian section, an additional reinforcement armature, formed of at least one ply of circumferential reinforcement elements, is placed, at least axially to the inside, along the carcass reinforcement in the region of the bead B.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2002
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin-Michelin & Cie
    Inventor: Pascal Auxerre
  • Patent number: 6460589
    Abstract: A tire, at least one radial carcass reinforcement of which is anchored within each bean B to a bead wire to form an upturn, characterized in that, viewed in meridian section, the carcass reinforcement has a meridian profile, in the region of the point of inflection J between the convex part and the concave part, which is reinforced axially to the inside by an additional reinforcement armature composed of at least one ply formed of circumferential metal elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Assignee: Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin-Michelin & Cie
    Inventor: Pascal Auxerre
  • Patent number: 6443204
    Abstract: A tire has at least one radial carcass reinforcement anchored within each bead B to at least one bead wire to form an upturn, wherein the carcass reinforcement meridian profile trace between a point A of greatest axial width and a point of tangency T with the circle circumscribed on the coating layer of the anchoring bead wire is convex over its entire length, and the thickness &egr; of the bead B, measured on a line perpendicular to the meridian profile at a point C of height hc of between 30 and 40 mm and measured to the base YY′, is between 2.5 and 3.0 times the thickness e of the sidewall measured on a straight line D″ of greatest axial width, an additional reinforcement armature of at least one ply of circumferential reinforcement elements being arranged axially to the inside of the carcass reinforcement non-upturned part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Compagnie Générale des Etablissements Michelin-Michelin & Cie
    Inventor: Pascal Auxerre
  • Patent number: 6435239
    Abstract: The invention improves tire flat spotting by providing a bead assembly that has bead filler elements disposed outside the body cords so that the turn up portion of the ply of body cords is disposed immediately back against the main portion of the ply of body cords above the bead core. This carcass structure increases the stiffness of the lower sidewall and decreases the flat spotting experience by the tire. In one embodiment of the invention, a reinforcing ply is wrapped around the bead filler elements to further increases the stiffness of the lower sidewall. In another embodiment, a bead filler element is disposed inside the body cords so that an air pocket is not formed in the carcass during the manufacturing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC
    Inventors: Neel K. Mani, John L. Turner, Thomas R. Branca, Hidetoshi Yokota, Brian E. Moore, Stanley J. Olesky
  • Patent number: 6408914
    Abstract: A tire (10) has three carcass reinforcing structures (15, 16, 17). The second carcass reinforcing structure (16) is folded radially outwardly around each bead core 16 (20), so that the edges (36) of the second carcass reinforcing structure (16) are each located between an apex (31) and the neighboring bead core. The third carcass reinforcing structure (17) has its turndown portions (27) folded radially inwardly around the turnup portion of the second carcass reinforcing structure (16) and the bead core, so that the edges (37) of the plies of the third carcass reinforcing structure are located at the radially inner side of the bead cores (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: André Lamock, Carlo Bernard
  • Patent number: 6401777
    Abstract: A chipper (40, 43, 54) for use in a pneumatic radial ply runflat tire (49) comprises cord reinforcements (42, 42′) making an angle, &agr;′ of between 30° and 50° relative to the circumferential direction. The radially outermost edge (46, 50) of the chipper is located between 10 and 15 millimeters above the wheel rim flange (56) of the wheel-mounted tire and between 5% and 20% of the section height SH of the tire. The chipper is disposed axially inward of the ply turnup end (58). The chipper (40) may comprise a single layer of cords (42), or the chipper (43) may comprise two layers (47, 47′) with the -cords (42, 42′) in the two layers being crossed to form mirror images across a radial reflection axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
    Inventors: Agnes Nathalie Iwana Verbeke-Ensch, Charles Pierre Jean-Marie Nosbusch, Roland Close, Edouard Schenten
  • Patent number: 6386259
    Abstract: A heavy duty radial tire comprises a carcass ply being turned up around bead cores form the axially inside to outside of the tire, a bead apex disposed between the carcass main portion and each turnup portion, the turnup portion extending radially outwardly beyond the radially outer end of the bead apex so that the turnup portion has a parallel part which is placed adjacent to and substantially in parallel with the main portion, and a chafer disposed in each bead portion and extending radially outwardly beyond the radially outer end of the bead apex along the axially outside of the turnup portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2002
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Ueyoko
  • Patent number: 6360799
    Abstract: A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions, a pair of bead portions, and at least one carcass ply toroidally extending between a pair of bead cores and wound around the bead core to form a turnup portion, in which a reinforcing rubber having substantially a crescent shape at its lateral section is disposed at an inside of the sidewall portion and a cord reinforcing layer containing cord(s) extending in a direction of approximately 90° with respect to a radial line segment is disposed in at least a bead portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2002
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Shizuo Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 6354351
    Abstract: A heavy duty pneumatic radial tire has a light weight of a bead portion and an excellent bead portion durability and is provided with a bead portion reinforcing layer covering an outer surface of a carcass ply around a bead core, in which the bead portion reinforcing layer is comprised of a single rubberized steel cord layer or of two or three independent rubberized steel cord layer segments. In this case, the steel cords arranged in the bead portion reinforcing layer have an inclination angle of a given range with respect to a circumferential line of the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiya Miyazono