The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Alain Emile Francois Roesgen

Filomeno Gennaro Corvasce

Laurent Colantonio

Frank Philpott

Gia Van Nguyen

Anne-France Gabrielle Jeanne-Marie Cambron

Gia-Van Nguyen

Peter Phelps Roch

Marc Weydert

Laurent Luigi Domenico Colantonio

Yacine Ouyahia

David Paterson Craig

Marie-Rita Thise

Marie-Rita Catherine Amelie Thise-Fourgon

Yvan Sac

Anne Thérèse Peronnet-Paquin

Giorgio Agostini

Uwe Ernst Frank

Michel Jean Yves Windeshausen

Jean Luc Dheur

Eric Gerard Packbier

Atte Smits

Gerard Louis Marie Schmit

Guy Jacobs

Francis Bartholome

Marc Ernest Ginter

Andrew Frederick Weimer

Raymond Marie Joseph Ghislain Houba

Bernard Croissant

Bernard Marie Henin

Marc Hedo

Ghislain Adolphe Leon Thise

Claude Jacque

Denis Dominique Nicolas Lambert

Jean-Marie Pilger

Jean-Marc Lacaze

A pneumatic radial ply tire includes a pair of beads, a single carcass ply, a tread, and a pair of sidewalls. The pair of beads each has an associated chaffer. The single carcass ply is folded about each bead so as to define a main body portion and a turnup portion associated with each bead. The tread is disposed radially outward from the single carcass ply. The tread has shoulder portions disposed at axial outer edges of the tread. The pair of sidewalls extends radially outward from each chaffer to a location adjacent each shoulder portion. Each sidewall is disposed axially outward of the single carcass ply. Each sidewall includes a first outer layer extending from the chaffer to the shoulder portion and a second inner layer extending from the chaffer to the shoulder portion. The second inner layer is disposed entirely between the single carcass ply and first outer layer. The second inner layer comprises a foamed structure of a rubber composition having a density ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 g/cm.

Pneumatic tire with dual layer sidewall

A mold and molding device for forming a sunken groove in a tire is provided. The molding device includes a thin flexible wire having a desired cross-sectional shape. The wire thickness can range from about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm. The flexible wire is preferably hyperelastic. An optional molding element may be connected to the flexible wire.

Flexible molding device for manufacturing a sunken groove in a tire tread

A mold and molding device for forming a sunken groove in a tire is provided. The molding device includes a thin flexible wire having one or more molded elastomer elements thereon. The flexible wire is preferably hyperelastic and the molded elastomer is preferably silicone rubber.

Flexible enrobed molding device for manufacturing a sunken groove in a tire tread

A tire mold and a molding device for forming a sunken groove in a tire are provided. The molding device includes one or more rigid elements joined to a flexible member along an attachment point or line on the connecting surface of the rigid element. The flexible member is formed from a flexible material, preferably a superalloy, or hyperelastic material. If multiple rigid elements are utilized, the rigid elements are closely spaced together such that a portion of the opposed walls are in mating contact with an adjacent rigid element.

A tire mold and a molding device for forming a sunken groove in a tire are provided. The molding device includes one or more rigid elements joined to a flexible member. The flexible member is formed from a flexible material, preferably a superalloy, or hyperelastic material. The molding device may further comprise a magnet. A portion of the flexible member is positioned in contact with a first surface of a relief forming element of a mold and the rigid element has a mating surface in mating contact with a second surface of the relief forming element. The mold further may further comprise a second relief forming element positioned adjacent the first relief forming element, wherein the rigid element further includes an outer surface in mating contact with a surface of said second relief forming element.

Flexible molding device for manufacturing a sunken groove or surface tie bar in a tire tread

A self-supporting pneumatic tire, capable of continued operation during under-inflation conditions, has at least one insert located in each tire sidewall. Forming the interior surface of the self-supporting tire is a stiffening layer of material having characteristics similar to that of the insert. In the tread region of the tire, and radially inward of the innermost carcass layer, and possibly in the interior bead region of the tire, is a partial inner liner layer of the bromobutyl rubber.

Self-supporting pneumatic tire with a partial inner liner

A pneumatic radial ply tire incorporating a crown reinforcing structure comprises at least one reinforcing hoop located approximately on the equatorial plane and disposed radially inward of the tread and radially outward of the carcass structure. The hoop is surrounded or encased by a layer of elastomeric transition material providing a flexible structural connection between the hoop and the adjacent carcass structure and belt structure. The hoop may have a substantially lenticular shape, or a complex shape with two thickened sections or lobes connected by a thin waist-like section, or a shape and a location that is asymmetric with respect to the equatorial plane of the tire, and may be made by winding a thin strip of material such as UHMWPE in an elastomeric matrix. The hoop may replace the belt structure of the tire.

Tire with compression-bearing hoop structure

A tire with a changing tread pattern is formed by first forming a tire having a tread, the tread having at least one circumferential or lateral groove. Formed separately is a wearable filler, the wearable filler having a configuration corresponding to at least a portion of the circumferential or lateral groove formed in the tire. After both the tire and the wearable filler have been cured, the wearable filler is located in the radially outer portion of the circumferential or lateral groove or a portion of the circumferential or lateral groove, and secured within the grooves so as to create a groove void radially inward of the wearable filler, the void being exposed upon wear of the tire tread.

Method for forming a pneumatic tire

A tire with a changing tread pattern is formed by first forming a tire having a tread, the tread having at least one circumferential or lateral groove. A wearable filler, having a configuration corresponding to at least a portion of the circumferential or lateral groove formed in the tire, is located in the radially outer portion of the circumferential or lateral groove or a portion of the circumferential or lateral groove, and secured within the grooves so as to create a groove void radially inward of the wearable filler, the void being exposed upon wear of the tire tread.

Pneumatic tire

The tire ( ) of the invention incorporates a carcass ply cord material ( ) with variable modulus of elasticity to provide an active sidewall structure ( ). The variable modulus cord material is incorporated in the axially outwardmost ply ( ) of a carcass ( ) having two plies ( ) separated by elastomeric inserts ( ) in the sidewalls ( ). The outer ply cord material ( ) provides an increased modulus of elasticity with an increase in elongation. The inner ply cords ( ) have a modulus that substantially exceeds that of the outer ply cords ( ) under normal loads in the inflated mode. Thus, the inner ply ( ) dominates the structural response of the sidewalls ( ) at normal loads in the inflated mode. Under severe sidewall deflection, such as when the tire is uninflated, the outer ply cord ( ) is elongated, increasing its modulus of elasticity and thus, shifting the load from the axially inwardmost ply ( ) to the axially outwardmost ply ( ).

Runflat tire construction with ply cords having a variable modulus of elasticity

The present invention relates to new and novel tire construction and method of making same wherein the uncured elastomeric material that is laid upon the tire building drum during building of the tire preform will not experience substantially meridional stretch which would otherwise cause a decrease in the uniformity of ply thickness during expansion of the preform in the vulcanizing mold.

Pneumatic tires and method of making

A pneumatic radial ply passenger tire ( ) having a tread ( ), a casing with two sidewalls ( ), two radial plies ( ) extending from and wrapped about two annular beads ( ) and a belt reinforcement structure ( ) located radially between the tread and the plies. Inner ply ( ) is reinforced with essentially inextensible metal cords and is designed to carry a compressive load during runflat operation. Outer ply ( ) is reinforced with organic-fiber cords designed to withstand tensile stresses during runflat operation. A circumferentially deployed insert ( ) is disposed between the inner and outer radial plies ( ) in each sidewall ( ) adjacent to the shoulder of the tread. The metal cords ( ) of inner ply ( ) have compressive-load-hearing capacity which reduces the mass of the insert material ( ). The metal cords ( ) also have thermal conductivity properties that dissipate heat buildup from both ply ( ) and insert ( ).

Sidewall with insert construction for runflat tire

The invention relates to a pneumatic tire with a toroidal shaped tire carcass having sidewalls and a tread. The tire carcass terminates at opposite bead regions for mounting on a tire rim. The tire has at least one of the sidewalls having a circumferentially extending continuous groove, and a non-rubber inlay ring secured within the continuous groove of the sidewall(s) to form a rim flange protector.

Tire with inlay ring mounted in sidewall

A pneumatic tire with an increased load carrying capacity (extended load index) but compatible with conventional, commercially available wheel rims, has a modified carcass ply line. The pneumatic tire ( ) has a tread area ( ) and a carcass structure ( ) including two bead areas ( ), at least one cord-reinforced elastomeric ply ( ) extending through sidewalls ( ) between the bead areas ( ) and the tread area ( ), and a belt structure ( ) between the tread area ( ) and the carcass structure ( ). The tire ( ) has bead areas ( ) containing a triangular shaped beads so that the ply line (PL&prime;&Prime;) that causes the bead areas to better secure the tire to the rim during high stress conditions.

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Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Alain Emile Francois Roesgen