Pirelli Pneumatici S.p.a.

Antonio Brunacci

Marco Nahmias Nanni

Antonio Serra

Claudio Zanichelli

A pneumatic tire for vehicle wheels includes a radial carcass, a tread band, sidewalls and beads, and a belt structure. The tread band is provided with grooves on its surface for coming into contact with the ground and situated on a radial outer surface of the carcass. The sidewalls and beads anchor the tire on a wheel rim. The belt structure is disposed between the tread band and the carcass. Additionally, a fiber-reinforced elastomeric intermediate layer is placed between the belt structure and the tread band. Methods for manufacturing the pneumatic tire are also disclosed.

Tire, including fiber-reinforced elastomeric intermediate layer between the belt structure and tread band, and method of making the tire

A high performance tire includes a carcass provided with at least one carcass ply, a belt including two or more layers of reinforcing cords parallel to each other in a layer and crossed with respect to those of an adjacent layer, applied circumferentially on the carcass, a radially-external layer of circumferentially-oriented reinforcing cords applied on the belt, and a tread band comprising an underlayer and an external layer. The underlayer may have a hardness which is substantially constant over a temperature range between 23&deg; C. and 100&deg; C. The underlayer may also have an elastic modulus which is substantially constant over a temperature range between 70&deg; C. and 100&deg; C. Additionally, the underlayer may be made from an elastomer compound comprising reinforcing fibers and hardening resins. Further, the underlayer may have a hardness and an elastic modulus which remain substantially constant between 70&deg; C. and 100&deg; C. A method for making the tire is also disclosed.

High performance tire with tread band having an anisotropic underlayer stable with temperature variation

A method for determining behavior of a viscoelastic material at a first temperature includes performing five or more measurements of a dynamic parameter as a function of deformation at each of at least a second, third, and fourth temperature. Eleven or more data points are chosen from the measurements. Each data point comprises a value of the dynamic parameter, an associated deformation, and an associated temperature. Values of the eleven parameters are determined by inserting at least eleven of the data points into a first equation. The first temperature and the values of the eleven parameters are inserted into the first equation. The dynamic parameter is approximated as a function of the deformation at the first temperature using the first equation. A related apparatus is also disclosed.

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Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Antonio Brunacci