The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

David Allan Kindry

Paul Harry Sandstrom

Grover W Rye

William Paul Francik

Kevin James Pyle

Jerry L Brenner

Jerold Robert Buenger

Roger Alden Fleming

Samson Samuel Apticar

Richard M Oblath

Carolyn T Weber

Roger D Emerson

In a tire having a tread with cap/base construction, a regulated amount of partially crosslinked natural rubber in a tire tread compound increases the uncured ('green') stiffness, tensile strength and tear resistance of a green compound used for the base without adversely affecting physical properties of the tread after it is cured. Such green stiffness is particularly useful in the construction of a tread for a pneumatic tire, which tread is of cap/base construction because stiffness provides requisite dimensional stability of both cap and base (in the tread) during the curing of the tire. The amount of partially crosslinked natural rubber used in a tread compound depends upon the extent of crosslinking in the natural rubber, the non-crosslinked remainder being virgin latex.

Tire tread compounds comprising partially crosslinked natural rubber

The invention relates to a butt splicing technique for use in manufacturing reinforced elastomeric articles, in particular pneumatic tires. In the method, after a butt splice is made, a spun-bonded material is applied to the splice area as a splicing strip. The spun-bonded material has stress/strain/expansion characteristics that closely resemble such properties in an elastomeric component of the article which is spliced so that the splicing strip does not unduly distort the reinforcing structure of the component, while preventing opening of the splice during construction. Articles made using the method are also provided.

Pneumatic tire made by butt-splicing structural members and a method

The tread reinforcing belt structure (24) of a pneumatic tire (10) has at least one belt ply (29) of flat steel wire. The belt ply of flat steel wire is stiffened by other components of the tread reinforcing structure such as belt plies of steel cables (28,30). It is especially important that the axially outermost edge portions of the belt ply of flat steel wires be supported by other components of the tread reinforcing belt structure, and that the flat wire have specific cross-sectional dimensions.

Use of flat wire as a reinforcement in the belt package of a pneumatic

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Clinton, OH, United States of America

David Allan Kindry