Michelin Recherche Et Technique S.a.

Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin

Compagnie Generale Des Etablissments Michelin

Michelin Recherche Et Techniques S.a.

Societe Detechnologie Michelin

Fang Zhu

Lee A Montgomery

Kai Chun Yang

John Anthony Hutz

Kevin Ray Reim

Stefan Voss

Charles Andrew McPillan

Victor Abarotin

Terence Wallace

Clarence Vernon Hair, Jr

Craig M Jurs

Drew R Howlett

Julien Matthieu Flament

Virgile Ayglon

Jeremy Trowbridge

James Michael Traylor

Julien Alexandre Vaissaud

Dennis D Hodges

Paul Crehan

Charles Mcpillan

Yukinori Imai

Shilpa Varahagiri

Praveen-Kumar Verma

Clarence Hair

Julien Flament

Frederic Xavier Francis Biesse

Clarence Vernon Hair

The invention provides for a heavy truck tire tread () having a longitudinal direction, a lateral direction and a thickness direction, said tread having a ground-engaging contact surface (CS) and having a main longitudinal center groove (), two main longitudinal shoulder grooves () and two main longitudinal intermediate grooves (), said five main longitudinal grooves defining six main longitudinal ribs (), said five main longitudinal grooves comprising one hidden groove, two open grooves and two partially hidden grooves; wherein each of said two partially hidden grooves comprises openings () to the ground-engaging contact surface and undersurface channels () connecting adjacent openings, longitudinal sipes () extending substantially along the longitudinal direction and connecting successive openings to the respective channel; and wherein said hidden groove () comprises an undersurface duct (), a longitudinal sipe () extending substantially along the longitudinal direction and connecting said undersurface duct to the ground-engaging contact surface, said hidden groove being the main longitudinal center groove of the tread.

Truck tire tread and truck tire

A heavy truck tire tread is provided that has at least four longitudinal grooves, at least four longitudinal grooves comprising two open grooves and at least two partially hidden grooves. The longitudinal grooves defining two shoulder ribs, two intermediate ribs and at least one center rib, wherein the shape, size and position of the grooves are for any section of tread of any given section length L between 12 to 40 mm, the percentage difference in rubber mass of a rib section compared to a respective neighboring rib section of the same section length L in the same rib is less than a maximum percentage difference, wherein

Tire tread

A tire with improved resistance to sidewall damage such as splitting or puncture is provided. More particularly, the present invention provides a tire with tread features positioned along the sidewall in a manner that improves the protection of the sidewall against damage when contacting obstacles during operation of the tire.

Tire with improved resistance to sidewall damage

The invention includes a tire having a pair of annular sidewalls each extending to a terminal end including a bottom surface for mounting onto a wheel. The tire further includes indicia arranged along each sidewall adjacent a bottom of each sidewall terminal end. The indicia extends radially outward from an initial position to extend from a top side of a rim flange of a tire wheel for indicating concentric mounting of the tire on a wheel. In particular embodiments, the tire is mounted on a rim of a wheel having rim flanges, each of the rim flanges extending along one of the tire sidewalls such that the indicia is adjacently arranged the rim flange along each sidewall such that the indicia extends radially outward from a top of the rim flange. Methods include using the indicia to determine whether the tire is concentrically mounted on the wheel.

Tire bead mounting verification system

A method of improving the resistance of a tire sidewall to damage such as splitting or puncture is provided. More particularly, a method for determining the size and positioning of tread features along the sidewall of a tire so as to improve the protection of the sidewall against damage when contacting obstacles during operation of the tire is provided.

Method of improving tire sidewall resistance to damage

Methodology for characterizing non-uniformity forces at a tire spindle, such as low and high speed radial force variations and high speed tangential force variations include the steps of measuring radial run out and radial or tangential force variations at high and/or low speeds. From such measurements, the contribution of a predetermined type of stiffness variation (e.g. radial, tangential, extensional, bending) to respective radial and/or tangential force variations can be determined. Signature analysis statistical methods may also be utilized to characterize such tire non-uniform forces for different steps and reference physical angles of a tire construction process. Based on the characterization of such tire non-uniform forces, additional process steps may further correspond to tire grading and/or sorting processes, physical tire modification processes and tire manufacturing processes. Tire correction mechanisms and/or feedback control in a tire manufacturing process preferably yield tires having radial run out and stiffness variation parameters that are out of phase for one or more harmonics, thus yielding a reduction in the non-uniformity forces such as radial and tangential force variations at a tire spindle.

Tire uniformity through compensation between radial run out and stiffness variation

Technology is disclosed for characterizing both mass uneven distribution and high speed uniformity of a tire. Mass uneven distribution is identified from analysis of at least two radial run out (RRO) measurements, wherein a first RRO measurement is obtained for a relatively high speed of at least about 600 rotations per minute. A second RRO measurement may be at a relatively low speed less of at most about 180 rotations per minute if the effects of radial stiffness variation on the RRO is mall. If the effects of radial stiffness variation on the RRO can not be neglected, a third RRO at another high speed of at least above 600 rotations per minute is needed. RRO measurements are then decomposed into a plurality of harmonics and mass uneven distribution coefficients are calculated for the respective harmonics. The mass uneven distribution coefficients are then used to determine size and location of any mass unbalance, including mass uneven distribution and/or point mass. Mass unbalance characterization can be further applied to tire sorting processes and improvements to tire manufacturing. Measurement and analysis of tire high speed radial run out can also be coupled with low speed force measurements to determine and characterize tire high speed uniformity. Tire high speed uniformity characterization can also be applied to tire sorting processes and corresponding tire manufacturing process improvement, for example, in control and optimization of tire layer overlap or variation parameters.

Prediction and control of mass unbalance and high speed uniformity

Growing community of inventors

Greer, SC, United States of America

Fang Zhu