The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Georges J Schmit

Thomas N Welter

A radial ply pneumatic tire has at least two carcass reinforcing layers, each of which comprises two discontinuous plies. Each discontinuous ply is anchored around a single bead core and extends through a sidewall into the crown portion of the tire where it axially overlaps the tread reinforcing belt structure. The two discontinuous plies of each carcass layer are separated by a circumferentially extending gap, and the gaps in each carcass layer are staggered relative to one another as well as relative to the circumferentially extending grooves of the tire's tread pattern.

Pneumatic tire

A composite cord for reinforcing a tire or other elastomeric article having at least one high strength, substantially inextensible yarn spirally wrapped around a core. The core at room temperature has sufficient strength and elasticity to resist and recover from tension forces on the core required during the processing of the cord and building of the tire. The core is composed of material which loses its tensile strength when subjected to temperatures of vulcanization to permit stretching out of the yarn to allow for substantial elongation of a part or all of the tire and then provide reinforcement of the elongated tire by the stretched out, high strength yarn.

Composite reinforcement cord

Tire with composite reinforcement cord

A radial spare tire which, upon inflation, stretches from a shape having a reduced diameter adjacent the wheel rim on which the tire is mounted, to a regularly sized radial tire which the spare tire is designed to replace. The tire is molded and vulcanized in an unstretched configuration of reduced size. The stretching of the tire is made possible by the utilization in the carcass and belt plies of reinforcement cords which, during the processing of the cord and building of the tire, have a relatively high modulus of elasticity. When the cords are subjected to vulcanization temperatures, they lose their strength and have a low modulus of elasticity to permit the stretching of the tire to a regular size. The cords then develop a high modulus of elasticity in the stretched condition to provide the required reinforcement of the tire in the inflated regular size condition.

Stretchable radial spare tire

A bladder for use in conjunction with a tire building drum, said bladder having cords extending substantially parallel to the rotational axis of the bladder and including two belt plies of square woven fabric extending circumferentially about the bladder. The bladder is manufactured by first providing an at least partially cured cylindrical membrane reinforced with cords extending substantially parallel to the rotational axis of the membrane. The membrane is then expanded to a toroidal configuration and an uncured belt structure is applied to the expanded membrane. The membrane is then contracted to the cylindrical configuration and the belt structure is cured.

Growing community of inventors

Bridel, Luxembourg

Georges J Schmit