Pirelli Pneumatici S.p.a.

Pirelli Coordinamento Pneumatici S.p.a.

Other

Federal-mogul Ignition Gmbh

Johnson Matthey Public Limited Company

Federal Mogul, S.a.

Federal-mogul Corporation

Gurdev Orjela

Xavier Boland

Guido Riva

Maurizio Boiocchi

Alessandro Volpi

Paul Tinwell

Syed Khawja Mowdood

Claudio Villani

Duncan Roy Coupland

Marco Cipparrone

Robin Hyde

Duncan R Coupland

Scott Koppen

Brian Fisher

Richard Herring

An ignition device such as a spark plug having ground and center electrodes, at least one of which includes a firing tip formed from an alloy containing iridium, rhodium, tungsten, and zirconium. With the inclusion of tungsten and zirconium in the alloy, the percentage of rhodium can be kept relatively low without sacrificing the erosion resistance or reduced sparking voltage of the firing tip. In one embodiment, the firing tip contains 2% rhodium, 0.3% tungsten, 0.02% zirconium, and the balance iridium.

Ignition device having an electrode tip formed from an iridium-based alloy

A noble metal tipfor attachment to a spark plug center electrodeand/or a ground electrode. Noble metal tipis a generally cylindrical component that includes a firing end, an attachment end, and one or more retention featuresand. The retention features are generally conically shaped holes or recesses formed in the side of the noble metal tip, and are designed to receive molten material during a laser attachment process. Once the molten material has solidified in the retention features, a fusion layer is formed and acts as a mechanical bond or interlock between the noble metal tip and the electrode. Methods of manufacturing and attaching the noble metal tips are also provided.

Noble metal tip for spark plug electrode and method of making same

A spark plug for an internal combustion engine comprising a centre electrode and an earth electrode serving as a spark discharge section, as well as a noble metallic chip, which is inserted into one end of at least one of said electrodes along part of its length and which is subsequently welded thereto by irradiation with energy-condensing light, characterized in that said noble metallic chip is provided with a profile for holding said noble metallic chip onto said at least one electrode on at least part of the outer periphery of said part of its length, wherein a fusion layer extending between said profile and an inner region of the end of said at least one electrode locks said noble metallic chip onto said at least one electrode.

Spark plug for an internal combustion engine

A windscreen wiper device comprising an oscillating arm and a frame connected thereto for receiving a wiper blade, which device includes a life span indicator, characterized in that said indicator is sensitive to water. The indicator can change its color in dependence on the length of time during which the indicator has-been exposed to water.

Windscreen wiper device with life span indicator

A method of mounting a tire on a rim includes selecting a tire comprising bead cores, stretching the bead cores, sliding the bead cores over a balcony portion of the rim, allowing the bead cores to elastically return to lengths corresponding to diameters of respective seats of the rim, and inflating the tire. The bead cores include one or more portions of material with characteristics of superelasticity and shape memory. Stretching the bead cores may include applying constant load to the bead cores at ambient temperature and/or causing the bead cores to undergo structural change at ambient temperature. The structural change may include complete or partial change from austenitic structure to martensitic structure. The one or more portions of material are deformable at ambient temperature in response to a constant force and recover to original shape upon removal of the constant force.

Method of mounting a tire on a rim

A rubberized fabric for a tire belt includes an elastomeric material and at least one reinforcing metal strap in the elastomeric material. The at least one reinforcing metal strap is made of a shape-memory material. The at least one reinforcing metal strap is oriented at about 0&#xb0; to an equatorial plane of the tire. The at least one reinforcing metal strap has a width of no less than about 1 mm. The at least one reinforcing metal strap has a first thickness of no greater than about 0.1 mm. The at least one reinforcing metal strap may have coils disposed side-by-side and axially displaced from one another.

Rubberized fabric with reinforcing metal strap made of a shape-memory material

An ignition device such as a spark plug having ground and center electrodes, at least one of which includes a firing tip formed from an alloy containing iridium, rhodium, tungsten, and zirconium. With the inclusion of tungsten and zirconium in the alloy, the percentage of rhodium can be kept relatively low without sacrificing the erosion resistance or reduced sparking voltage of the firing tip. In one embodiment, the firing tip contains 2.5% rhodium, 0.3% tungsten, 0.07% zirconium, and the balance iridium.

Ignition device having an electrode formed from an iridium-based alloy

A bead core for locking a tire to a seat of a wheel rim includes a plurality of annular reinforcement elements having an inner transverse dimension smaller than a maximum diameter of the wheel rim, and being sufficiently deformable at ambient temperature to facilitate mounting the tire onto the wheel rim. The plurality of annular reinforcement elements includes at least one tightening element made of a shape-memory alloy responsive to temperature increases by increasing a tightening force on the wheel rim at a predetermined temperature. A tire including the bead core and a method for securing a tire to a rim using the bead core are also disclosed.

Tire bead core assembly and tire using the same

A tire includes a carcass, a tread band, at least a reinforcing belt between the tread band and the carcass, a pair of bead cores disposed one at each end of the carcass with ends of the carcass wrapped around the pair of bead cores to form a pair of beads, and at least one clamp disposed around each bead core, wherein the at least one clamp is made of a shape-memory material. A bead core including at least one clamp made of a shape-memory material, a method for manufacturing a tire including at least one clamp made of a strip of shape-memory material, and a method for manufacturing a bead core including at least one clamp made of a strip of shape-memory material are also disclosed.

Bead core with a clamp, tire incorporating same, and method of making same

A tire includes a toroidal carcass and a tread band. The toroidal carcass includes a central crown and two sidewalls terminating in a pair of annular beads. Each annular bead includes a metallic bead core for anchoring to corresponding bead seats of a wheel rim. The metallic bead cores include at least one annular portion made of a material having characteristics of superelasticity and shape memory. The material having characteristics of superelasticity and shape memory is deformable at ambient temperature in response to a constant force and recovers to an original shape upon removal of the constant force to facilitate mounting the tire on the wheel rim. The wheel rim includes a central cylindrical channel from which branches off, axially and outwardly, from opposite sides, diverging surfaces each terminating in a peripheral flange. The diverging surfaces form the bead seats for respective annular beads of the tire.

Tire comprising bead core material having characteristics of superelasticity and shape memory

Metal cord for use in reinforcing fabric for articles made from rubber, such as pneumatic tires, conveyor belts, flexible tubes, and similar, comprising a plurality of such metal cords orientated parallel to each other in a single direction and in which each cord comprises metal wires wound spirally around each other, wherein at least one of the wires of the cord consists of a shape memory material. During the phase of incorporation of the cords into the elastomeric material, the shape memory wire tends to recover the shape memorized initially and, by means of the force generated during this recovery, transmits by friction to the surrounding wires forces tending to shorten the pitch of the cord with spacing of each wire from the next, resulting in good penetration of elastomeric material between the wires. The closure of the cord is maintained in the subsequent heat cycles, owing to the memory degradation characteristics imparted to the wire. The invention is particularly suitable for fabrics forming belt layers and casing plies in pneumatic tires.

Shape memory cords for reinforcing articles made from elastomeric material

A tire includes a carcass; a tread band on the carcass; a belt, positioned between the tread band and the carcass, including at least one layer of rubberized fabric; and at least one reinforcing metal strap in the at least one layer of rubberized fabric. The at least one reinforcing metal strap is made of a shape-memory material oriented at about 0&deg; to an equatorial plane of the tire. The at least one reinforcing metal strap has a width of no less than about 1 mm. And the at least one reinforcing metal strap has coils disposed side-by-side in a direction substantially perpendicular to a radius of the tire.

Tire with zero-degree, metal reinforcing strap made of a shape-memory alloy

Reinforcing fabric for articles made from elastomeric material, particularly for pneumatic tires, comprising a plurality of filamentary elements having at least tensile strength, parallel and adjacent to each other in a plane, lying in a predetermined direction. The reinforcing elements, preferably cords, are incorporated in an elastomeric material and constitute at most the 40% of the volume of the fabric.

Pneumatic tyre with specified reinforcing fabric

A metal cord for reinforcing articles made from elastomeric material comprises a plurality of metal wires wound spirally around each other. At least one of the metal wires is formed from a shape memory material, has capacities of recovering a previously memorized shape, and is deformed from the memorized shape. The shape memory wire of the cord has the recovery capacities substantially active in a first heat cycle and degraded to at least a significant predetermined extent after the first heat cycle. One or more such metal cords may be incorporated in pneumatic tires, reinforcing fabric, and other articles, including by means of processes described herein.

Pneumatic tire comprising reinforcing metal wire cords with at least one shape memory wire and method of making same

A wire, generally made of steel and used to make composite elements of elastomeric material, is submitted to an electrodeposition process in an electrolytic bath for being coated with a zinc/cobalt alloy in which the average cobalt content is lower than 1%. In the coating thickness made of the zinc/cobalt alloy, different cobalt concentrations exist, that is a 1% to 3% concentration at the area close to the metal wire and a concentration as low as 0.5% maximum at the overlying area. Adhesion promoters for example consisting of cobalt neodecanate, added to the elastomeric material, promote the adhesion of said elastomeric material to the wire.

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Arlon, Belgium

Gurdev Orjela