Michelin Recherche Et Technique S.a.

Jeffrey Scott Craddock

Walter Lee Willard, Jr

James Milo Endicott

The run-flat tire ( ) of this invention includes spaced apart bead areas ( ) having a unique design to include first ( ) and second ( ) bead fillers adjacent a bead core ( ). The second bead filler ( ) is bounded by the first bead filler ( ) and bead core ( ). The method for manufacturing the tire to eliminate voids at the bead core ( ) of the cured tire is also provided. The bead fillers are made to be resilient so that the tire can be easily mounted on a rim, particularly improving the ability to mount a run-flat tire ( ) on a rim ( ). The bead core ( ) and fillers ( ) are designed for helping to sustain the run-flat tire ( ) on the rim ( ) with a loss of inflation pressure and to improve the running performance of the tire.

Tire bead core and filler construction

The run-flat tire has a tread for contacting a ground surface and a belt package with belt plies interior to the tread for support of the tread. A plurality of radially reinforced carcass layers are positioned interior to the belt plies and include at least one carcass layer that extends between spaced apart annular beads. The tire has a pair of sidewalls each extending radially inward from shoulders at lateral edges of the belt package to the annular beads. The sidewalls have a plurality of sidewall stiffening members to support the tire during a loss of inflation pressure. The carcass layers are disposed with the sidewall stiffening members to help support the run-flat tire with a loss of inflation pressure. The spaced apart beads have a unique design including bead cores placed at a predetermined diameter with respect to a rim diameter, dual bead fillers above the bead cores, a heel corner spaced at a radial gap distance from a rim flange and rim interface components having a seat interface distance below the bead core for mounting the run-flat tire on a conventional rim and for sustaining the run-flat tire on the conventional rim with a loss of inflation pressure within the run-flat tire.

Growing community of inventors

Simpsonville, SC, United States of America

Jeffrey Scott Craddock