Michelin Recherche Et Technique S.a.

Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin

Compagnie Generale Des Establissements Michelin

Julien Matthieu Flament

Verner Steve Nicholson

Anton Felipe Thomas

Patrice R Estor

Olivier Muhlhoff

Jose Merino Lopez

Michel Ahouanto

Frank E Gramling

Fang Zhu

David Andrew Judd

Bradley D Schober

James Michael Traylor

Eric Berger

Christophe Egerszegi

Serge Lefebvre

François Le-Hen

Denis Jubert

Gene Edward De Amicis

A tire has a form of a torus that is open radially on an inside portion. The tire includes inner and outer walls, a crown, two sidewalls, two beads, a crown reinforcement, and a carcass reinforcement anchored in the beads and extending at least from the beads as far as the crown. The inner wall is covered at least in part with an airtight layer, and the airtight layer is covered at least in part with a layer of a self-sealing product. Each of the beads includes an annular reinforcing structure, with each annular reinforcing structure being formed of a plurality of windings of a single metal thread. The windings are arranged in a plurality of radially superposed layers, with each layer having a group of the windings arranged axially in a side by side manner, such that the superposed layers have a hexagonal cross section.

Tire with specified bead structure and self-sealing product and wheel assembly with same

Improved and more easily implemented methods for predicting uniformity parameters such as uneven mass distribution, radial run out and high speed radial force variation utilize other measurements such as the tire crown thickness variation. When high speed radial force variation is calculated, low speed radial force variation is also measured. Tire crown thickness variation can be measured in different fashions depending on the particular tire manufacturing process employed. By electronically determining resultant uniformity parameters, tires can be improved by rectification to address the uniformity levels. In addition, tire manufacturing can be improved by altering the resultant location of tire crown thickness variation relative to other aspects of the tire and/or tire manufacturing process.

Method for prediction and control of tire uniformity parameters from crown thickness variation

Tyre comprising a tread, this tread including a rolling surface () intended to come into contact with the ground, at least one circumferential row of upstanding elements (), these upstanding elements () being separated from one another in the circumferential direction by incisions () of transverse or substantially transverse orientation, each incision () of transverse or substantially transverse orientation leading onto the rolling surface () and having a depth P, each incision () forming, on the rolling surface of the tyre when new, two facing edges (), these edges () delimiting at least one narrow portion () of the incision, i.e. a portion having a mean width LE less than or equal to 2 mm, and at least one wide portion () of the incision, i.e. a portion having a mean width LL greater than 2 mm, these wide and narrow portions being disposed alternately, each narrow portion () and each wide portion () extending the full depth P of the incision (), each narrow portion () having a volume uniformly distributed over the full depth P of the incision, each wide portion () having a volume for the most part between half the depth P of the cut-out and the depth P, this tread being characterized in that the following condition is satisfied:0.90&#xd7;&#x3c;(sum)/, in which:

Tire including a tread provided with incisions including wide portions and narrow portions

Improved and more easily implemented methods for predicting high speed radial force variation and uneven mass distribution utilize other measurements such as radial nm out and other parameters. The prediction model for high speed radial force variation uses a speed-dependent calibration term for predicting higher harmonic components, while the same or other models can be used for the first harmonic. The uneven mass distribution prediction model accounts for deformation of the tire along multiple tracks, thus employing a more realistic model of crown deformation that accounts for changing tire stiffness levels across different harmonic components of the measured and predicted parameters.

Method for prediction and control of harmonic components of tire uniformity parameters

Tire tread provided with circumferential grooves delimiting two edge rows provided with a plurality of transverse grooves, those of one edge row forming at least one bearing block protruding on at least one delimiting wall, each comprising a surface capable of coming into contact with another surface during contact with the ground and at least one passageway for a fluid between each bearing block of a groove and the bottom of the groove. For each edge row, the mean surface indentation ratio Tc is at least 0.7 and at most 1.6 times E/R, where E is the mean thickness for all grooves comprising active surfaces measured between a radially outermost point of the active surface and a radially outermost point of the reinforcing belt, R is the mean distance for all transverse grooves comprising active surfaces measured between the point of the active surface that is radially outermost and the rotation axis of the tire provided with the tread.

Tire having low rolling friction

A tire surface anomaly detection system and method are disclosed. The system and method are generally based on the principle that a tire surface anomaly will have a different heat transfer rate than that of the uniform mass surrounding the tire surface anomaly. Embodiments of the present disclosure apply thermal energy to the surface of a tire and monitor the infrared energy at the surface of the tire to generate one or more infrared images of the surface of the tire. The infrared images are analyzed by an image processing system to determine and locate thermal gradients on the surface of the tire. The presence of a thermal gradient in the infrared images generally indicates the presence of an anomaly in the surface of the tire. In this manner, the present disclosure provides an objective technique for identifying, locating, and classifying tire surface anomalies.

Tire surface anomaly detection

An effort transmitted between a vehicle wheel and a wheel support is determined by mounting a tire/wheel assembly for rotation on a wheel support having a dynamic hub rigidly connected on a fixed frame such that the only degree of freedom of the assembly is rotation about the hub axis. The tire is pressed against an excitation device and the resulting fixed support effort transmitted between the wheel and the wheel support is measured. On the basis of the measured fixed support effort, there is calculated a suspended support effort which would be transmitted between the wheel and a wheel support having a degree of freedom of suspension in at least one direction (X, Y, Z) in relation to the excitation device.

Method for determining effort transmitted between the wheel of a vehicle and a wheel support

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

A vehicle wheel, comprising a rim, a disc, a tire defining with the rim a circumferential cavity C, and at least one resonator suitable for attenuating a natural resonant frequency of said cavity, said wheel also comprising a safety support, for supporting the tread of this tire from the inside in the event of loss of inflation pressure, said support providing at least one of the walls of said resonator. The invention also provides for the safety support comprising resonators.

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Clemont-Ferrand, France

Julien Matthieu Flament