The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Laurent Colantonio

Alain Emile Francois Roesgen

Frank Philpott

Gia Van Nguyen

Filomeno Gennaro Corvasce

Maurice Graas

Walter Dale Allen

Anne Therese Peronnet-Paquin

Johan Peter Dahlberg

Marie-Rita Catherine Amelie Thise-Fourgon

Philippe Marie Manne

Alain Emile François Roesgen

A pneumatic radial ply tire incorporating a crown reinforcing structure comprises at least one reinforcing hoop located approximately on the equatorial plane and disposed radially inward of the tread and radially outward of the carcass structure. The hoop is surrounded or encased by a layer of elastomeric transition material providing a flexible structural connection between the hoop and the adjacent carcass structure and belt structure. The hoop may have a substantially lenticular shape, or a complex shape with two thickened sections or lobes connected by a thin waist-like section, or a shape and a location that is asymmetric with respect to the equatorial plane of the tire, and may be made by winding a thin strip of material such as UHMWPE in an elastomeric matrix. The hoop may replace the belt structure of the tire.

Tire with compression-bearing hoop structure

A pneumatic radial ply tire () having a tread (), a carcass () with two sidewalls (), a radial ply structure (), and a belt structure () located radially between the tread and the radial ply structure. Each sidewall is reinforced with at least one wedge insert () which comprises alternating regions () of flexible material and layers (, 124) of stiffer material. The layer () of stiffer material constrain the lateral expansion of the wedge insert () during runflat operation to provide good riding comfort during normal inflation operation and good sidewall reinforcement during runflat operation.

Variable-stiffness wedge insert for runflat tires

Fabric treatment layers ( ) are deployed in the sidewall regions of a runflat tire ( ) having a metal-reinforced first ply ( ). In one embodiment, parallel cord, reinforced fabric treatment layers ( ) sandwich the metal forced first ply ( ) and inhibit buckling of the reinforcing cords ( ) of the first ply during runflat operation when the ply cords or wires are bearing compression loads. In another embodiment, a single woven fabric treatment layer ( ) is disposed in each sidewall region ( ) at a location immediately axially inward of the metal-reinforced first ply ( ).

Fabric support for metal reinforced inner ply of runflat tire

The present invention is a crown-stiffening underlay structure comprised of a flat strip of elastomeric material reinforced with essentially inextensible cords. The cord-reinforced flat strip is wrapped helically around the green tire carcass prior to blowup into the characteristic toroidal shape of a tire carcass. In one embodiment, the underlay structure is disposed between breakers and the radial ply structure. In another embodiment, the underlay is disposed between the radial ply structure and the innerliner. In another embodiment, the afore described underlay structure has an additional and structurally contiguous beam made of elastomeric material.

Underlay structure for increased crown stiffening

A pneumatic radial ply tire ( ) has a tread ( ), a carcass ( ) with two sidewalls ( ), a single radial ply ( ) reinforced with inextensible metal cords, two annular beads ( &prime;), and a belt structure ( ) located radially between the tread and the radial ply structure ( ). Each sidewall ( ) is reinforced with wedge inserts ( ) containing stiffener layers ( ) that carry the compressive loading to which the tire is subjected during runflat operation. The incorporation of wedge-insert stiffeners ( ) provides a light-weight runflat tire having a simplified construction.

Reinforced wedge-insert construction for extended mobility tires

The tire ( ) of the invention incorporates a carcass ply cord material ( ) with variable modulus of elasticity to provide an active sidewall structure ( ). The variable modulus cord material is incorporated in the axially outwardmost ply ( ) of a carcass ( ) having two plies ( ) separated by elastomeric inserts ( ) in the sidewalls ( ). The outer ply cord material ( ) provides an increased modulus of elasticity with an increase in elongation. The inner ply cords ( ) have a modulus that substantially exceeds that of the outer ply cords ( ) under normal loads in the inflated mode. Thus, the inner ply ( ) dominates the structural response of the sidewalls ( ) at normal loads in the inflated mode. Under severe sidewall deflection, such as when the tire is uninflated, the outer ply cord ( ) is elongated, increasing its modulus of elasticity and thus, shifting the load from the axially inwardmost ply ( ) to the axially outwardmost ply ( ).

Runflat tire construction with ply cords having a variable modulus of elasticity

The present invention relates to a radial ply tire ( ) with a tread ( ) subdivided transversely into a central portion ( ) having central ribs ( ), shoulder portions ( ) having shoulder ribs ( ) and intermediate portions ( ) having intermediate ribs between the central portion and the shoulder portions. The tread has intermediate grooves ( ) between the central ribs and the intermediate ribs ( ) and shoulder decoupling grooves ( ) between the intermediate ribs and the shoulder ribs ( ). The shoulder decoupling grooves having a depth (D ) being less than the intermediate decoupling grooves whereby the footprint width of the tread surface can expand from first width (NLFPW) under normal load to a second width (HLFPW) under heavy load.

Pneumatic tire having a load dependent adaptive footprint shape

The invention relates to a pneumatic tire with a toroidal shaped tire carcass having sidewalls and a tread. The tire carcass terminates at opposite bead regions for mounting on a tire rim. The tire has at least one of the sidewalls having a circumferentially extending continuous groove, and a non-rubber inlay ring secured within the continuous groove of the sidewall(s) to form a rim flange protector.

Tire with inlay ring mounted in sidewall

A pneumatic tire with an increased load carrying capacity (extended load index) but compatible with conventional, commercially available wheel rims, has a modified carcass ply line. The pneumatic tire ( ) has a tread area ( ) and a carcass structure ( ) including two bead areas ( ), at least one cord-reinforced elastomeric ply ( ) extending through sidewalls ( ) between the bead areas ( ) and the tread area ( ), and a belt structure ( ) between the tread area ( ) and the carcass structure ( ). The tire ( ) has bead areas ( ) containing a triangular shaped beads so that the ply line (PL&prime;&Prime;) that causes the bead areas to better secure the tire to the rim during high stress conditions.

Triangular bead configuration for pneumatic tire with extended load carrying capacity

A pneumatic radial ply runflat tire for a vehicle has a tread , a carcass comprising at least one radial ply and two sidewalls each reinforced by a circumferentially disposed crescent-shaped wedge insert. Each insert has an elastomeric porous section embedded in an elastomeric stiffer layer of the insert When the tire is normally inflated, the porous section and hence the insert as a whole, is flexible, thereby providing comfortable driving characteristics. Under runflat (deflated tire) conditions, the pores in the porous section collapse, and the porous section stiffens, and hence the insert as a whole becomes stiff enough to support the load of the vehicle.

Variable-stiffness wedge insert for runflat tire

A pneumatic tire with an increased load carrying capacity (extended load index) but compatible with conventional, commercially available wheel rims, has a modified carcass plyline. The tire has a tread area, a carcass structure including two bead areas each comprising a bead, at least one cord-reinforced elastomeric ply extending between the two bead areas, and two sidewalls, one sidewall extending between the tread area and each bead area. The tire is characterized by: a section width defined by lines L and L disposed orthogonally to an axis of rotation of the tire and at equal distances on either side of the equatorial plane of the tire; a plyline that follows the meridional path of a radially and axially outermost one of the at least one ply; points P P on the plyline, being located where the plyline is axially outside of one of the beads and simultaneously at a minimum radial distance of dp dp respectively, from the axis of rotation AR; lines M and M each parallel to, and axially inwards of, lines L and L respectively, and passing through points P and P respectively; a first distance of 1 mm to 5 mm being the spacing from line L to line M and from line L to line M limiting radial distances r and r that exceed the distances dp and dp respectively, by a value of 30% to 70% of a section height SH of the tire; and the plyline extending radially outward in each sidewall to the limiting radial distance r r without axially deviating from lines M M respectively, by more than a second distance of 0 mm to 5 mm.

Pneumatic tire with extended load carrying capacity

A pneumatic radial ply runflat tire ( ) has a tread ( ), belt structure ( ), a carcass ( ), and an underlay ( ) disposed between the belt structure and the carcass. The carcass ( ) comprises two sidewalls ( ), two beads ( ), and one or more radial plies ( ). The tire ( ) is characterized by the underlay ( ) having reinforcement cords ( ) with turns aligned parallel to the tire's equatorial plane, the cords ( ) exhibiting negligible modulus of elasticity (&ldquo;modulus&rdquo;) below a threshold elongation and high modulus above the threshold elongation. The underlay ( ) stiffens the tire during runflat operation but not during normal inflated operation.

Runflat tire with dual-modulus underlay

A tire assembly ( ) comprises a tire ( ), a rim ( ) having a rim well ( ), and an alarm system ( ). The tire assembly ( ) is characterized by the alarm system ( ) having a belt ( ) disposed tightly around the rim well ( ), a bladder ( ) attached to the belt, and a whistle ( ) within the tire cavity ( ).

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Bastogne, Belgium

Laurent Colantonio