The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Michael Julian Crawford

George Frank Balogh

David John Zanzig

Timothy Michael Rooney

Terry John Waibel

David Andrew Benko

Bina Patel Botts

James Joseph Nespo

Aaron Scott Puhala

Martin Paul Cohen

Leonard James Reiter

Paul Harry Sandstrom

Samuel P Landers

Robert Allen Losey

David Charles Poling

John J Verthe

Bernard Matthew Bezilla, Jr

Jeremy Elton Miracle

Donald Allan Abbott

Junling Zhao

Bharat K Kansupada

Joseph Kevin Hubbell

Cheryl Ann Losey

Douglas Blair Dotts

Donald George Vera

Samuel Patrick Landers

Bernard Matthew Bezilla

Jennifer Elizabeth Fitzharris Wall

The invention relates to a tire having a rubber tread comprised of cap/base construction where the tread cap layer provides the running surface of the tread and the tread base layer underlies the tread cap layer and thereby provides a transition between the tread cap layer and the tire carcass. For this invention, the tread cap layer is comprised of a plurality of individual circumferential load-bearing zones of rubber compositions, which exhibit graduated physical properties, and which extend from the outer running surface of the tread cap layer radially inward to said tread base layer. In one aspect, the zoned rubber tread cap layer and rubber tread base layer are co-extruded together to form a unit as an integral tread rubber composite.

Tire with rubber tread of circumferential zones with graduated physical properties

The present invention is directed to a camouflage tire suitable for use in various vehicle use environments wherein it is desirable to reduce or eliminate a viewer's visual perception of the tire against the given environmental background.

Camouflage tire

This invention relates to a dual phase rubber composition and pneumatic tire with a rubber sidewall thereof, namely a dual phased non-black colored rubber composition composed of a first pre-formed elastomer phase comprised of butyl-type rubber and EPDM rubber containing a dispersion therein of reinforcing filler comprised of a particulate amorphous precipitated silica and a second pre-formed elastomer phase comprised of a nanocomposite of natural rubber containing a dispersion therein of exfoliated clay platelets. Said exfoliated clay platelets may be substantially oriented within the tire sidewall in a parallel direction to each and may also be substantially oriented in an annular direction about the axis of the tire. The tire sidewall rubber composition may contain at least one additional elastomer which may be included in either or both of said elastomer phases. Such tire sidewall rubber composition may contain a non-black colorant pigment, such as for example a white colored titanium dioxide pigment. The dual phased tire sidewall rubber composition is prepared by a phase mixing process comprised of pre-blending said butyl-type rubber and EPDM rubber together with said precipitated silica reinforcing filler to form a pre-mix thereof, and thereafter mixing therewith said nanocomposite as a pre-formed blend of natural rubber and exfoliated clay platelets.

Dual phase rubber composition and tire with nanocomposite-containing sidewall thereof

This invention relates to a pneumatic tire having a built-in non-black colored sealant layer and its preparation. The sealant layer is derived from a sealant precursor layer comprised of a butyl rubber, organoperoxide, particulate, synthetic amorphous silica and plant-derived organic agricultural seed flour, together with a non-black colored colorant. The butyl rubber-based sealant precursor layer is build into the tire to form a tire assembly and the butyl rubber component of the sealant precursor layer is depolymerized during a subsequent curing of the tire at an elevated temperature in a suitable mold to form the tire having the resultant built-in sealant. The particulate plant derived organic agricultural seed flour is a renewable raw material in a sense that it can be replenished in nature and therefore not as a significant depletion of non-renewable natural resource. The agricultural plant seed flour is comprised of at least a portion of a ground plant seed (e.g. whole or partial seed portion including for example its nucleus and/or shell) of an agricultural seed producing plant such as, for example, wheat, rye, rice, barley, oat, mullet, soybean and/or corn. The sealant layer may also contain one or more of a liquid polyisoprene and short organic fibers. Preferably, the amorphous silica is a precipitated silica, namely aggregates of primary silica particles.

Pneumatic tire having built-in colored sealant layer and preparation thereof

Camouflage tire sidewall

The invention relates to a rubber tire composed of carbon black reinforced rubber carcass and having a rubber tread which is quantitatively reinforced with silica and which, in turn, has a thin, integral, rubber outer cap on its outer surface which contains a quantitative amount of carbon black. In one aspect, said outer cap, sometimes referred to herein as an outer top cap, extends across the outer surface of the tread which is normally intended to be ground contacting and in an alternative aspect, the outer top cap extends only over the outer portion, namely the peripheral edges, of said tread surface intended to be ground contacting. The outer, carbon black reinforced, rubber tread top cap connects with at least one other carbon black reinforced rubber component of the tire in a manner to provide a path of reduced electrical resistance from said outer tread top cap to the bead portion of the tire carcass and, therefore, such a path from the vehicle to the road surface.

Tire having silica reinforced rubber tread with outer cap containing

The invention relates to a tire with a tread which is quantitatively reinforced with silica where the tread is composed of three basic elastomers, namely, emulsion polymerization prepared styrene/butadiene rubber, cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber and high vinyl polybutadiene rubber. Optionally, the basic elastomer composition can also contain a minor amount of cis 1,4-polyisoprene natural rubber.

Tire having silica reinforced tread

The invention relates to a rubber tire with carbon black reinforced carcass and quantitatively silica reinforced rubber tread, said tread having a thin overcoat thereon of rubber containing a quantitative amount of electrically conductive carbon black, a coating composition therefor and a method of application.

Tire with coated silica reinforced rubber tread

The invention relates to a tire with a tread which is quantitatively reinforced with silica where the tread rubber is composed of a backbone of a combination of isoprene/butadiene copolymer rubber, cis 1,4-polyisoprene natural rubber and halogenated copolymer of isobutylene and p-methylstyrene. Such tread rubber may optionally also contain other elastomers such as, for example, cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber and styrene/butadiene copolymer rubber.

Tire tread with quantitative silica reinforcement

The invention relates to a tire with a tread which is quantitatively reinforced with silica where the tread is composed of cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber, a high vinyl polybutadiene rubber and, optionally a medium vinyl polybutadiene rubber. In one aspect, the tread rubber can also contain a minor amount of cis 1,4-polyisoprene natural rubber.

Tire with silica reinforced tread

Growing community of inventors

Akron, OH, United States of America

Michael Julian Crawford