The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Richard C Beard

Carl W Crispin

Frederick W Miller, Iii

Terry John Waibel

Michael David Kachner

Jean C Scherer

Vincent J Cherveny

An improved radial ply pneumatic tire 30 is described. The improved tire 30 has a first annular surface 23 located between the heel 22B and toe 22A of each bead 33 and a second surface 24 extending radially outwardly from the bead heel 22B. The first surface 23 is designed to be in contact with the bead seat 42 of the design rim 40 when the tire 30 is mounted and inflated to normal pressure. The first annular surface 23, when the tire 30 is unmounted, forms an average angle .beta. with the axis of the tire, when the beads 33 are axially spaced a distance D equal to the design rim width as defined herein. The average angle .beta. is in the range of at least one-half degree and less than three degrees greater than the angle formed between the mating bead seat 42 of the design rim 40 and the axis of the tire. The second surface 24 is designed to be in contact with an annular flange 44 portion of the design rim 40 when the tire is mounted and inflated to normal pressure. The second surface 24 is perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

Radial ply tire with specified bead portion design

Tire mold vents (34) in communication with a sealed cavity (35) are pressurized for limiting the quantity of rubber entering the vents (34) and for assisting the stripping of the vulcanized tire (28) from the mold. Passages (40) in the mold communicate fluid pressure to the vents (34) and pressure regulators (58,60) control the fluid pressure communicated to the vents (34) during vulcanization and during ejection of the tire (28) from the mold (10).

Tread ring venting and pressurization system

Pressurization of tire mold vents

A pneumatic tire (10), designed for use on a military vehicle, comprises a single carcass ply (13) of aramid cords, a pair of steel cord belt plies (14, 15), and a ground-engaging tread portion (20). The ground-engaging tread portion is characterized by a plurality of series of independent traction elements (21), each series of traction elements extending from a lateral edge (22, 23) of the tread towards another lateral edge (22, 23) of the tread along a curved path. The traction elements in each series are separated from the next adjacent traction elements of that same series by straight grooves (24), the width of the straight grooves being less than the width of the curved grooves (25) separating circumferentially adjacent series of traction elements.

Pneumatic tire

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Massillon, OH, United States of America

Richard C Beard