The Goodyear & Tire Rubber Company

Roland Andre Terver

Percy Anthony Lemaire

Maurice Graas

Michel Marguerite Walther Ghislain Constant

Andre Hardy

Jean-Marie Girault

Gia V Nguyen

Michel Alfred Breny

Percy Anthony Le Maire

Tire tread

A runflat radial ply tire () having a thread (), a carcass () and a belt structure () radially located between the thread and the carcass has two sidewalls () each reinforced with a circumferentially disposed wedge insert (') having a saw-tooth cross-sectional shape. The saw-tooth cross-sectional shape of each wedge insert (&#x2032;) is defined by a plurality of circumferentially disposed segments (), each of which is separated from adjacent segments by circumferentially disposed grooves (). During heavy loading of the tire, or during runflat operation, the radially loaded sidewall portions deform until the grooves (&#x2032;) undergo closure.

Runflat tire with sawtooth shaped insert

A pneumatic radial ply tire with an aspect ratio of less than 50 has a ground contacting tread radially outward of a circumferential belt structure which in turn is radially ourtward of a carcass structure. The carcass structure has a pair of bead areas that include a bead foot compatible with a conventionally-shaped wheel rim having flanges with laterally extending portions. The carcass structure has a cord-reinforced elastomeric ply layer extend laterally between the two bead areas and radially inward of the belt structure. The tread area is directly connected to the bead areas without a sidewall. Rim flange protectors comprising a continuous circumferential elastomeric projection extend laterally outward from each bead/tread area and thereby radially outward of the rim flanges.

Low aspect ratio pneumatic tire without sidewalls

An improved radial ply pneumatic passenger tire 30 having a conical shaped lower sidewall 21B in the unloaded uninflated and mounted state. The angular relationships relative the design rim flange 44 and the bead 33,533,63 permit the lower sidewall 21B of the tire 30 to rotate slightly upon mounting to the design rim 40, thereby improving the stiffness and handling characteristics of the tire 30.

Radial ply tire with specified bead portion fitment to design rim

Growing community of inventors

Bissen, Luxembourg

Roland Andre Terver