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AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
InventorsPaul Harry Sandstrom, John Joseph Andre Verthe, Ping Zhang
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This invention discloses a tire having enhanced wet traction and ice traction characteristics. These tires are comprised of a generally toroidal-shaped carcass with an outer circumferential tread, two spaced beads, at least one ply extending from bead to bead and sidewalls extending radially from and connecting said tread to said beads, wherein said tread is adapted to be ground-contacting, wherein the tread includes at least one circumferential groove which separates circumferential ribs, each circumferential groove having two sides and a base therebetween, and wherein the sides of each circumferential groove are comprised of a rubbery composition that includes silicate microflakes which are substantially aligned in an orientation which is parallel with the sides of the grooves.
A tire which is comprised of a generally toroidal-shaped carcass with an outer circumferential tread which is adapted to be ground contacting, two spaced beads, at least one ply extending from bead to bead and sidewalls extending radially from and connecting said tread to said beads, wherein said tread is adapted to be ground-contacting, wherein the tread includes at least one circumferential groove which separates circumferential ribs, each circumferential groove having two sides and a base, and wherein the sides of each circumferential groove are comprised of a rubbery composition that includes glass microflakes which are substantially aligned in an orientation which is parallel with the sides, wherein the glass microflakes have a thickness which is within the range of 2 microns to 40 microns, and wherein the glass microflakes have a diameter which is within the range of 10 microns to 40 microns, wherein the ground contacting surface of the tread is substantially free of the glass microflakes, and wherein the sides of each circumferential groove has a coefficient of friction with water which is lower than the coefficient of friction of the tread with water.
A tire which is comprised of a generally toroidal-shaped carcass with an outer circumferential tread which is adapted to be ground contacting, two spaced beads, at least one ply extending from bead to bead and sidewalls extending radially from and connecting said tread to said beads, wherein said tread is adapted to be ground-contacting, wherein the tread includes at least one circumferential groove which separates circumferential ribs, each circumferential groove having two sides and a base, and wherein the sides of each circumferential groove are comprised of a rubbery composition that includes glass microflakes which are substantially aligned in an orientation which is parallel with the sides, wherein the glass microflakes have a thickness which is within the range of 2 microns to 40 microns, and wherein the glass microflakes have a diameter which is within the range of 10 microns to 40 microns, wherein the outside surface of the sidewalls in shoulder areas of the tire are covered with the rubbery composition that includes the glass microflakes, and wherein the sides of each circumferential groove has a coefficient of friction with water which is lower than the coefficient of friction of the tread with water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.