Post-cure run-flat and/or noise reduction apparatus and method of manufacturing the same
AssigneeBridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC
InventorsJames M. Kirby, David J. Zemla, Bradley S. Plotner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A motor vehicle tire is disclosed with a pair of post-cure run-flat inserts, each of the pair of post-cure run-flat inserts is disposed within a tire cavity between a shoulder region and a respective upper sidewall region of the tire. The tire further includes a cylindrical sidewall defining an interior cylindrical cavity, each of the cylindrical sidewall and the interior cylindrical cavity extending 360 degrees about a rotational axis of the tire, the cylindrical sidewall having an exterior surface contacting a radially inner surface of an inner liner between the shoulder region and the respective upper sidewall region during a normal inflation condition of the tire.
Claims10
A run-flat tire comprising:
- a. a pair of post-cure run-flat inserts, each of the pair of post-cure run-flat inserts:
- i. is disposed within an inner tire region between a shoulder region and a respective upper sidewall region of a tire;
- ii. extends 360 degrees about a rotational axis of the tire;
- iii. has a circular cross-section;
- iv. is secured to a radially inner surface of an inner liner during a normal inflation condition of the tire, the pair of post-cure run-flat inserts is configured to provide run-flat support when the normal inflation condition changes to a zero inflation pressure state of the tire;
- and
- v. includes a cylindrical sidewall defining an interior cylindrical cavity, each of the cylindrical sidewall and the interior cylindrical cavity extending 360 degrees about the rotational axis of the tire, the cylindrical sidewall including a plurality of apertures, the plurality of apertures being arranged to place the interior cylindrical cavity in fluid communication with a tire cavity of the run-flat tire.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.