Light-weight inner tube and related methods
AssigneeBridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC
InventorDavid G. Abdallah, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a light-weight tire inner tube comprising a film tube with a wall thickness of 100 to 400 microns, pneumatic tires containing the light-weight tire inner tube, and related methods for manufacturing the light-weight tire inner tube. The film tube is comprised of a film material comprising at least one thermoplastic engineering resin and optionally at least one saturated elastomer, and the film material of the film tube has an oxygen permeability of 8-15 cm3 O2/m2·per day at 25° C.
Claims19
A light-weight inner tube for use inside a pneumatic tire, the inner tube consisting:
- a film layer with a wall thickness of 251 to 400 microns;
- and
- a stem operably sealed to the inner tube to allow for air inflation of the inner tube;
- wherein the film layer is comprised of a film material comprising at least one thermoplastic engineering resin and optionally at least one saturated elastomer, and the film material of the film layer has an oxygen permeability of 8-15 cm3O2/m2·per day at 25° C., and
- wherein the light-weight inner tube has an inflated diameter of 38 to 46 inches.
A light-weight inner tube suitable for use inside a pneumatic tire, the inner tube consisting of:
- a film layer with a wall thickness of 251 to 400 microns;
- an adhesive layer having a thickness of 10-50 microns;
- an innermost partitioning sheet layer made from a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, and combinations thereof;
- and
- a stem operably sealed to the inner tube to allow for air inflation of the inner tube;
- wherein the film layer is comprised of a film material comprising at least one thermoplastic engineering resin and no saturated elastomer, and the film material of the film layer has an oxygen permeability of 8-15 cm3O2/m2·per day at 25° C., and
- wherein the film layer is the outer-most layer of the light-weight inner tube and the light-weight inner tube forms a continuous tube and has an inflated outer diameter of 38 to 46 inches.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.