Two piece tire with a convective cooling system

Abstract

A two-piece tire assembly 10 has a removable tread belt 12 for installing about the circumference of a tire carcass 14. The tread belt 12 has a radially outer ground contracting tread 15 and a radially inner belt reinforcing structure 100 having ply layers forming tread belts 84, 86, 88, 92. Radially inward of the belt reinforcing structure 100 is a radially inner portion 70, the radially inner portion 70 has a radially inner surface 72 in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the carcass 14. In one embodiment of the invention the radially inner surface 72 of the tread belt 12 and outer circumferential surface 71 of the carcass 14 have circumferentially extending grooves 74, 78 and ribs 72, 76 that complimentarily interlock. Traversing the ribs 72, 76 of the carcass or the tread belt are fluid or gas venting subsurface passages 80, 82 that are open to one or more groove 74, 78. The venting subsurface passages 80, 82 provide a convective cooling system for the two-piece tire assembly 10. The carcass 14 has an abrasion resistant rubber layer 81 at the tread belt interface. The tread belt 12 also has the abrasion resistance tread compound 81 at the carcass 14 interface.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.