Tire comprising a reinforcing profiled element in at least one sidewall, and tire/rim assembly comprising such a tire

A tire assembly formed of a tire and a mounting rim, wherein:

• said tire comprises sidewalls, a crown and two beads, each bead having a seat with a generatrix whose axially inner end lies on a circle of diameter greater than the diameter of the circle on which the axially outer end is located, each bead heel being axially to-the inside and each bead toe being axially to the outside, and a radial carcass reinforcement winding within each bead around at least one inextensible, annular heel reinforcement element which is coated with rubber mix, said carcass reinforcement passing around each heel reinforcement element from the inside to the outside to form an upturn which extends into a profiled element of rubber mix in the form of a wedge having a Shore A hardness greater than the Shore A hardness(es) of the rubber mixes respectively radially above said profiled element and the axially adjacent profiled element, the meridian profile of the carcass reinforcement, when the tire is mounted on its operating rim and inflated to the recommended pressure, has a constant direction of curvature in each bead and in the sidewalls extending them radially, and has a tangent TT′ to the point of tangency T of said crescent-shaped profile with the annular element of each bead which forms with the axis of rotation an angle φ which is open towards the outside and is between 45° and 70°,
• said rim comprising two frustoconical seats, the generatrix of each seat forming with the axis of rotation an angle of between 4° and 30° and the axially outer end of each generatrix being distant from the axis of rotation by a quantity less than the distance from the axially inner end of said generatrix to said axis, said frustoconical seats being defined axially to the outside by protrusions having frustoconical axially inner walls, said rim furthermore comprising support means for preventing bulging of the crown of the tire under conditions of travel at zero pressure;
• and
• wherein, when said tire is mounted on its rim and inflated to its operating pressure and is viewed in meridian section:
• at least one sidewall extending a first bead comprises a profiled element having, viewed in section, substantially the form of a crescent defined by an inner face and an outer face, said crescent-shaped profiled element extending between a point P1 and a point P2, the point P1 being located at a distance R1 greater than the external radius Rte of the annular bead element and less than the radius R0 of the circle on which are located the axially outermost points of the carcass reinforcement, the point P2 being located at a distance R2 greater than the radius R0, the distances R1 and R2 being measured perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the tire:
• one of the inner or outer faces of the crescent-shaped profiled element follows the profile of the carcass reinforcement;
• and
• the trace of the face of the crescent-shaped profiled element opposite the face of said crescent-shaped profiled element closest to the carcass reinforcement has a single direction of curvature.

A tire comprising at least a first bead, the seat of which has a generatrix whose axially inner end lies on a circle of diameter greater than the diameter of the circle on which the axially outer end is located, and a carcass reinforcement winding within each bead around at least one inextensible, annular heel reinforcement element which is coated with rubber mix, said carcass reinforcement passing around said heel reinforcement element from the inside to the outside to form an upturn extending into a profiled element of rubber mix in the form of a wedge having a Shore A hardness greater than the Shore A hardness(es) of the rubber mixes respectively radially above said profiled element and the axially adjacent profiled element, the meridian profile of the carcass reinforcement, when the tire is mounted on its operating rim and inflated to its′ operating pressure, having a direction of curvature which is constant at least in the sidewall extending said first bead and which is such that, in said bead, the tangent to the point of tangency of said carcass reinforcement profile with the inextensible annular element of the bead forms with the axis of rotation an angle φ which is open towards the outside of at least 45°, wherein, viewed in meridian section:

• at least the sidewall extending the first bead comprises a profiled element having, viewed in section, substantially the form of a crescent defined by an inner face and an outer face, said crescent-shaped profiled element extending between a point P1 and a point P2, the point P1 being located, relative to the axis of rotation, at a distance R1 which is greater than the external radius Rte of the annular bead element and less than the radius R0 of the circle on which are located the axially outermost points of the carcass reinforcement of the tire mounted on its rim and inflated to its use pressure, the point P2 being located at a distance R2 greater than the radius R0, the distances R1 and R2 being measured perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the tire;
• one of the axially inner or outer faces of the crescent-shaped profiled element follows the profile of the carcass reinforcement;
• and
• and the trace of the face of the crescent-shaped profiled element opposite the face of said crescent-shaped profiled element closest to the carcass reinforcement has a single direction of curvature.