Apparatus for making tire components, and a tire

An apparatus for making a reinforced elastomeric fabric having a gauge thickness G and a cord spacing S, the apparatus comprising:

• a crosshead extruder having a die having a plurality of holes for receiving a reinforcement cord, the holes providing a cord spacing of about S/2, said crosshead extruder further comprising an inlet for receiving rubber and a chamber for encapsulating the cords with rubber in the extruder, means for extruding the cords and elastomer through the exit die of the extruder forming a continuous strip of reinforced elastomeric material having a gauge thickness of about G/2;
• the apparatus further comprising a cutter for cutting the ribbon of reinforced elastomeric material into segments having a length L, each segment having a width W, each segment having lateral edges, said apparatus further comprising a pick arm for placing a plurality of segments onto a conveyor so that the lateral ends of adjacent segments are joined together.

A tire comprising:

• at least one layer of ply extending circumferentially about the tire, a tread portion located radially outward of said ply, said ply comprising a plurality of reinforced elastomer segments having a having a length L, a width W, and opposed lateral edges, wherein the lateral edges of the segments are lap spliced together, the lap splice having a width W/2.

A tire comprising:

• at least one layer of ply extending circumferentially about the tire, a tread portion located radially outward of said ply, said ply comprising a plurality of reinforced elastomer segments having a having a length L, a width W, and opposed lateral edges, wherein the ply comprises a first layer and a second layer of segments, wherein the second layer of segments is offset from said first layer.