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US 4,094,354 AGranted
Breaker reinforcing tape for belted pneumatic tires, and tires made therefrom
AssigneeUniroyal, Inc.
InventorsWesley Ferrell, Daniel Shichman
Life of this patent
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AssigneeUniroyal, Inc.
InventorsWesley Ferrell, Daniel Shichman
Estimating the term…
A breaker reinforcing tape for belted pneumatic tires, a method of making such tape, and a method of constructing such tires therewith, are disclosed. The tape includes a generally sinusoidally crimped strip of uncured rubber and a plurality of similarly crimped parallel cords having their undulations following and nesting in the undulations of the crimped strip, the cords at successive apexes being secured to successive apexes of the strip. A second uncured rubber strip in a flat condition is secured to alternate ones of the apexes of the undulations of the array of cords and the crimped strip at one face of the latter. At least one frangible element is interposed in a fixed and substantially flat condition between the crimped and flat strips for releasably reinforcing and stabilizing the flat strip against inadvertent expansion that would prematurely reduce the amplitude and frequency of the undulations of the crimped strip and its associated cords. The tape, when used in making a tire, is wound helically about the crown region of the carcass, outwardly of the breaker plies, at an angle of substantially zero degrees to the mid circumferential plane of the carcass. This abstract is not to be taken either as a complete exposition or as a limitation of the present invention, however, the full nature and extent of the invention being discernible only by reference to and from the entire disclosure.
A breaker reinforcing tape for pneumatic tires, said tape comprising a crimped strip having continuous undulations, a plurality of cords extending side by side in parallel relation longitudinally along said strip, each of said cords having respective undulations corresponding to and nesting in the undulations of said strip first means for anchoring the apexes of the undulations of each of said cords to corresponding ones of the apexes of the undulations of said crimped strip, a flat strip having a width substantially corresponding to the width of said crimped strip, second means for anchoring said flat strip to alternate ones of the apexes of the undulations of said crimped strip, and frangible means interposed between said flat and crimped strips for releasably reinforcing and stabilizing said flat strip against inadvertent expansion that would prematurely reduce the amplitude and frequency of the undulations of said crimped strip and of said cords.
A breaker reinforcing tape for pneumatic tires, said tape comprising a crimped strip having continuous undulations, a plurality of cords extending side by side in parallel relation longitudinally along said strip, each of said cords having respective undulations corresponding to and nesting in the undulations of said strip, first means for anchoring each of said cords to said crimped strip, a flat strip having a width substantially corresponding to the width of said crimped strip, second means for anchoring said flat strip to alternate ones of the apexes of the undulations of said crimped strip, and frangible means coextensive with said flat strip for releasably reinforcing and stabilizing said flat strip against inadvertent expansion that would prematurely reduce the amplitude and frequency of the undulations of said crimped strip and of said cords.
A method of fabricating a breaker-forming tape for pneumatic tires, said method comprising crimping an elastomeric strip to present continuous undulations, securing in a crimped condition a plurality of parallel, substantially inextensible, flexible cords to said strip such that the undulations of said cords correspond to and nest in the undulations of said strip, securing a flat elastomeric strip to said crimped strip such that alternate ones of the apexes of the undulations of said crimped strip are engaged with and secured to said flat strip, and predisposing in a fixed and substantially straight condition between said crimped strip and said flat strip at least one frangible, flexible element for releasably reinforcing and stabilizing said flat strip against inadvertent expansion that would prematurely reduce the amplitude and frequency of the undulations of said crimped strip and said cords.
A method of fabricating a breaker-forming tape for pneumatic tires, said method comprising crimping an elastomeric strip to present continuous undulations, securing in a crimped condition a plurality of parallel, substantially inextensible, flexible cords to said strip such that the undulations of said cords correspond to and nest in the undulations of said strip, securing a flat elastomeric strip to said crimped strip such that alternate ones of the apexes of the undulations of said crimped strip are engaged with and secured to said flat strip, and predisposing in a substantially straight condition and coextensive with said flat strip at least one frangible, flexible element for releasably reinforcing and stabilizing said flat strip against inadvertent expansion that would prematurely reduce the amplitude and frequency of the undulations of said crimped strip and said cords.
An uncured belted pneumatic tire, comprising a carcass composed of at least one body ply, and a belt-forming structure surrounding said body ply in the medial region of said carcass, said belt-forming structure being constituted by a tape of cords wound substantially helically around said medial region of said carcass with a multiplicity of turns having a pitch of substantially zero degrees relative to the median equatorial or mid-circumferential plane of said carcass, and said tape comprising a crimped strip having continuous undulations, a plurality of said cords extending side by side in parallel relation longitudinally along said crimped strip, each of said cords having respective undulations corresponding to and nesting in the undulations of said crimped strip, first means for anchoring each of said cords to said crimped strip, a flat strip having a width substantially corresponding to the width of said crimped strip, second means for anchoring said flat strip to alternate ones of the apexes of the undulations of said crimped strip, and frangible means coextensive with said flat strip for releasably reinforcing and stabilizing said flat strip against inadvertent expansion that would prematurely reduce the amplitude and frequency of the undulations of said crimped strip and of said cords.
An uncured belted pneumatic tire, comprising a carcass composed of at least one substantially cylindrical body ply, at least one breaker ply surrounding and secured to said body ply in the medial region of said carcass, and a breaker reinforcement-forming cord structure surrounding said breaker ply, said structure being in the form of a tape wound substantially helically around said breaker ply at an angle of substantially zero degrees to the mid-circumferential plane of said carcass, and said tape comprising a crimped strip having continuous undulations, a plurality of cords extending side by side in parallel relation longitudinally along said crimped strip, each of said cords having respective undulations corresponding to and nesting in the undulations of said crimped strip, first means for anchoring each of said cords to said crimped strip, a flat strip having a width substantially corresponding to the width of said crimped strip, second means for anchoring said flat strip to alternate ones of the apexes of the undulations of said crimped strip, and frangible means coextensive with said flat strip for releasably reinforcing and stabilizing said flat strip against inadvertent expansion that would prematurely reduce the amplitude and frequency of the undulations of said crimped strip and of said cords.
An uncured tire as claimed inclaim 33, wherein said frangible means includes at least one flexible filament having a tensile strength that is greater than the stretch resistance of at least said flat strip.
A method of constructing a raw belted pneumatic tire, comprising the steps of wrapping at least one body ply around a tire building drum, and winding a multiplicity of turns of a breaker-forming tape helically around a medial portion of said body ply between the opposite edges thereof at substantially zero degrees relative to the mid-circumferential plane of said body ply, and said tape comprising a crimped strip having continuous undulations, a plurality of cords extending side by side in parallel relation longitudinally along said crimped strip, each of said cords having respective undulations corresponding to and nesting in the undulations of said crimped strip, first means for anchoring each of said cords to said crimped strip, a flat strip having a width substantially corresponding to the width of said crimped strip, second means for anchoring said flat strip to alternate ones of the apexes of the undulations of said crimped strip, and frangible means coextensive with said flat strip for releasably reinforcing and stabilizing said flat strip against inadvertent expansion that would prematurely reduce the amplitude and frequency of the undulations of said crimped strip and of said cords.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.