Pneumatic vehicle tire with a device for remedying a tire failure

In combination, a pneumatic vehicle tire mountable on a rim comprising, in cross-section, a tread portion, opposite sidewall portions joining said thread portion and terminating in respective bead portions engageable with said rim to define a pressurizable interior space of said tire, the surfaces of said bead portions and said rim in said interior space representing a contact zone normally free from contact with other interior surface portions of said tire during normal running conditions of said tire, a propellant material and a foam forming sealant material disposed in said interior space, and a first closed chamber containing one of said materials during normal running conditions of said tire, said first closed chamber being installed in the interior space of said tire by securance at said contact zone after manufacture of said tire, said first closed chamber being formed of a material capable of rupturing when contacted by interior surfaces of said tire normally disposed beyond the contact zone yet collapsible into said contact zone under loaded tire conditions when a failure of said tire causes a loss of pressure from said interior space, the bursting of said first closed chamber permitting interreaction of said propellant material and said foam forming sealant material to form a foam sealing compound movable toward the site of said tire failure under the influence of said propellant to block pressure leakage at said failure site and thereby remedy said tire failure, and wherein said first closed chamber is of miniature size in relation to said interior space and is present in a first plural quantity secured at said contact zone in uniform distribution about the circumference of said contact zone, and wherein a second plurality of closed chambers are respectively formed adjacent said first plurality of closed chambers to provide a plurality of dual-chamber containers with one respective chamber in each container housing the propellant material and the other respective chamber in each container housing the foam forming sealant material.

In combination, a pneumatic vehicle tire comprising, in cross-section, a tread portion, opposite sidewall portions joining said thread portion and terminating in respective bead portions to define a pressurizable interior space of said tire, a first plurality of dual-chamber containers secured to at least one of said bead portions in said interior space normally free from contact with other interior surface portions of said tire during normal running conditions of said tire, said containers being of miniature size in relation to said interior space and being secured in uniform distribution around the circumference of said bead portion after manufacture of said tire, a propellant material being enclosed in one of the chambers of each said container and a foam forming sealant material being enclosed in the other chamber of each said container to isolate said materials from each other during normal running conditions of said tire, said containers being formed of a material capable of rupturing when contacted by interior surfaces of said tire normally disposed beyond the bead portion yet collapsible onto said bead portion under loaded tire conditions when a failure of said tire causes a loss of pressure from said interior space, the rupturing of said containers permitting interreaction of said propellant material and said foam forming sealant material to form a foam sealing compound movable toward the site of said tire failure under the influence of said propellant to block pressure leakage at said failure site and thereby remedy said tire failure.