Pneumatic tire with bead regions having circumferentially extending ribs
AssigneeSumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
InventorsJohn Anthony Turley, Arthur Roger Williams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A radial tire having bead regions each comprising a bead clinch and a bead seat has between two and ten circumferentially extending ribs projecting outward of the bead region outer surface. The ribs are preferably continuous around the circumference of the tire bead and project outward from the bead region outer surface by a distance not greater than 8%, more preferably not greater than 3%, of the bead base width. Also the ribs preferably have a maximum width of between 5% and 15%, most preferably 10%, of the bead base width. The rib surface most preferably comprises a continuous surface of an arc and straight portion meeting tangentially.
Claims15
A radial tire comprising a tire carcass comprising a strip of circumferentially extending material jointed at the ends and including reinforcing cords extending between two bead regions and enclosed therein by wrapping around a circumferentially extending inextensible bead core in each bead region, the axially outer surface of each bead region comprising a bead seat radially inward of the bead core for seating onto the rim seat of a wheelrim, the bead seat terminating at a bead toe at the axially inward end of the bead seat, and a bead clinch extending substantially radially outwardly and located axially outwardly of the bead core and a bead heel extending between the radially inward end of the bead clinch and the axially outward end of the bead seat, the bead regions having a bead base width being the axial distance between the bead toe and the theoretical bead heel point, wherein each bead region has between two and ten circumferentially extending ribs projecting outward of the bead region outer surface, each rib surface lying between the edges of the base of the rib where the rib contacts the outer surface of the bead region being one continuous surface having no edges, the rib surface in cross section comprising an arc and a straight line meeting tangentially.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.