Runflat tire with sawtooth shaped insert
AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
InventorsJean-Marie Girault, Percy Anthony Lemaire, Roland Andre Terver
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A runflat radial ply tire (70) having a thread (72), a carcass (86) and a belt structure (74) radially located between the thread and the carcass has two sidewalls (80, 82) each reinforced with a circumferentially disposed wedge insert (50a′, 50b′) having a saw-tooth cross-sectional shape. The saw-tooth cross-sectional shape of each wedge insert (50a′, 50b′) is defined by a plurality of circumferentially disposed segments (52a–52e), each of which is separated from adjacent segments by circumferentially disposed grooves (54a–54d). During heavy loading of the tire, or during runflat operation, the radially loaded sidewall portions deform until the grooves (54a′–54d′) undergo closure.
Claims14
A pneumatic radial ply runflat tire having a tread, a carcass structure comprising at least one radial carcass ply, and two sidewalls comprising:
- a single circumferentially-disposed wedge insert disposed on an inner surface of each sidewall, each wedge insert having a saw-tooth shaped cross-section comprising a plurality of circumferentially disposed segments each of which is separated from one another, during normal-inflated operation, by a plurality of intervening circumferential grooves;
- wherein each groove is bounded by an outer surface of a given segment and an inner surface of an adjacent segment;
- and
- the outer surface of a given segment and the inner surface of an adjacent segment intersect at a hinge point P, and the segments can therefore pivot with respect to each other;
- the outer surface of a given segment is convex;
- and
- the inner surface of an adjacent segment is concave;
- wherein during runflat operation, when the outer surface engages the inner surface, axial deflection is substantially prevented.
A pneumatic radial ply runflat tire having a tread, a carcass structure comprising at least one radial carcass ply, and two sidewalls comprising:
- a single circumferentially-disposed wedge insert disposed on an inner surface of each sidewall, each wedge insert having a saw-tooth shaped cross-section comprising a plurality of circumferentially disposed segments each of which is separated from one another, during normal-inflated operation, by a plurality of intervening circumferential grooves;
- wherein each groove is bounded by an outer surface of a given segment and an inner surface of an adjacent segment;
- the outer surface of a given segment and the inner surface of an adjacent segment intersect at a hinge point P, and the segments can therefore pivot with respect to each other;
- and
- the outer surface of a given insert and the inner surface of an adjacent insert are both non-flat surfaces.
A pneumatic radial ply runflat tire having a tread, a carcass structure comprising at least one radial carcass ply, and two sidewalls comprising:
- a single circumferentially-disposed wedge insert disposed on an inner surface of each sidewall, each wedge insert having a saw-tooth shaped cross-section comprising a plurality of circumferentially disposed segments each of which is separated from one another, during normal-inflated operation, by a plurality of intervening circumferential grooves;
- wherein each groove is bounded by an outer surface of a given segment and an inner surface of an adjacent segment;
- the outer surface of a given segment and the inner surface of an adjacent segment intersect at a hinge point P, and the segments can therefore pivot with respect to each other;
- and the length of the inner and outer surfaces of the segments extend less than the thickness of the insert.
A pneumatic radial ply runflat tire having a tread, a carcass structure comprising at least one radial carcass ply, two sidewalls and at least one wedge insert disposed on an inner surface of each sidewall, each wedge insert comprising a plurality of circumferentially disposed segments each of which is separated from one another, during normal-inflated operation, by a plurality of intervening circumferential grooves;
- and
- each groove is bounded by an outer surface of a given segment and an inner surface of an adjacent segment;
- characterized in that:
- at least one of the outer surface of a given insert and the inner surface of an adjacent insert is a non-flat surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.