Method and apparatus for making a compartmentalized tire sealant strip

A method for making a compartmentalized sealant strip and barrier assembly comprises the steps of:

• co-extruding a barrier strip layer of non-sealant elastomeric material with a plurality of projecting linear extending walls, the barrier strip has a layer thickness of 1 mm to 4 mm and the projecting walls having a thickness equal to or less than the barrier strip layer thickness, and a sealant strip wherein the sealant strip is formed on one side of the barrier strip filling the space between the plurality of projecting walls, the sealant strips having a thickness of 0.5 cm to 2.0 cm and the walls extend from one side of the barrier strip to a depth of 50 to 100 percent the thickness of the sealant to form a plurality of linearly extending rows of sealant across the transverse width of the co-extruded assembly to form the compartmentalized sealant strip and barrier assembly as an intermediate article of manufacture for assembly onto a crown of an unvulcanized tire carcass, the sealant being positioned radially outward open to an underlying innerliner.