Stiffness enhanced tread
AssigneeThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
InventorsPaul Harry Sandstrom, Robert Neal Lipcsik
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pneumatic tire includes a tread base comprised of a first material, a tread cap comprised of a second material, and a ring comprised of a third material. The tread cap is disposed radially outward of the tread base and in operational contact with a ground surface. The ring is disposed at least partially within the tread cap and extends radially away from the tread base. The ring has a stiffness in the radial direction greater than stiffnesses in the circumferential and lateral directions. The third material has a substantially lower hysteresis than the second material during operation of the pneumatic tire. The third material further provides an electrical conductivity path to the ground surface.
Claims9
A pneumatic tire comprising:
- a tread base consisting of a first material;
- a tread cap consisting of a second material, the tread cap being disposed radially outward of the tread base and in operational contact with a ground surface;
- and
- two annular rings each consisting of a third material and each positioned in a shoulder portion of the tread cap, the rings each being disposed at least partially within the tread cap and extending radially away from the tread base, the rings both having a rectangular cross-section extending radially from the tread base to the ground surface, the rings having a stiffness in the radial direction greater than stiffnesses in the circumferential and lateral directions, the third material having a lower hysteresis than the second material during operation of the pneumatic tire, the third material further providing an electrical conductivity path to the ground surface, the third material consisting essentially of a syndiotactic polybutadiene polymer and carbon black.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.