Nonreinforced tire

• US 4,061,171 A
• Filed: 06/07/1976
• Issued: 12/06/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA
• Original Assignee: Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA
• Inventors: Boileau, Jacques, Mathevet, Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffman, Drayton E.
• Application Number:
  US05/693,967
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 152/352, 152/353 R, 152/353 C, 152/354, 152/362 R, 152/330 R, 152/357 A
• US Class Current: 152/452
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 13/00 Tyre sidewalls; Protecting, decorating, marking, or the like, thereof B60C17/08 takes precedence; tyre shoulders B60C11/01; removable tyre sidewall trim rings B60B7/01
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 3/04 characterised by the relative dimensions of the section, e.g. low profile B60C3/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 5/01 without substantial cord reinforcement, e.g. cordless tyres, cast tyres
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 9/0292 Carcass ply curvature sidewall curvature B60C13/003

Abstract

Tire with a tread-forming crown extended on both sides by sidewalls terminating in a bead, said tire being made of elastic material and being free of reinforcement.

In accordance with the invention, each sidewall comprises at least one region in which the thickness varies and the median line of which has a curvature which changes sign, said tire being mounted on a rim and inflated.

Claims

1. In a nonreinforced inflated tire mounted on a wheel rim, said tire consisting of at least one elastic material and having a tread-forming crown extended on both sides by a sidewall terminating in a bead, each sidewall as seen in radial section having an outer wall and an inner wall and a median line which is the line of the centers of circles which are tangent both to said outer wall and to said inner wall, each circle being entirely included within said radial section, the improvement which comprises each sidewall has at least one sequence of zones A, B, C, D without interruption of continuity, formed of a zone C of substantially constant thickness, and, on opposite sides of the zone C, a zone B in which the thickness of the tire increases as it moves away from the zone C, the thickness of this zone B at its end opposite zone C being at least two times the thickness of the zone C, and a terminal zone D in which the thickness of the tire increases as it moves away from the zone C, the ratio of the increase in thickness of the zone D per unit of length of the median line being less than the ratio of increase in thickness of the zone B per unit of length of the median line, and finally a terminal zone A following the zone B and whose maximum thickness is equal to at least the greatest thickness of the zone B, said median line having a reversal of curvature which is located in a zone B.

2. The tire according to claim 1 wherein the median lines of the terminal zones A and D are shifted axially with respect to each other.

3. The tire according to claim 1 wherein each sidewall has a single sequence of said zones A, B, C, D and one of the terminal zones A and D forms part of the tread and the other forms part of the bead.

4. The tire according to claim 1 wherein each sidewall has two sequences of said zones A, B, C, D, such as A₁ --B₁ --C₁ --D₁ and A₂ --B₂ --C₂ --D₂, these two sequences of zones being connected by the terminal zones of types A and D so as to form a continuous assembly A₁ --B₁ --C₁ --D₁ -- A₂ --B₂ --C₂ --D₂.

5. The tire according to claim 1 wherein each sidewall has two sequences of said zones A, B, C, D, such as A₁ --B₁ --C₁ --D₁ and A₂ --B₂ --C₂ --D₂, these two sequences of zones being connected by the terminal zones of type D so as to form a continuous assembly A₁ --B₁ --C₁ --D₁ -- D₂ --C₂ --B₂ --A₂.

6. The tire according to claim 1 wherein each sidewall has two sequences of said zones A, B, C, D, such as A₁ --B₁ --C₁ --D₁ and A₂ --B₂ --C₂ --D₂, these two sequences of zones being connected by the terminal zones of type A so as to form a continuous assembly D₁ --C₁ --B₁ --A₁ -- A₂ --B₂ --C₂ --D₂.

7. The tire according to claim 1 wherein each sidewall has two sequences of said zones A, B, C, D, such as A₁ --B₁ --C₁ --D₁ and A₂ --B₂ --C₂ --D₂, these two sequences of zones being connected by the terminal zones of type A which are combined into a single zone A₁,2 so as to form a continuous assembly D₁ --C₁ --B₁ --A₁,2 --B₂ --C₂ --D₂.

8. The tire according to claim 3 wherein the beads are of large thickness.

9. The tire according to claim 3 wherein the tread is of large thickness.

10. The tire according to claim 3 wherein the beads and the tread are of large thickness.

11. In a nonreinforced inflated tire mounted on a wheel rim, said tire consisting of at least one elastic material and having a tread-forming crown extended on both sides by a sidewall terminating in a bead, each sidewall as seen in radial section having an outer wall and an inner wall and a median line which is the line of the centers of circles which are tangent both to said outer wall and to said inner wall, each circle being entirely included within said radial section, the improvement which comprises each sidewall has at least one sequence of zones A, B, C, D without interruption of continuity, formed of a zone C of substantially constant thickness, and, on opposite sides of the zone C, a zone B in which the thickness of the tire increases as it moves away from the zone C, the thickness of this zone B at its end opposite zone C being at least two times the thickness of the zone C, and a terminal zone D in which the thickness of the tire increases as it moves away from the zone C, the ratio of the increase in thickness of the zone D per unit of length of the median line being less than the ratio of increase in thickness of the zone B per unit of length of the median line, and finally a terminal zone A following the zone B and whose maximum thickness is equal to at least the greatest thickness of the zone B, said median line having a reversal of curvature which is located in a zone C in the vicinity of the junction between zones B and C.

12. In a nonreinforced inflated tire mounted on a wheel rim, said tire consisting of at least one elastic material and having a tread-forming crown extended on both sides by a sidewall terminating in a bead, each sidewall as seen in radial section having an outer wall and an inner wall and a median line which is the line of the centers of circles which are tangent both to said outer wall and to said inner wall, each circle being entirely included within said radial section, the improvement which comprises each sidewall has at least one assembly of two sequences of zones A, B, C, such As A₁ --B₁ --C₁ and A₂ --B₂ --C₂, without interruption of continuity, formed of a zone C of substantially constant thickness, a zone B joined to zone C in which the thickness of the tire increases as it moves away from the zone C, the thickness of this zone B at its end opposite zone C being at least two times the thickness of the zone C, and a terminal zone A following the zone B and whose maximum thickness is equal to at least the greatest thickness of the zone B, these two sequences of zones being connected to each other at their thinnest adjacent zones C₁ and C₂ so as to form a continuous assembly A₁ --B₁ --C₁ --C₂ --B₂ --A₂, said median line having at least one reversal of curvature which is located in a zone B.

13. The tire according to claim 12 wherein the thinnest adjacent zones C₁ and C₂ are combined into a single zone C₁,2 so as to form a continuous assembly A₁ --B₁ --C₁,2 --B₂ --A₂.

14. The tire according to claim 12 wherein the median lines of the two terminal zones A₁ and A₂ are located approximately at the same axial distance from the equatorial plane of the tire, the median line of the radial section of the sidewall having two reversals of curvature.

15. The tire according to claim 12 wherein the median lines of the two terminal zones A₁ and A₂ are shifted axially with respect to each other, the median line of the radial section of the sidewall having a single reversal of curvature which is located in the zone B whose distance from the equatorial plane of the tire is the greatest.

16. The tire according to claim 15 wherein the median lines of the two terminal zones A₁ and A₂ are shifted axially with respect to each other by a distance equal to at least the width of the narrower of the two zones A₁ and A₂.

17. The tire according to claim 12 wherein each sidewall has a single assembly of two sequences of zones and one of the two terminal zones A₁ and A₂ forms part of the tread and the other forms part of the bead.

18. The tire according to claim 12 wherein each sidewall has at least two assemblies of two sequences of zones A, B, C, such As A₁ --B₁ --C₁,2 --B₂ --A₂ and A₃ --B₃ --C₃,4 --B₄ --A₄, these two assemblies being connected at two of the adjacent terminal zones of maximum thickness A₁, A₂, A₃, A₄.

19. The tire according to claim 18 wherein the median lines of at least two zones A₁, A₂, A₃, A₄ are shifted axially with respect to each other.

20. The tire according to claim 19 wherein one of the terminal zones of the connection of the said continuous assemblies forms part of the tread and the other forms part of the bead.

21. The tire according to claim 20 wherein the median lines of at least two of the terminal zones of type A are shifted in axial direction with respect to each other.

22. The tire according to claim 20 wherein one of the terminal zones of the connection of the said sequences forms part of the tread and the other forms part of the bead.

23. The tire according to claim 17 wherein the beads are of large thickness.

24. The tire according to claim 17 wherein the tread is of large thickness.

25. The tire according to claim 17 wherein the beads and the tread are of large thickness.

26. The tire according to claim 20 wherein the beads are of large thickness.

27. The tire according to claim 20 wherein the tread is of large thickness.

28. The tire according to claim 20 wherein the beads and the tread are of large thickness.

29. The tire according to claim 22 wherein the beads are of large thickness.

30. The tire according to claim 22 wherein the tread is of large thickness.

31. The tire according to claim 22 wherein the beads and the tread are of large thickness.