Balanced tire assembly and method

• US 7,368,024 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2005
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Original Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Inventors: Hahn, Bruce Raymond, Majumdar, Ramendra Nath
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischer; Justin R.
• Application Number:
  US11/218,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20070044893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 152/154.1
• US Class Current: 156/110.1
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/0637 Correcting by adding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/0694 the sealant being in the form of one or more narrow strips, e.g. applied by winding into the interior of the tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/0633 After-treatment specially adapted for vulcanising tyres
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/0685 Incorporating auto-repairing or self-sealing arrangements or agents on or into tyres auto-repairing or self-sealing arrangements or agents B29C73/16; puncture preventing arrangements B60C19/12
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 19/00 Tyre parts or constructions not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 19/003 Balancing means attached to the tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 5/004 filled at least partially with liquid B60C19/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/32 Correcting- or balancing-weights or equivalent means for balancing rotating bodies, e.g. vehicle wheels suppression of vibrations in rotating systems by using freely rotating masses F16F15/14; compensation of inertia forces F16F15/22; compensating unbalance for testing purposes G01M1/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/326 the body being a vehicle wheel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 152/10495 Pneumatic tire or inner tube

Abstract

A balance material is applied to the inner surface of a tire at one or more selected locations to offset an imbalance of the tire. The balance material is fluently applied to the inner surface at a first viscosity, whereafter the balance material transforms to exhibit a second viscosity that is higher than the first viscosity and remains affixed to the inner surface of the tire at the point of application. A method of balancing a tire comprises determining the location and amount of balance material needed to correct an imbalance of the tire, applying the balance material at a first viscosity, and transforming the balance material to have a second viscosity sufficient to maintain the balance material at the desired location.

Claims

1. A method of balancing a tire, comprising:

applying a balance material to at least a portion of an inner surface of a tire along an axial direction of the tire, the balance material exhibiting a first viscosity when applied to the tire and transforming to exhibit a second viscosity greater than the first viscosity, so that the balance material is substantially fixed to the inner surface; and

applying a flexible solid member atop the balance material, such that the balance material is disposed between the flexible solid member and the inner surface of the tire and the flexible solid member is positioned entirely within the boundaries of the balance material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said balance material is in a fluid state when it is applied to said inner surface, and subsequently transforms to a solid state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said balance material is thixotropic when applied to said inner surface.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the amount of imbalance in a tire; and

determining the location and amount of balance material to be added to the inner surface of the tire to compensate for the tire imbalance.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

cleaning the inner surface of the tire, at least at the location where the imbalance material is to be applied.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

protecting the inner surface of the tire from contaminants with a removable film prior to forming the tire in a mold; and

removing the film prior to applying the balance material to thereby expose a clean surface where the balance material will be applied.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the balance material comprises:

extruding the balance material through a dispensing tip to the inner surface of the tire; and

articulating the dispensing tip relative to a reservoir to move the tip in an axial direction of the tire.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the balance material comprises:

manually actuating a switch to selectively start and stop the dispensing of balance material from a dispensing tip.