Self-balancing pneumatic tire and method of making the same

• US 8,726,955 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Original Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Inventors: Majumdar, Ramendra Nath, Agostini, Giorgio
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischer, Justin
• Assistant Examiner(s): LY, KENDRA
• Application Number:
  US12/942,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20120111462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 152/154.1, 152/367, 152/454, 152/336.1, 152502-509, 152/115, 152/325, 152/123, 152/450, 156/123
• US Class Current: 152/154.1
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/04 Resilient fillings for rubber tyres; Filling tyres therewith
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/0662 Accessories, details or auxiliary operations
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 19/003 Balancing means attached to the tyre
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/323 using balancing liquid
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/326 the body being a vehicle wheel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 152/10675 Using flowable coating or composition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 152/10684 On inner surface of tubeless tire
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 152/10693 Sealant in plural layers or plural pockets

Abstract

A self-balancing pneumatic tire is provided having a built-in balancing gel system. In one embodiment, the tire, before cure, includes a green pneumatic tire assembly having an uncured tread defining an outermost layer; a first barrier layer; a second barrier layer situated adjacent the first barrier layer and intermediate the first barrier layer and the tread; and first and second gel precursors. The gel precursors are non-flowable prior to cure but flowable after cure. The gel precursors are respectively contained within spaced-apart first and second circumferential regions defined by confronting, non-contacting surfaces of the first barrier layer and the second barrier layer, each circumferential region further situated proximate opposing sidewalls of the tire and having a width of about 5 percent to about 25 percent of a final tread width obtained upon curing of the uncured tire assembly. In one example, the first and/or second barrier layers can be discontinuous.

Claims

1. A self-balancing tire comprising:

a cured tread having a tread width and defining an outermost layer; and

first and second flowable, partially de-polymerized gel precursors, which are non-flowable prior to cure, the gel precursors respectively contained within spaced-apart first and second circumferential regions,

wherein the first circumferential region is defined by confronting, non-contacting surfaces of a first barrier layer portion and a second barrier layer portion, wherein the second circumferential region is defined by confronting, non-contacting surfaces of a third barrier layer portion and a fourth barrier layer portion, wherein the first and the third barrier layer portions define a first continuous barrier layer, wherein the second and the fourth barrier layer portions define a second continuous barrier layer, wherein the first and second circumferential regions define the only regions in the tire with the gel precursors, and wherein the first and the second circumferential regions are further situated proximate opposing sidewalls of the tire and each circumferential region having a width from about 5 percent to about 25 percent of the tread width.

2. The tire of claim 1, wherein at least one of the gel precursors comprise a butyl rubber-based rubber composition, a polyurethane-based composition, or a combination thereof.

3. The tire of claim 1, wherein at least one of the gel precursors is a polyurethane-based composition.

4. The tire of claim 1, wherein at least one of the gel precursors is a butyl rubber-based rubber composition.

5. The tire of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the first and the third barrier layer portions and/or at least a portion of the second and the fourth barrier layer portions define a contacting surface adjacent the respective first and the second circumferential regions, and wherein the contacting surface of at least one of the first barrier layer, the second barrier layer, the third barrier layer and/or the fourth barrier layer portions includes an adhesive layer.

6. The tire of claim 1, wherein each circumferential region has a width from about 10 percent to about 20 percent of the tread width.

7. The tire of claim 1, wherein the first and second circumferential regions are spaced-apart at a distance of about 50 percent or more of the tread width.

8. An uncured self-balancing tire assembly comprising:

an uncured tread defining an outermost layer; and

first and second gel precursors, which are non-flowable prior to cure but flowable after cure, the gel precursors respectively contained within spaced-apart first and second circumferential regions,

wherein the first circumferential region is defined by confronting, non-contacting surfaces of a first barrier layer portion and a second barrier layer portion, wherein the second circumferential region is defined by confronting, non-contacting surfaces of a third barrier layer portion and a fourth barrier layer portion, wherein the first and the third barrier layer portions define a first continuous barrier layer, wherein the second and the fourth barrier layer portions define a second continuous barrier layer, wherein the first and second circumferential regions define the only regions in the tire with the gel precursors, and wherein the first and the second circumferential regions are further situated proximate opposing sidewalls of the tire and each circumferential region having a width from about 5 percent to about 25 percent of a final tread width obtained upon curing of the uncured tire assembly.

9. The tire assembly of claim 8, wherein at least one of the gel precursors comprise a butyl rubber-based rubber composition, a polyurethane-based composition, or a combination thereof.

10. The tire assembly of claim 8, wherein at least one of the gel precursors is a polyurethane-based composition.

11. The tire assembly of claim 8, wherein at least one of the gel precursors is a butyl rubber-based rubber composition.

12. The tire assembly of claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the first and the third barrier layer portions and/or at least a portion of the second and the forth barrier layer portions define a contacting surface adjacent the respective first and the second circumferential regions, and wherein the contacting surface of at least one of the first barrier layer, the second barrier layer, the third barrier layer and/or the fourth barrier layer portions includes an adhesive layer.

13. The tire assembly of claim 8, wherein each circumferential region has a width from about 10 percent to about 20 percent of the final tread width.

14. The tire assembly of claim 8, wherein the first and second circumferential regions are spaced-apart at a distance of about 50 percent or more of the final tread width.

15. A method of making a self-balancing tire comprising:

building spaced apart first and second circumferential regions with each circumferential region containing a gel precursor, wherein the first circumferential region is defined by confronting, non-contacting surfaces of a first barrier layer portion and a second barrier layer portion, and wherein the second circumferential region is defined by confronting, non-contacting surfaces of a third barrier layer portion and a fourth barrier layer portion, wherein the first and the third barrier layer portions define a first continuous barrier layer, wherein the second and the fourth barrier layer portions define a second continuous barrier layer, wherein the first and second circumferential regions define the only regions in the tire with the gel precursors; and

disposing outwardly of the first and second circumferential regions a carcass portion, and then a tread on the carcass to define an uncured tire assembly, wherein each circumferential region has a width from about 5 percent to about 25 percent of a final tread width obtained upon curing the uncured tire assembly, wherein each circumferential region is situated proximate opposing sidewalls of the uncured tire assembly with the first and second circumferential regions being spaced apart by a distance of about 50 percent or more of the final tread width.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

curing the uncured tire assembly under conditions of heat and pressure such that the gel precursors are transformed to flowable, partially de-polymerized gel precursors so as to provide the cured tire with self-balancing properties.