Tire comprising a protective reinforcement

• US 9,533,532 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2011
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Compagnie générale des établissements Michelin
• Original Assignee: Compagnie générale des établissements Michelin, Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Inventors: Cercy, Laurent
• Primary Examiner(s): FISCHER, JUSTIN R
• Application Number:
  US13/822,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20130220508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,932 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 2009/2035 built-up by narrow strips
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 2009/2041 with an interrupted belt ply, e.g. using two or more portions of the same ply
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 2009/2048 characterised by special physical properties of the belt plies
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 2200/06 for heavy duty vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 9/18 Structure or arrangement of belts or breakers, crown-reinforcing or cushioning layers
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 9/24 built-up of arcuate parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 152/10765 Characterized by belt or breaker structure

Abstract

The invention relates to a tire with a radial carcass reinforcement comprising a crown reinforcement, itself radially capped with a tread comprising at least two circumferentially continuous cutouts, the said tread being connected to two beads via two sidewalls.

According to the invention, the crown reinforcement comprises at least one axially discontinuous layer consisting of at least two bands each formed of at least one multilayer laminate, the said laminate comprising at least one multiaxially stretched thermoplastic polymer film positioned between and in contact with two layers of rubber composition, and, in a meridian plane, the axial ends of each of the said bands being respectively axially on the outside of each of the axially outermost points of one same circumferentially continuous cutout.

Claims

1. A tire with radial carcass reinforcement, made up of at least one layer of metal reinforcing elements, the tire comprising:

a crown reinforcement,

a tread radially capping the crown reinforcement, comprising at least two circumferentially continuous cutouts,

two beads connected to the tread via two sidewalls,

wherein the crown reinforcement comprises at least one axially discontinuous layer consisting of at least two bands axially distant from one another, and each formed of at least one multilayer laminate,

wherein the laminate comprises at least one multiaxially stretched thermoplastic polymer film positioned between, and in contact with, two layers of rubber composition, and wherein, in a meridian plane, axial ends of each of the bands are respectively axially on the outside of each of the axially outermost points of one same circumferentially continuous cutout, wherein the axial distance between an axial end of a band and the axially outermost point of the circumferentially continuous cutout axially closest to the end of the band is between 4 and 12 mm;

wherein at least one band is disposed radially beneath at least one circumferentially continuous cutout; and

wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a polyester,

the crown reinforcement of the tire comprises at least two multilayer laminates positioned in contact with one another circumferentially to form a circumferentially continuous band, and

the ends of the at least two multilayer laminates in the circumferential direction have a cutout that makes with the circumferential direction an angle substantially equivalent to that of the reinforcing elements of the crown reinforcing layer radially closest to the at least two laminates.

2. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the bands forming the axially discontinuous layer have widths of between 20 and 40 mm.

3. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer film has, whatever direction of tension is considered, an extension modulus denoted E that is greater than 500 MPa.

4. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer film has, whatever direction of tension is considered, a maximum tensile stress denoted σ

max which is greater than 80 MPa.

5. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer film has, whatever direction of tension is considered, an elongation at break denoted Ar which is greater than 40%.

6. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer film is heat stabilized.

7. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the polyester is a polyethylene terephthalate or a polyethylene naphthalate.

8. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the thermoplastic polymer film is between 0.05 and 1 mm.

9. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of each layer of rubber composition is between 0.05 and 2 mm.

10. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the crown reinforcement is formed of at least two working crown layers of inextensible reinforcing elements which are crossed from one layer to the other, making with the circumferential direction angles of between 10°

and 45°

.

11. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the crown reinforcement comprises at least one layer of circumferential reinforcing elements.

12. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the crown reinforcement further comprises a triangulation layer formed of metal reinforcing elements that make with the circumferential direction angles of greater than 60°

.