A mold includes a tread-forming surface to shape a tread surface. The tread-forming surface can include projections to form circumferential grooves, and land surface-forming portions to form land surfaces. Among the three land surface-forming portions aligned in an axial direction with the projections interposed therebetween, the land surface-forming portion located between the two projections can be a curved land surface-forming portion. A contour of the curved land surface-forming portion can be represented by one or more circular arcs. A boundary between a reference side surface of each projection and the curved land surface-forming portion can be a reference boundary point, and the reference boundary point can be located inward of a reference forming surface of the tread-forming surface.

A tread wear indicator for a tire is provided. The tire includes a pair of sidewalls and a tread and the tread includes a plurality of circumferential grooves and a plurality of lateral grooves. The tread wear indicator is formed in a selected one of the lateral grooves adjacent a selected one of the circumferential grooves. The indicator includes a plurality of step elements descending from a radially outward surface of the tread toward the base of the selected one of the lateral grooves. Each step element includes an axially-extending surface that is approximately parallel to and is radially inward of the radially outward surface of the selected one of the tread elements, and a radially-extending surface that extends approximately perpendicular to the axially-extending surface. The axially-extending surface of each step element is formed with indicia visible to a user of the tire.

A mold for molding a tire tread comprises a plurality of mold segments. Each of the plurality of mold segments includes an integer number of tread pitch repetitions. The plurality of mold segments are structured to be coupled to each other end-to-end so as to form the mold such that the mold includes an integer number of tread pitches. The mold also includes at least one mold end segment positioned on at least one end of the mold and has a mold end segment length shorter than a length of each of the plurality of mold segments.

A method of molding a green tire having a first and second bead area is described herein, wherein the method includes the steps of: inserting a tire clamping device inside a tire bladder and then inserting the tire clamping device and the bladder into the green tire, aligning the outer surfaces of the tire clamping device into engagement with a respective bead area of the tire so that each tire bead area is clamped between a respective upper and a lower mold ring and the tire clamping device during cure. A tire clamping device includes an inner portion, and a plurality of segments connected to the inner portion, wherein the tire clamping device has a closed position wherein the plurality of segments together forms a first and second ring for engagement with the bead areas of the tire so clamp the bead areas between the clamping device and the mold rings during cure.

A mold for vulcanizing a tire includes a plurality of first and second sectors alternatively arranged in parallel in a circumferential direction to form an annular shape. A projecting portion formed across the first sector and the second sector includes a first convex portion whose occupied volume is larger, which is formed in the first sector, and a second convex portion whose occupied volume is smaller, which is formed in the second sector. The second convex portion has a length of at least 1.5 mm along an extending direction of the protrusions from an end surface of the second sector and has substantially the same height as the protrusions, and a corner portion of an end surface side of the first sector is chamfered.

A method for manufacturing an aluminium mould (1) segment (10) for curing and vulcanizing a tyre: a) fixing at least one thin blade (2) for the formation of the grooves in the tire tread, in a mould form made of friable material, so that an exterior part of the thin blade is embedded in the material of the mould form and so that an interior part projects from this mould form, this thin blade being made from maraging steel and having been obtained by a selective laser melting method, b) closing the mould form and pouring or injecting aluminium into it, coating the interior part of the thin blade, c) breaking away the mould form to obtain the mould segment. The thin blade (2) is subjected to a peening treatment with a material with a Vickers hardness between 340 and 500 HV and with dimensions smaller than 0.3 mm.

A bead ring for a tire mold includes a plurality of concentric rings, wherein at least two adjacent concentric rings form an interface having a circumferential seam. The circumferential seam is configured to receive airflow from an interior of the tire mold, and the circumferential seam is in fluid communication with an air chamber located radially exterior of the circumferential seam.

A tread wear indicator for a tire is provided. The tire includes a pair of sidewalls and a tread and the tread includes a plurality of tread elements defined by circumferential grooves and lateral grooves. The tread wear indicator is formed in a selected one of the tread elements adjacent a selected one of the circumferential grooves. The indicator includes a plurality of step elements descending from a radially outward surface of the selected one of the tread elements toward the base of the selected one of the circumferential grooves. Each step element includes an axially-extending surface that is approximately parallel to and is radially inward of the radially outward surface of the selected one of the tread elements, and a radially-extending surface that extends approximately perpendicular to the axially-extending surface. The axially-extending surface of each step element is formed with indicia visible to a user of the tire.

A tire mold comprises sector molds for forming a tread portion of a tire and mold pins provided on the sector molds for forming insertion holes in the tread portion. The insertion holes each comprise a first hole portion with a first inner diameter where a body portion of a stud pin is disposed and a second hole portion with a second inner diameter greater than the first inner diameter where a bottom flange portion of the stud pin is disposed. The mold pins each comprise a trunk portion with a first outer diameter for forming the first hole portion and a tip portion with a second outer diameter greater than the first outer diameter for forming the second hole portion.

The molding element has a molding surface for forming a contact face of the contacting elements and a groove forming rib portion for forming the groove. The groove forming rib portion has opposed rib side faces for forming opposed groove side faces and a rib top face connecting the rib side faces for forming a groove bottom. The groove forming rib portion provides at least one space opening to at least one of the rib side faces and/or to the rib top face and an insert is received in the space. The insert is composed of a plurality of thin plates stacked in a direction along which the rib extends and comprises at least one notched plate of thickness t1 including at least one notch for forming a flexible fence of the closing device; and comprises at least one support plate of thickness t2 without notch.