Provided are a pneumatic tire in which the attachment start portion of the sealant does not easily peel off, and a method for producing the pneumatic tire. The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire including a generally string-shaped adhesive sealant, the sealant being continuously and spirally attached at least to the inner periphery of the tire that corresponds to a tread portion, the sealant having a wider portion at at least one of the longitudinal ends thereof, the wider portion having a width larger than that of the longitudinally adjoining portion.

The laminate according to the present invention includes a thermoplastic resin film-containing layer and a rubber layer, in which the rubber layer contains a modified diene polymer, and the rubber layer has a dynamic storage modulus E′ at −20° C. of 1.0×10.sup.5 to 1.0×10.sup.8 Pa. This laminate can improve the resistance to the fractures and the cracks of the inner liner.

Methods for treating the surface of a cured inner liner are disclosed. By use of these methods a treated, cured inner liner is produced which has a lower surface with increased adherability to other materials (e.g., adhesives). Treated, cured inner liners resulting from such methods as well as tires containing the treated inner liners.

A method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire includes: a step of winding carcass plies around a molding drum to mold a carcass, wherein the carcass has a joint portion in which ends of each of the carcass plies in a tire circumferential direction are overlapped with each other, the method further includes a step of pasting a rubber tape that covers at least a part of the joint portion after winding the carcass ply, and the rubber tape has: a central portion pasted to an outside of the joint portion and extending with a constant thickness along the tire circumferential direction; and tapered portions individually extending from both ends of the central portion in the tire circumferential direction along the tire circumferential direction while reducing a thickness of each of the tapered portions, and having tip ends with an angle of 45 degrees or less.

Methods for treating the surface of a cured inner liner are disclosed. By use of these methods a treated, cured inner liner is produced which has a lower surface with increased adherability to other materials (e.g., adhesives). Treated, cured inner liners resulting from such methods as well as tires containing the treated inner liners.

In a pneumatic tire production method including a step of overlapping end portions of a sheet laminate and vulcanization-molding the tire, the sheet laminate being obtained by layering an elastomer layer and a sheet of a thermoplastic resin composition containing a thermoplastic resin or a blend of a thermoplastic resin and an elastomer, after the end portions of the sheet laminate are overlapped, the overlapped portion of the sheet laminate is compression-bonded at a temperature of not less than a glass transition temperature Tg of the thermoplastic resin and not greater than 120° C.

A post-cure inflation machine for processing a tire may include a tire holder shaft. The tire holder shaft may include a chuck to secure the tire to the tire holder shaft. A hollow passage may be defined in the tire holder shaft. A spray nozzle may be connected to a spray shaft that is telescopically disposed in the hollow passage of the tire holder shaft. The spray nozzle may extend to spray an air barrier material onto the tire.

Provided is an attaching device and a method for attaching a band-like member to a tire inner surface. A holder that holds the band-like member in a wound state and a paddle are disposed in an inner portion of a tire, and a dispensed portion is pressure-bonded to the inner surface by repeatedly performing: a bonding operation in which a predetermined length dispensed from the band-like member in a wound state toward the inner surface is pressed, by moving the paddle close to the inner surface with no relative rotation of the tire in the circumferential direction with respect to the holder, and is pressure-bonded to the inner surface and a dispensing operation in which, after the bonding operation, the paddle is moved away from the inner surface, and together with relatively rotating the tire in the circumferential direction, a new dispensed portion is formed.

A tubeless tyre (1) comprising a tread (2), a carcass (3) defining an inner cavity (4), an innerliner (5) designed to ensure that the air contained in the inner cavity (4) of the carcass (3) remains under pressure, a sealant layer (6) arranged in said inner cavity (4) in contact with the innerliner (5), and a sound-absorbing layer (7), which is also arranged in said inner cavity (4). The tyre comprises a support structure (8) housed inside said inner cavity (4) and designed to support said sound-absorbing layer (7), always keeping it separate from the sealant layer (6). The support structure (8) comprises a spacing portion (9) having an end in contact with said innerliner (5) and partially immersed in said sealant layer (6) and a support portion (10), on which the sound-absorbing layer (7) is fixed.

An apparatus for building tyres for vehicle wheels are described. A substantially cylindrical carcass sleeve, having at least one carcass ply, includes consecutively adjacent strip-like elements laid one after the other around the circumferential extension of a substantially cylindrical deposition surface. Circumferentially consecutive strip-like elements laid one after the other form overlap zones along respective longitudinal edges superimposed on each other. Each overlap zone has, along a longitudinal extension thereof, terminal sections that are laterally opposite with respect to an intermediate section. The intermediate section of each overlap zone has greater width than the width of the terminal sections.