A pneumatic tire includes a tread, side walls, beads, a carcass, a belt layer, an inner-liner layer, and a sealant layer. The inner-side surface of the inner-liner layer to which the sealant layer is adhered has profile that satisfies L1<L2<L3, L15 mm, L29.5 mm, and L311 mm, where L1, L2 and L3 represent heights in a radial direction measured from a base height point to the inner-side surface of the inner-liner layer at positions located in an axially inward direction from an axial outer edge of the belt layer by 5%, 10% and 15% of a maximum width of the belt layer, and the base height point is a point on an axial-direction line through the intersection where a radial-direction line passing through the axial outer edge of the belt layer intersects the inner-side surface of the inner-liner layer.

The present invention is directed to a method making a pneumatic tire, comprising the steps of: mixing a sealant composition comprising an elastomer, a filler, a diluent, a quinoid curing agent, an oxidant co-curative; and a cure modifier of formula 1: ##STR00001##
wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are independently H or C1 to C4 alkyl, or R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 taken together form a substituted or unsubstituted phenylene group; R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are independently H, NH.sub.2, C1 to C4 alkyl, or OR.sup.5 where R.sup.5 is C1 to C4 alkyl, with the proviso that when R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are taken together to form a substituted or unsubstituted phenylene group, R.sup.5 is C1 to C3 alkyl; applying the sealant composition to an inner surface of a cured tire; and curing the sealant composition.

A system (1) for applying a sealing agent to the surface (5) of an internal cavity (2) of a pneumatic tyre (3) provided with an applicator device (12) for supplying a strip of sealing agent that is applied to the surface (5) and an opto-electronic device (4*; 20) that is integral to the nozzle (18) of the applicator device (12) and that is provided with at least one sensor element (9*; 20) that is able to acquire a plurality of images of the surface (5) and to provide a plurality of signals that are indicative of said plurality of acquired images; and an electronic processing system (11) connected to the opto-electronic device (4*; 20), and to the applicator device (12) and configured so as to acquire the signals that are indicative of the plurality of images acquired by the opto-electronic device (4*; 20); and to control the application of the sealing agent as a function of the plurality of signals that are indicative of the plurality of images acquired by the opto-electronic device (4*; 20).

A method and a system (1) for applying a sealing agent to the surface (5) of an internal cavity (2) of a pneumatic tyre (3) provided with an optoelectronic device (4) provided with at least one sensor element (9) that is able to acquire a plurality of images of the entire surface (5) and to provide a plurality of signals that are indicative of the plurality of captured images; an electronic processing system (11) connected to the optoelectronic device (4) and configured in such a way as to acquire the signals that are indicative of the plurality of captured images and to process them in order to determine the surface profile of the entire internal cavity (2) as a function of the respective images; and an applicator device (12) intended to apply a strip of sealing agent to the surface (5); wherein the applicator device (12) is connected to the electronic processing system (11), which is configured in such a way as to drive the applicator device (12) as a function of the surface profile of the entire internal cavity (2).

The invention presents a device and a method for placing and attaching a strip inside a tire. Specifically, the tire is positioned flat on a mounting between self-centering arms, and an adhesive device is placed inside the tire. While the tire is rotated, the strip is moved inside the tire, wherein a pressure force is applied to said strip. The strip is driven at a linear speed greater than the rotation speed of the tire, thus producing an effect of compressing said strip, the length of which becomes less than the nominal length thereof, thus creating a space between both ends of the strip such that, after release, the strip scrapes the adhesive device, which is repositioned on said ends, thus simultaneously causing said ends to be attached end to end.

Provided is a pneumatic tire in which a sealant layer entirely exhibits sufficient sealing performance. The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire including a sealant layer located radially inside an innerliner, the sealant layer being formed by continuously and spirally applying a generally string-shaped sealant to the inner periphery of a tire in the tire width direction from one side to the other, the attachment start portion of the sealant being located tire-widthwise inward from the tire-widthwise end of the sealant layer.

A process for producing tyres with auxiliary components for vehicle wheels is described. The process includes i) covering the external surface of an expandable chamber for tyre vulcanisation and moulding apparatuses with a first substantially cross-linkable polysiloxane composition and ii) covering the radially inner surface of the impermeable elastomeric material layer of the green tyre with a second substantially non-cross-linkable polysiloxane composition. An expandable chamber for tyre vulcanisation and moulding apparatuses and, a process for treating the expandable chamber are also described.

The present invention relates to: a sealing gel having a Mooney viscosity (ML1+4 @ 100 C.) in the range from 100 MU to 170 MU, a sealing compound comprising inventive sealing gel, a process for producing this sealing compound, the use of sealing gels for improving viscoelastic properties in sealing compounds, and the use of sealing gel-containing sealing compounds for improving rolling resistance properties in tyres having sealing layers.

Disclosed herein are a sealant composition for use with tires, a tire having at least one component with at least one surface at least partially coated with the sealant composition, and related methods for applying the sealant composition to tires. The sealant composition comprises biorubber and a softener comprising at least one of plant oil or plant resin and has a non-petroleum content of at least 70% by weight.

A device for dispensing pressurized air and/or tire sealant from a pressurized can. The device comprising a cap body, a depressor button with a lock clip, and a hose positioned within the cap body attached to the pressurized can. The lock clip locks the depressor button in the compressed position for ease during use, while a shield element keeps the depressor button in the non-compressed position for safety during non-use. The hose provides an extension to attach to a tire stem valve, while being stored and attached to the cap body of the device.