FABRIC STRUCTURE FOR A TIRE

Abstract

A tire includes a carcass ply, a tread disposed radially outward of a crown region of the carcass ply, a belt structure having an overall axial width substantially equal to a tread width interposed between the tread and the crown region in circumferential surrounding relation to the carcass ply, and a fabric layer including a single flat monofilament wrapped with one or more multifilament cords, the monofilament being nylon, the multifilaments being a material consisting from the group of aramid, glass, and carbon.

Claims

1. A tire comprising: a carcass ply; a tread disposed radially outward of a crown region of the carcass ply; a belt structure having an overall axial width substantially equal to a tread width interposed between the tread and the crown region in circumferential surrounding relation to the carcass ply; and a fabric layer including a single flat monofilament wrapped with one or more multifilament cords, the monofilament being nylon, the multifilaments being a material consisting from the group of aramid, glass, and carbon.

2. The tire as set forth in claim 1 wherein a lateral stiffness of the fabric layer prevents lateral bending of the monofilament.

3. The tire as set forth in claim 1 wherein a lateral stiffness of the fabric layer prevents the monofilament from being moved by an external penetrating sharp object.

4. A fabric layer for a tire comprising: a warp cord comprising a monofilament and a multifilament wrapped around the monofilament; and a plurality of weft cords extending transversely over and under the warp cord.

5. The fabric layer as set forth in claim 4 wherein the warp cord comprises nylon.

6. The fabric layer as set forth in claim 4 wherein the warp cord comprises nylon and aramid.

7. The fabric layer as set forth in claim 4 wherein a lateral stiffness of the fabric layer prevents lateral bending of the monofilament.

8. The fabric layer as set forth in claim 4 wherein a lateral stiffness of the fabric layer prevents the monofilament from being moved laterally by an external penetrating sharp object.

9. The fabric layer as set forth in claim 4 wherein the fabric layer maintains the warp cord at a constant lateral position.

10. The fabric layer as set forth in claim 4 wherein the weft cords maintain the warp cord at a constant lateral position.

11. A tire comprising: a leno fabric layer including: a plurality of warp cords each comprising a monofilament and a multifilament wrapped around the monofilament; and a plurality of weft cords extending transversely over and under the warp cords, the monofilaments being nylon, the multifilaments being glass, the wefts cords being aramid.

12. The tire as set forth in claim 11 wherein a lateral stiffness of the leno fabric layer prevents lateral bending of the monofilament.

13. The tire as set forth in claim 11 wherein a lateral stiffness of the leno fabric layer prevents the monofilament from being moved laterally by an external penetrating sharp object.

14. The tire as set forth in claim 11 wherein the leno fabric layer maintains the warp cords at constant lateral relative positions.

15. The tire as set forth in claim 11 wherein the weft cords maintain the warp cords at constant lateral relative positions.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0103] The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0104] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example tire for use with the present invention;

[0105] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross sectional view of another example tire for use with the present invention;

[0106] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an example fabric element in accordance with the present invention;

[0107] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of another example fabric element in accordance with the present invention; and

[0108] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of an example fabric in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0109] With reference to FIG. 1, there is represented an example tire 10, pneumatic or non-pneumatic, for use with the present invention. The tire 10 may have a pair of substantially inextensible bead cores 11, 12 axially spaced apart with two carcass plies 13, 14 extending between the bead cores. The carcass plies may be folded axially and radially outward about each of the bead cores 11, 12 and be reinforced by cords substantially parallel to each other in the same ply at an angle of 50° to 90° with respect to the equatorial plane (EP) of the tire 10. Cords belonging to adjacent carcass plies 13, 14 may generally have opposite angles crossing each other at an angle of at an angle of 2 degrees to 5 degrees. The cords of the carcass plies 13, 14 may be any suitable material, such as steel, nylon, rayon, aramid, and/or polyester. The tire 10 may have carcass plies 13,14 of side-by-side polyester or rayon cables and a crown area 20 reinforced by a belt assembly 21 located radially inward of the tire tread 22. The tire 10 may have an aspect ratio between 25 and 65.

[0110] The tire 10 may further include a belt structure 30 with an essentially rigid folded belt 23 and a cut belt 24 disposed radially outward of the folded belt. Both belts 23, 24 may be reinforced with, for example, aramid cables or yarns. The belts 23, 24 may have identical or different constructions. Such cords may be treated (coated) with one or more layers of adhesive in a process known as dipping. The modulus of a treated cord may be a function of the twist of the different yarns used in the cord, the cord twist, and the manner that the cord is subjected to the dipping operation.

[0111] Cords of the folded belt 23 may be substantially parallel to each other and make an angle of 15° to 40° with respect to the equatorial plane (EP) of the tire 10. The axially outer portions of the folded belt 23 may be folded back on both lateral sides in a radially outward direction over axial edges of the cut belt 24 with the folded portions 25, 26 being symmetrical with respect to the equatorial plane (EP). The folded portions 25, 26 may each have a transverse width between 5% and 30%, or 15% and 30% of the tread width (TW).

[0112] As shown in FIG. 2, another example tire 10a, for use with the present invention, may include one carcass ply 13a wrapped around beads 11a,12a. The belt structure 30 may include belts 16, 17 reinforced with aramid cords and overlays 27, 28 disposed radially outward of the belts 16, 17. The belts 16, 17 may have identical or different constructions. The overlays 27, 28 may be single sheets of overlay material, a cut overlay (e.g., reinforcement cords in the overlay discontinuous at random locations throughout the tire), and/or a spiral overlay. The reinforcing cords in the overlay 27, 28 may comprise nylon, polyester, polyamine, aramid, and/or any other suitable overlay reinforcement material.

[0113] Generally, it may be advantageous to provide improved cut and puncture resistance to tires, such as the tires 10, 10a described above, without degrading other functional characteristics of the tires. Further, an increased cut and puncture resistant protective cord, which may be applied on tires during retreading, would also be desirable (e.g., easily skived in retread surface preparations, etc.).

[0114] Additionally, a flat/obround shape monofilament may be used to resist the monofilament from being pushed out/sideways by a penetrating object. All else being equal, a monofilament having a round/circular cross-section may have less lateral bending stiffness than an obround/flat cross-section monofilament at an equivalent cross-sectional area. Therefore, the flat/obround monofilament cord may resist against being pushed sideways by a penetrating object more than a round/circular cross-section monofilament cord. The increased width may thereby assist the flat/obround monofilament in stopping penetrating objects more than a round cross-section monofilament.

[0115] To increase the strength of this flat monofilament construction, in accordance with the present invention, each monofilament may be further wrapped with another cord, such as, for example, an aramid multifilament cord and/or a glass multifilament cord. The wrapping may be achieved by hybrid cord twisting and/or leno weaving around a skeleton of weft yarns.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 3, one construction 300 in accordance with the present invention may have a single flat monofilament 310 wrapped with one or more multifilament cords 320. The monofilament 310 may be nylon and/or other suitable material. The multifilament(s) 320 may be aramid, glass, carbon, and/or other suitable material.

[0117] As shown in FIG. 4, another construction 400 in accordance with the present invention may have a plurality of single flat monofilaments 410 wrapped with one or more multifilament cords 420. The monofilaments 410 may be nylon and/or other suitable material. The multifilament(s) 420 may be aramid, glass, carbon, and/or other suitable material.

[0118] As shown in FIG. 5, this plural construction 410/420 may be combined with a skeleton of weft cords 530 to create a leno weave fabric 500 further enhancing cut and puncture resistance. The monofilaments 410 may be nylon and/or other suitable material. The multifilament(s) 420 may be aramid, glass, carbon, and/or other suitable material. The wefts cords 530 may be aramid, glass, carbon, and/or other suitable material.

[0119] In accordance with the present invention, structures of the belts 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, overlays 27, 28, carcass 13, 14, reinforcement for the crown area 20, chippers, flippers, toe guards, protective layers, and/or any other suitable plies/layers of the tire 10 may include the above described constructions 300, 400, 500, alone or in combination.

[0120] The examples of the present invention described above should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims. The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the above detailed descriptions of examples of the present invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers represent like parts of the present invention.

[0121] Variations in the present invention are possible in light of the description of it provided herein. While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the subject invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the subject invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that changes can be made in the particular embodiments described which will be within the full intended scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims.