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 plurality of warp cords and a plurality of weft cords extending transversely over and under each of the warp cords, each warp cord being a monofilament, each weft cord being a flat textured multifilament.

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 plurality of warp cords and a plurality of weft cords extending transversely over and under each of the warp cords, each warp cord being a monofilament, each weft cord being a flat textured multifilament.

2. The tire as set forth in claim 1 wherein the fabric layer further includes flat textured weft stitches for mitigating possible cracks.

3. The tire as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the warp cords is a flat monofilament.

4. The tire as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the warp cords is a thin monofilament.

5. The tire as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the warp cords is an oblong monofilament.

6. The tire as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the warp cords is a cylindrical monofilament.

7. The tire as set forth in claim 1 further including an adhesive dip wherein each of the weft cords absorbs the adhesive dip.

8. The tire as set forth in claim 1 wherein a lateral stiffness of the fabric layer prevents relative movement between each of the warp cords.

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

10. The tire as set forth in claim 1 wherein the fabric layer maintains the warp cords at a constant lateral spacing.

11. A fabric layer for a tire comprising: a plurality of warp cords, each warp cord being a monofilament; a plurality of weft cords extending transversely over and under each of the warp cords, each weft cord being a flat textured multifilament; and a plurality of flat textured weft stitches for mitigating possible cracks along the length of the warp cords.

12. The tire as set forth in claim 11 wherein each of the warp cords is a flat monofilament.

13. The tire as set forth in claim 11 wherein each of the warp cords is a thin monofilament.

14. The tire as set forth in claim 11 wherein each of the warp cords is an oblong monofilament.

15. The tire as set forth in claim 11 wherein each of the warp cords is a cylindrical monofilament.

16. The tire as set forth in claim 11 further including an adhesive dip wherein each of the weft cords absorbs the adhesive dip for enhancing a lateral stiffness of the fabric layer.

17. The tire as set forth in claim 11 wherein the weft cords of the fabric layer prevent relative lateral movement between each of the warp cords.

18. The tire as set forth in claim 11 wherein a lateral stiffness of the fabric layer prevents the warps cords from being moved by an external penetrating sharp object.

19. The tire as set forth in claim 11 wherein the fabric layer maintains the warp cords at a constant lateral spacing.

20. The tire as set forth in claim 11 wherein the weft cords maintain the warp cords at a constant lateral spacing between each other.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0106] The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0107] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example tire for use with the present invention;

[0108] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross sectional view of another example tire for use with the present invention;

[0109] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an example fabric element in accordance with the present invention;

[0110] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the fabric element of FIG. 3 with a schematic microscopic representation of part of the element; and

[0111] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a conventional fabric element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0112] 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.

[0113] 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.

[0114] 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).

[0115] 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.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 3, 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 a reinforced woven fabric 300 with warp cords 310 and weft cords 320. Conventionally, weft yarns, filaments, threads, cables, fibers, and/or cords (hereinafter generally “cords”) 520 of a fabric 500 may only function to provide integrity to the fabric for handling before installation in, for example a tire 10 (FIG. 5). Further, warp cords 310 may each be a relatively smooth, flat or thin or oblong or cylindrical, monofilament. As shown in FIG. 4, when adhered to rubber, separations at a rubber-monofilament interface may propagate along the length of a monofilament due to the smooth surface and, in a tire 10, may cause “tread throws” if the monofilament is used as a protective layer or other failure of structural integrity. According to the present invention, the weft cords 320 may include flat textured multifilament cords as each weft cord 320 extends transverse to the monofilament warp cords 310. Such a construction may stop crack propagation along the length of the warp cords 320, function as a stitch for securing both sides of a possible crack, increase fabric surface area to increase adhesion between rubber and the fabric 300. The increased wider surface area of the flat textured multifilament wefts cords 320 may retain more adhesive dip and increase adhesion strength via increased adhesion interfacial area. Further, dip may increasingly penetrate the textured multifilament weft cords 320 thereby enhancing the structural integrity and adhesive bond of the overall fabric 300. Consequently, flat textured weft/pick cords 320 may not increase fabric gauge/thickness significantly.

[0117] Additionally, flat textured weft stitches 306 around possible cracks 308, which may propagate along the length of flat monofilament warp cords 310, may further support structural integrity of the fabric 300 (FIG. 4). The flat textured weft cords 320 may increase lateral stiffness of the fabric 300 and/or a fabric/rubber treatment and/or a composite of both. As discussed above, textured weft cords 320 may have a larger surface area and thus absorb more dip than smaller gauge twisted weft cords. This large surface area, along with more dip, may create a stiff weft cord 320 that may further secure adjacent flat monofilament warp cords 310.

[0118] With regard to use in protective layers of the tire 10, increased lateral stiffness of the fabric 300 may prevent the flat monofilament warp cords 310 from being pushed in/out during penetration of a sharp object. A laterally stiffer protective fabric 300 may maintain warp cord spacing and mitigate increase of that spacing by a penetrating sharp object thereby increasing the effectiveness of such a protective layer.

[0119] 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.

[0120] 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.