Pneumatic Tire and Method of Manufacturing the Same

Abstract

A pneumatic tire that is vulcanized using a bladder provided with a coating layer formed by a release agent, a noise absorber 6 being fixed on an inner surface of a tread portion 1 along a tire circumferential direction via an adhesive layer 7, and a thickness of the release agent detected by an electron microscope is 0.1 m to 100 m at least in a fixation region for the noise absorber 6.

Claims

1. A pneumatic tire vulcanized by using a bladder provided with a coating layer formed by a release agent, the tire comprising a noise absorber fixed on an inner surface of a tread portion along a tire circumferential direction via an adhesive layer, wherein a thickness of the release agent detected by an electron microscope is 0.1 m to 100 m at least in a fixation region for the noise absorber.

2. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer has a peel adhesive strength in a range of 5 N/20 mm to 100 N/20 mm.

3. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is formed by a double-sided adhesive tape, and has a total thickness in a range of 10 m to 150 m.

4. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is formed by a double-sided adhesive tape including an adhesive only or including an adhesive and a nonwoven fabric.

5. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein a center position of the noise absorber in a width direction is in a range of 10 mm from a tire equator.

6. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein a volume of the noise absorber is from 10% to 30% relative to a cavity volume of the tire.

7. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein a hardness of the noise absorber is from 80 N to 150 N, a tensile strength of the noise absorber is equal to or greater than 90 kPa, and a breaking elongation of the noise absorber is equal to or greater than 200%.

8. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein the noise absorber has a missing portion in at least one position in the tire circumferential direction.

9. A method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire, the method comprising: vulcanizing a green tire using a bladder having a coating layer formed by a release agent; and fixing a noise absorber to a fixation region for the noise absorber on an inner surface of a tread portion of the vulcanized pneumatic tire along a tire circumference direction via an adhesive layer, with a thickness of the release agent detected by an electron microscope being 0.1 m to 100 m at least in the fixation region for the noise absorber.

10. The method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to claim 9, wherein the adhesive layer has a peel adhesive strength in a range of 5 N/20 mm to 100 N/20 mm.

11. The method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to claim 9, wherein the adhesive layer is formed by a double-sided adhesive tape, and has a total thickness in a range of 10 m to 150 m.

12. The method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to claim 9, wherein the adhesive layer is formed by a double-sided adhesive tape including an adhesive only or including an adhesive and a nonwoven fabric.

13. The method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to claim 9, wherein a center position of the noise absorber in a width direction is in a range of 10 mm from a tire equator.

14. The method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to claim 9, wherein a volume of the noise absorber is from 10% to 30% relative to a cavity volume of the tire.

15. The method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to claim 9, wherein a hardness of the noise absorber is from 80 N to 150 N, a tensile strength of the noise absorber is equal to or greater than 90 kPa, and a breaking elongation of the noise absorber is equal to or greater than 200%.

16. The method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to claim 9, wherein the noise absorber has a missing portion in at least one position in the tire circumferential direction.

17. The method for manufacturing a pneumatic tire according to claim 9, wherein the coating layer is formed on the bladder with a coating time t (hour) and a temperature T ( C.) of the coating layer satisfying t0.0571 T+9.14 and 10 C.T180 C.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective cross-sectional view of a pneumatic tire according to an embodiment of the present technology.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the equator line of the pneumatic tire according to the embodiment of the present technology.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an enlarged portion of a part of the pneumatic tire according to an embodiment of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Configurations of embodiments of the present technology are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate a pneumatic tire according to an embodiment of the present technology. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the pneumatic tire according to the present embodiment includes an annular tread portion 1 extending in the tire circumferential direction, a pair of sidewall portions 2 disposed on both sides of the tread portion 1, and a pair of bead portions 3 disposed inward of the sidewall portions 2 in the tire radial direction. A ring-shaped noise absorber 6 illustrated in FIG. 2 is mounted in the cavity 4 defined by the tread portion 1, the sidewall portion 2, and the bead portion 3. This noise absorber 6 is disposed in a region of the tire inner surface 5 corresponding to the tread portion 1.

[0022] A noise absorber 6 is bonded along the tire circumferential direction to a region of the tire inner surface 5 corresponding to the tread portion 1, via an adhesive layer 7. The noise absorber 6 is made of a porous material with open cells, and has predetermined noise absorbing properties based on the porous structure. Polyurethane foam is preferably used as the porous material of the noise absorber 6. The adhesive layer 7 is not particularly limited, and for example, an adhesive or double-sided adhesive tape can be used.

[0023] In the pneumatic tire described above, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a transfer layer 8 formed by a release agent is present between the tire inner surface 5 and the adhesive layer 7. In other words, the noise absorber 6, the adhesive layer 7, and the transfer layer 8 of the release agent are layered in this order from the inner side in the tire radial direction. The green tire is vulcanized using a bladder provided with a coating layer made of a release agent, whereby the transfer layer 8 is transferred on the tire inner surface 5 of the vulcanized pneumatic tire. The release agent transferred in this manner is not entirely transferred but is dispersed on the tire inner surface 5.

[0024] The thickness g of the transfer layer 8 formed of the release agent illustrated in FIG. 3 is 0.1 m to 100 m at least in the fixation region for the noise absorber 6 of the tire inner surface 5. The thickness g of this transfer layer 8 formed by the release agent can be detected using an electron microscope. When measuring the thickness g of the transfer layer 8 formed by the release agent using an electron microscope, the thickness of a plurality of locations (for example, four locations in the tire circumferential direction and three locations in the tire lateral direction) is measured using a sample obtained by cutting out the pneumatic tire along the tire lateral direction. Then, the thickness g (average thickness) of the transfer layer 8 of the mold release agent is calculated by averaging the measurement values measured at the plurality of locations.

[0025] Examples of components that can be compounded in the transfer layer 8 formed by the release agent include those containing a silicone component as an active ingredient. Examples of the silicone component include organopolysiloxanes, such as, for example, dialkylpolysiloxane, alkyl phenyl polysiloxane, alkyl aralkyl polysiloxane, 3,3,3-trifluoropropylmethylpolysiloxane, and the like. The dialkylpolysiloxane is, for example, dimethylpolysiloxane, diethylpolysiloxane, methyl isopropyl polysiloxane, and methyl dodecyl polysiloxane. Examples of the alkyl phenyl polysiloxane include a methylphenylpolysiloxane, a dimethylsiloxane-methylphenylsiloxane copolymer, and a dimethylsiloxane-diphenylsiloxane copolymer. Examples of the alkyl aralkyl polysiloxane include methyl (phenylethyl) polysiloxane, and methyl (phenylpropyl) polysiloxane. One type or two or more types of these organopolysiloxanes may be used in combination.

[0026] By performing vulcanization using a bladder provided with a coating layer formed by a release agent as described above, a thickness of the release agent transferred can be 0.1 m to 100 m at least in a fixation region for the noise absorber 6. The release agent in such a small amount attached to the tire inner surface 5 in this manner inhibits the permeation of air from the tire inner surface 5 so that air retention can be improved, while sufficiently ensuring the adhesion between the tire inner surface 5 and the noise absorber 6. Here, if the thickness of the release agent transferred on the fixation region for the noise absorber 6 is less than 0.1 m, improvement in air retention cannot be achieved, and when the thickness is greater than 100 m, the adhesion of the noise absorber 6 will be compromised resulting in a failure to achieve sufficient durability.

[0027] Furthermore, the tire productivity would not be compromised unlike in conventional cases where the tire inner surface is buffed, where a film is applied to the tire inner surface, or where the tire inner surface is cleaned. As a result, the air retention and the adhesion of the noise absorber 6 can both be achieved without compromising the tire productivity. On the other hand, removal of the release agent adhered to the tire inner surface with the conventional method described above involves additional working time in each step. As a result, tire productivity is lower than that in a case where the noise absorber is fixed in a state in which the release agent is adhered as in the present technology.

[0028] In the pneumatic tire described above, the peeling adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 7 is preferably from 5 N/20 mm to 100 N/20 mm. With the peeling adhesive strength of the adhesive layer 7 thus appropriately set, the fixing strength of the noise absorber 6 is suitably maintained and also application of the noise absorber 6 and removal of the noise absorber 6 upon tire disposal can be easily performed. Examples of the adhesive that forms the adhesive layer 7 include acrylic-adhesives, rubber-based adhesives, and silicone-based adhesives, and the adhesive layer 7 is preferably formed from any of these adhesives. Silicone adhesives are particularly preferable because the adhesion using such adhesives is free of temperature dependency meaning that excellent adhesion with the noise absorber 6 can be achieved even when the release agent is remaining. Acrylic adhesives have excellent heat resistance and are therefore suitable in high speed regions.

[0029] The adhesive layer 7 is formed by double-sided adhesive tape, and the adhesive layer 7 is preferably configured to have a total thickness in a range from 10 m to 150 m. The adhesive layer 7 having such a configuration ensures followability with respect to deformation during molding. The adhesive layer 7 with a total thickness that is less than 10 m results in a failure to ensure sufficient adhesion to the noise absorber 6 due to insufficient strength of the double-sided adhesive tape. The adhesive layer 7 with a total thickness exceeding 150 m inhibits heat dissipation during high speed traveling and thus is likely to result in deterioration of high-speed durability.

[0030] The adhesive layer 7 is preferably a double-sided adhesive tape including only an adhesive or a double-sided adhesive tape including an adhesive and a nonwoven fabric. The double-sided adhesive tape including only an adhesive (a double-sided adhesive tape without a base member serving as a support that supports the adhesive) will not hinder heat dissipation so that the deterioration of high-speed durability can be suppressed and also features excellent followability with respect to deformation of the tire. The double-sided adhesive tape including an adhesive and a nonwoven fabric (a double-sided adhesive tape having a nonwoven fabric serving as the base member) can achieve both high-speed durability and followability. Here, when the base member is formed from a rigid material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), peeling is more likely to occur between the base material and the adhesive or the tire and the adhesive due to deformation of the tire, leading to the dropping of the noise absorber 6. In addition, if the strength at break and the breaking elongation of the base member are low, the base member itself may be damaged. A base member formed from acrylic foam has a large thickness which is likely to lead to deterioration of the high-speed durability.

[0031] In the pneumatic tire described above, the hardness of the noise absorber 6 is preferably 80 N to 150 N, the tensile strength of the noise absorber 6 is preferably not less than 90 kPa, and the breaking elongation of the noise absorber 6 is preferably 200% or greater. The noise absorber 6 with such physical properties has superior durability against expansion of the tire during inflation and/or shear strain of the adhesive surface due to rolling on ground. Here, the noise absorber 6 with the hardness that is less than 80 N is likely to be compressed and deformed by centrifugal force during traveling. The noise absorber 6 with the hardness exceeding 150 N cannot follow the deformation of the tire during traveling and thus might break.

[0032] The center position of the noise absorber 6 in the width direction is preferably in a range of 10 mm from the tire equator, and more preferably being in a range of 5 mm from the tire equator. With the noise absorber 6 disposed in this manner, tire uniformity would not be compromised.

[0033] The volume of the noise absorber 6 is preferably in a range from 10% to 30% of the cavity volume of the tire. The width of the noise absorber 6 is more preferably in the range from 30% to 90% of the tire ground contact width. This makes it possible to obtain even higher sound absorbing effect of the noise absorber 6. The noise absorber 6 with a volume that is less than 10% of the cavity volume of the tire fails to appropriately provide the sound absorbing effect. The noise absorber 6 with a volume exceeding 30% of the inner cavity volume of the tire can only achieve a constant noise reduction effect against the noise due to the cavernous resonance, meaning that higher reduction effect cannot be obtained.

[0034] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the noise absorber 6 preferably has a missing portion 9 in at least one position in the tire circumferential direction. The missing portion 9 is a portion where the noise absorber 6 is not present on the tire circumference. With the missing portion 9 provided in the noise absorber 6, expansion of the tire during inflation and/or shearing strain of the adhesion surface due to rolling on ground can be tolerated for a long period of time, and the shearing strain on the adhesion surface of the noise absorber 6 can be effectively relaxed. Such a missing portion 9 may be provided at one location or at three to five locations on the tire circumference. That is, when the missing portions 9 are provided at two positions on the tire circumference, tire uniformity due to mass unbalance significantly deteriorates, and when the missing positions 9 are provided at six or more positions on the circumference, production cost significantly increases.

[0035] Note that in cases where the missing portion 9 is provided at two or more locations on the tire circumference, the noise absorbers 6 are intermittently provided in the tire circumferential direction. However, even in such cases, for example, the plurality of noise absorbers 6 may be connected to each other using other laminates such as the adhesive layer 7 formed by double-sided adhesive tape, so that the noise absorbers 6 can be handled as an integral member to be easily attached to the tire inner surface 5.

[0036] Next, a method of manufacturing the pneumatic tire according to an embodiment of the present technology will be described. When vulcanizing a green tire, a release agent is coated (preferably baked) on the bladder in advance to form a coating layer formed by the release agent on the outer surface of the bladder. The step of forming the coating layer on the outer surface of the bladder is implemented, for example, under storage, after the coating of the release agent, with a condition of an hour at 150 C., four hours at 90 C., or eight hours at ambient temperature. Furthermore, the step of forming the coating layer on the outer surface of the bladder is performed once, twice, or three times. The green tire is vulcanized using the bladder with the coating layer thus formed. Then, in the vulcanized tire, the noise absorber 6 is fixed to the fixation region for the noise absorber 6 on the tire inner surface 5 of the tread portion 1 along the tire circumferential direction via the adhesive layer 7.

[0037] By performing vulcanization using a bladder provided with a coating layer formed by a release agent as described above, a thickness of the release agent transferred can be 0.1 m to 100 m at least in a fixation region for the noise absorber 6. The release agent in such a small amount attached to the tire inner surface 5 in this manner inhibits the permeation of air from the tire inner surface 5 so that air retention can be improved, while sufficiently ensuring the adhesion between the tire inner surface 5 and the noise absorber 6. Furthermore, the tire productivity would not be compromised unlike in conventional cases where the tire inner surface is buffed, where a film is applied to the tire inner surface, or where the tire inner surface is cleaned. As a result, the air retention and the adhesion of the noise absorber 6 can both be achieved without compromising the tire productivity.

[0038] In particular, the coating layer is preferably formed on the outer surface of the bladder with a coating time t (hour) and a temperature T ( C.) of the coating layer satisfying t0.0571 T+9.14 and 10 C.T180 C. Furthermore, it is more preferable to set the temperature T to 90 C. and to set the coating time t to 4 hours, and it is even more preferable to set the temperature T to 150 C. and to set the coating time t to 1 hour. By satisfying these conditions, the time for coating the release agent in a bladder provided with the coating layer can be reduced, without shortening the bladder life. Here, higher temperatures T ( C.) allow the coating layer to be formed in a shorter period of time, but may cause deterioration of the bladder resulting in a shorter bladder life.

Examples

[0039] Tires according to Comparative Examples 1 to 5 and Examples 1 to 3 were manufactured based on a pneumatic tire having a tire size of 275/35ZR20, and having a noise absorber fixed to the inner surface of a tread portion via the adhesive layer, along the tire circumferential direction. A method of removing the release agent, the coating of the tire inner surface by the release agent, use of a bladder provided with a coating layer formed by the release agent at the time of vulcanization, and the thickness (m) of the release agent on the tire inner surface are set as in Table 1.

[0040] In Comparative Example 1, the release agent was coated on the tire inner surface, and the release agent was not removed. In Comparative Examples 2 to 4, the release agent was applied to the tire inner surface, and the release agent was removed after the completion of the vulcanization step. Specifically, the release agent on the tire inner surface was removed by buffing in Comparative Example 2, by peeling off the film adhered to the tire inner surface in Comparative Example 3, and by washing the tire inner surface in Comparative Example 4.

[0041] Note that in Table 1, the thickness (m) of the release agent on the tire inner surface was determined by measuring the thickness of the mold release agent at four locations in the tire circumferential direction and three locations in the tire lateral direction of each of the test tires after the fabrication step was completed, and by averaging the resultant measurement values.

[0042] Adhesion of the noise absorber, air retention, and tire productivity were evaluated for these test tires according to the following test methods. Table 1 also shows the result of the evaluation.

Adhesion of Noise Absorber:

[0043] The adhesion of the noise absorber referred to here is an evaluation of the peeling of the adhesive surface between the tire inner surface and the noise absorber. The test tires were assembled on wheels having a rim size of 209.5 J, and subjected to a running test on a drum testing machine at testing conditions of speed of 80 km/h, air pressure of 160 kPa, load of 8.5 kN, and traveling distance of 6,480 km, after which whether the noise absorber has dropped or peeled was visually confirmed. Here, Excellent indicates a case where there is no dropping or peeling of the noise absorber, Good indicates a case where the peeling of the noise absorber was less than of the entire noise absorber; Fair indicates a case where the peeling of the noise absorber was no less than or no greater than of the entire noise absorber, and Poor indicates a case where the noise absorber peeling was no less than of the entire noise absorber.

Air Retention:

[0044] Each of the test tires was assembled on wheels having a rim size of 209.5J, left for 24 hours under conditions of an air pressure of 270 kPa and a temperature of 21 C., and then the air pressure was measured for 42 days with the initial air pressure set to 250 kPa to obtain the inclination of the air leakage rate in a period between the day 15 to the day 42. The evaluation results are expressed as index values using the reciprocal of the measurement values, with the value of Comparative Example 1 being defined as 100. Larger index values indicate superior air retention. Note that the conventional level of air retention is maintained as long as the index value is equal to or greater than 98.

Tire Productivity:

[0045] For each test tire, the fabrication time (minutes) required to fabricate one tire was measured. The evaluation results are expressed as index values using the reciprocal of the measurement values, with the value of Comparative Example 1 being defined as 100. Larger index values indicate superior tire productivity.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Comparative Comparative Comparative Comparative Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Removal method of mold Buffing Film peeling Cleaning release agent Application of release agent Yes Yes Yes Yes to tire inner surface Use of a bladder provided No No No No with a coating layer formed by a release agent in vulcanization Thickness of release agent 300 0 0 150 on tire inner surface (m) Adhesion of Noise absorber: Poor Excellent Excellent Fair Air Retention 100 89 96 100 Tire productivity 100 95 95 95 Comparative Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 5 Removal method of mold release agent Application of release agent No No No No to tire inner surface Use of a bladder provided Yes Yes Yes Yes with a coating layer formed by a release agent in vulcanization Thickness of release agent 0.1 10 100 110 on tire inner surface (m) Adhesion of Noise absorber: Excellent Excellent Good Fair Air Retention 98 99 100 100 Tire productivity 100 100 100 100

[0046] As can be seen from Table 1, compared to Comparative Example 1, the pneumatic tires of Examples 1 to 3 have improved adhesion of the noise absorber while maintaining air retention and without compromising the tire productivity.

[0047] On the other hand, in Comparative Example 2 where the tire inner surface was buffed, the tire productivity was compromised, and the air retention was also compromised due to the reduction of the gauge of the innerliner. In Comparative Example 3, the film was adhered to the tire inner surface and the film was peeled off after vulcanization, resulting in deterioration of tire productivity. In Comparative Example 4, although the tire inner surface was cleaned, the release agent on the tire inner surface was not completely removed. In fact, there was a relatively large amount of release agent on the tire inner surface, resulting in lower adhesion of the noise absorber. In Comparative Example 5, the thickness of the release agent on the tire inner surface was set to be large, resulting in insufficient improvement effect for the adhesion of the noise absorber.