Tire comprising a tread containing reinforcing elements

Abstract

A tire (1) in which at least one of the said tread pattern blocks (51) comprises a circumferential reinforcing element (52) positioned axially on the inside relative to the said at least one groove (71) when working from the outside towards the inside and axially close to the said circumferential groove, the circumferential reinforcing element (52) is made of a rubber compound having a dynamic shear modulus G* at least twice as high as the dynamic shear modulus G* of the rubber compound of the rest of the blocks of the tread, the circumferential reinforcing element (52) extends radially from the radially exterior surface of the said crown reinforcement (6) towards the surface of the said tread with an axial width which decreases progressively with increasing radial proximity to the outside, and in which the said circumferential reinforcing element (52) partially forms the axially internal lateral face (7i) of the said at least one of the said tread pattern blocks (51).

Claims

1. A tire having an exterior side and an interior side, the tire comprising a crown reinforcement and a tread radially on the outside, the tread comprising a plurality of tread pattern blocks, two tread pattern blocks being separated by at least one groove extending at least partially circumferentially, each groove being delimited by an axially internal lateral face, by an axially external lateral face and by a groove bottom, and the tread having a contact face intended to come into contact with the roadway when the tire is being driven on and a wear limit level situated radially on the outside of a groove bottom, wherein each of the tread pattern blocks, except the axially outermost tread pattern block, comprises a circumferential reinforcing element, wherein each circumferential reinforcing element is positioned axially only on the inside relative to at least one groove when working from the outside toward the inside and axially close to the at least one groove, wherein each circumferential reinforcing element is made of a rubber compound having a dynamic shear modulus G* at least twice as high as a dynamic shear modulus G* of a rubber compound of the rest of the tread pattern blocks of the tread, wherein each circumferential reinforcing element extends radially from the radially exterior surface of the crown reinforcement toward the contact surface of the tread with an axial width which decreases progressively with increasing radial proximity to the outside, the axial width having a maximum value less than 40% of the axial width of the tread pattern block, the circumferential reinforcing element extending radially at most over a height h corresponding to 75% of a thickness p of the tread, and wherein the circumferential reinforcing element partially forms the axially internal lateral face of a tread pattern blocks.

2. The tire according to claim 1, wherein the axial width has a maximum value less than 30% of the axial width of the tread pattern block.

3. The tire according to claim 1, further comprising an underlayer interposed between the crown reinforcement and the tread pattern blocks.

4. The tire according to claim 1, wherein an angle of two lateral walls of each circumferential reinforcing element is between 35 and 45 degrees.

5. The tire according to claim 1, wherein each circumferential reinforcing element has a shape that is axially symmetrical.

6. The tire according to claim 1, wherein a rubber compound of which each circumferential reinforcing element is made has a dynamic shear modulus G*, measured at 60° C. at 10 Hz and under an alternating shear stress of 0.7 MPa, of greater than 5 MPa.

7. The tire according to claim 6, wherein the dynamic shear modulus G* of the rubber compound of which each circumferential reinforcing element is made is greater than 10 MPa.

8. The tire according to claim 1, wherein a rubber compound of the tread has a dynamic shear modulus G*, measured at 60° C. at 10 Hz and under an alternating shear stress of 0.7 MPa, of less than or equal to 1.3 MPa.

9. The tire according to claim 8, wherein the dynamic shear modulus G* of the rubber compound of the tread is less than 1.1 MPa.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) The objects of the invention will now be described with the aid of the appended drawing, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 depicts, highly schematically (without being true to a specific scale), a meridional section through a tyre in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

(3) FIGS. 2 to 8 depict, in meridional section, tyres according to different embodiments of the invention; and

(4) FIG. 9 depicts, in meridional section, alternative forms of embodiment of a circumferential reinforcing element according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows a tyre 1 comprising a crown 2, two sidewalls 3 each connected to a bead 4. The crown 2 is connected on each side to the radially exterior end of each of the two sidewalls. The crown 2 comprises a tread 5. FIG. 1 shows an equatorial plane EP, which plane is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the tyre, situated mid-way between the two beads 4 (mounted on rim) and passing through the middle of the belt reinforcement; FIG. 1 also indicates, by arrows placed just above the tread 5, on the equatorial plane EP, the axial X, circumferential C and radial Z directions.

(6) Each bead has a bead wire 40. A carcass ply 41 is wrapped around each bead wire 40. The carcass ply 41 is radial and is, in a manner known per se, made up of cords; in this implementation, textile cords; these cords are arranged substantially parallel to one another and extending from one bead to the other in such a way that they form an angle of between 80° and 90° with the equatorial plane EP.

(7) The tread 5 comprises a plurality of tread pattern blocks 51. Two axially adjacent tread pattern blocks 51 are separated by a groove 71, 72, 73, 74 extending at least partially circumferentially; each of the grooves 71, 72, 73, 74 is delimited radially towards the inside by a groove bottom, and by groove lateral walls.

(8) The crown 2 comprises a crown reinforcement 6 comprising two crown plies 62, 63; the crown 2 also comprises a carcass ply 41. In a very conventional way, the belt plies 62, 63 are formed of metal cords arranged parallel to one another. In a way that is well known, the reinforcing elements that the cords of the carcass ply 41 and the cords of the belt plies 62, 63 form are oriented in at least three different directions so as to form a triangulation.

(9) The crown reinforcement 6 could also comprise a hooping ply made up of hoop reinforcers formed of organic or aromatic polyamide fibres forming, with the circumferential direction, an angle at most equal to 5°. The crown reinforcement 6 could also comprise other reinforcers, oriented at an angle closer to 90°; the make up of the crown reinforcement does not form part of the invention and, in this document, when reference is made to the radially exterior surface of the belt reinforcement, that means the radially outermost level of the radially outermost layer of threads or of cords, including the fine layer of skim compound skim-coating the reinforcing threads or cords if such a layer exists.

(10) One of the tread pattern blocks 51 also comprises a circumferential reinforcing element 52. This circumferential reinforcing element 52 is made up of a rubber compound of a stiffness at least twice as high as the stiffness of the rubber compound of the rest of the blocks of the tread; the reader may refer to the specific paragraphs hereinbelow for full information regarding the compositions of the rubber compounds.

(11) The circumferential reinforcing element 52 extends radially from the radially exterior surface of the said crown reinforcement 6 towards the surface of the said tread with an axial width which decreases progressively with increasing radial proximity to the outside, and at most over a height “h” corresponding to 75% of the thickness “p” of the tread. The thickness “p” of the tread is measured radially between the radially exterior end of the crown reinforcement 6 and the surface of the tread 5 that is in contact with the ground.

(12) The circumferential reinforcing element 52 has an axial width that has a maximum value 520, at the junction with the crown reinforcement 6, that is less than 30% of the axial width 510 of the said block, measured where the lateral walls of the groove meet the groove bottom. Reference may be made to FIG. 1 in particular.

(13) The circumferential reinforcing element 52 opposes the rocking and shearing of the rib formed by the block 51 provided with such a circumferential reinforcing element 52. For preference, all of the blocks 51 have a circumferential reinforcing element 52 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 7.

(14) FIGS. 2, 6, 7 and 8 illustrate exemplary implementations of the invention in which the tread 2 comprises an underlayer 8. This underlayer 8 is interposed between the crown reinforcement 6 and the said blocks 51, without being interposed between the crown reinforcement 6 and the circumferential reinforcing element 52 in the examples illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 and, in the case of part of the axial width of the underlayer, also in FIG. 6, whereas the underlayer 85 is interposed between the crown reinforcement 6 and the said blocks 51 and also between the crown reinforcement 6 and each circumferential reinforcing element 52.5 of the said blocks 51 in the example illustrated in FIG. 8. In the case of a low-hysteresis underlayer, obviously less reinforcing material is used, this being more prone to hysteresis. In the case of a stiff underlayer, as long as the thickness of the underlayer is not too great, the reinforcement is just as effective.

(15) The shape of the circumferential reinforcing elements depicted is triangular, but this shape may vary and the lateral walls may be concave, convex or in the form of a staircase, notably without departing from the scope of this invention. The reader may make reference to FIG. 9 in which, for reference, a circumferential reinforcing element 528a viewed in meridional section has the shape of a triangle as used in all the earlier illustrations, the lateral walls, viewed in meridional section, therefore being straight lines. In the alternative form formed by the circumferential reinforcing element 528b, the meridional section thereof is a trapezium, the lateral walls viewed in meridional section also being straight lines; the radially exterior limit of this circumferential reinforcing element 528b is also a straight line and, for example, lies flush with the surface of the tread. In the alternative form formed by the circumferential reinforcing element 528c, the lateral walls viewed in meridional section are straight-line segments, the angle angle α′ that each of these segments forms with the radial direction varying from one segment to the next (decreasing with increasing the radial proximity towards the outside in the figure). In the alternative form formed by the circumferential reinforcing element 528d, the lateral walls viewed in meridional section are curved, convex; they could be concave. In the alternative form formed by the circumferential reinforcing element 528e, the lateral walls viewed in meridional section form staircases. These variations in the shape of the meridional section can be used with all the alternative forms described hereinabove. The shapes of the reinforcement are, nonlimitingly, preferably symmetric in order to limit unwanted thrust when flattening, but reinforcement shapes may also be asymmetric so as to combat the said unwanted forces.

(16) The tread pattern elements may comprise one or more reinforcing elements, for example according to the axial width of the tread pattern element, notably on large-sized tyres. FIGS. 4 and 7 show that the types of reinforcing element 52 may be associated with reinforcing elements 55 positioned on the trailing edges of the tread pattern elements 51. These elements 55 are described in patent FR3035616-A1.

(17) Depending on the objective of the tyre designer, the compound of this underlayer may be of low hysteresis and thus improve the rolling resistance of the tyre or be stiffer than the other compound that forms the tread; in this case the underlayer has a stiffening action on the crown of the tyre. All the above-mentioned specific features of the reinforcement are compatible with the use of this underlayer. This underlayer is situated above the base of the reinforcing elements when the base exists, such that the reinforcement bears directly and primarily on the crown reinforcement. That is to say on the skim layer of the radially outermost ply of the crown architecture.

(18) The circumferential reinforcing elements need to serve as a bearing point for opposing the shearing and rocking of the tread pattern elements which contain them. For this purpose, the compound from which these circumferential reinforcing elements are made is preferably very substantially stiffer than that of the tread. Preferably, the dynamic shear modulus G*, measured at 60° C. at 10 Hz and under an alternating shear stress of 0.7 MPa, is greater than 5 MPa; it is advantageous for this dynamic shear modulus G* to be very much higher, for example greater than 10 MPa, or than 20 MPa and very preferentially greater than 30 MPa.

(19) Such compounds are described in particular in the Applicant Companies' application WO 2011/045342 A1.

(20) Table 1 below gives an example of such a formulation.

(21) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Constituent C.1 (in phr) NR (1) 100 Carbon black (2) 70 Phenol-formaldehyde resin (3) 12 ZnO (4) 3 Stearic acid (5) 2 6-PPD (6) 2.5 HMT (7) 4 Sulfur 3 CBS (8) 2 (1) Natural rubber; (2) Carbon black N326 (name according to standard ASTM D-1765); (3) Phenol-formaldehyde novolac resin (“Peracit 4536K” from Perstorp); (4) Zinc oxide (industrial grade - Umicore); (5) Stearin (“Pristerene 4931” from Uniqema); (6) N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N-phenylparaphenylenediamine (Santoflex 6-PPD from Flexsys); (7) Hexamethylenetetramine (from Degussa); (8) N-cyclohexylbenzothiazolesulfenamide (Santocure CBS from Flexsys).

(22) This formulation makes it possible to obtain compounds with high stiffness. The dynamic shear modulus G* measured under an alternating shear stress of 0.7 MPa at 10 Hz and 60 degrees Celsius is 30.3 MPa.

(23) This very stiff material for the circumferential reinforcements is preferably used in treads of low stiffness with dynamic shear modulus G* values of less than 1.3 MPa and preferably less than or equal to 1.1 MPa, and more preferably still, less than or equal to 0.9 MPa.

(24) The following Table 2 gives an example of a suitable formulation:

(25) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Composition B1 (phr) SBR (a) 100 Silica (b) 110 Coupling agent (c) 9 Liquid plasticizer (d) 20 Resin plasticizer (e) 50 Black 5 Zinc oxide 3 Stearic acid 2 Antioxidant (f) 2 Accelerator (g) 2 DPG 2 Sulfur 1
The formulations are given by weight. (a) SBR with 27% styrene, 1,2-butadiene: 5%, cis-1,4-butadiene: 15%, trans-1,4-butadiene: 80%; Tg=−48° C. (b) “Zeosil1165MP” silica from Solvay with BET surface area of 160 m.sup.2/g (c) “SI69” TESPT silane from Evonik (d) “Flexon 630” TDAE oil from Shell (e) “Escorez 2173” resin from Exxon (f) “Santoflex 6PPD” antioxidant from Solutia (g) “Santocure CBS” accelerator from Solutia
Phr: parts by weight per 100 parts of elastomer.

(26) The dynamic shear modulus G* after vulcanization is 0.9 MPa.

(27) A person skilled in the art, who is a tyre designer, should be able to adapt the number and the position of the circumferential reinforcing elements in order to obtain optimum resistance to the rocking and shearing of the ribs and blocks of the tread pattern, and to do so for tyres which are asymmetrical or not.

Characterization of Materials

(28) The rubber compounds are characterized as follows.

(29) The dynamic mechanical properties are well known to those skilled in the art. These properties are measured on a visco-analyser (Metravib VA4000) using test specimens taken from a tyre. The test specimens used are described in the standard ASTM D 5992-96 (the version published in September 2006 but initially approved in 1996 is used) in Figure X2.1 (circular test specimens). The diameter “d” of the test specimens is 10 mm (the circular cross section is thus 78.5 mm.sup.2), the thickness “L” of each portion of compound is 2 mm, giving a “d/L” ratio of 5 (as opposed to the standard ISO 2856, mentioned in paragraph X2.4 of the ASTM standard, which recommends a d/L value of 2).

(30) The response of a test specimen of vulcanized composition subjected to a simple alternating sinusoidal shear stress at a frequency of 10 Hz is recorded. The maximum shear stress imposed is 0.7 MPa.

(31) The measurements are made with a temperature variation of 1.5° C. per minute, from a minimum temperature lower than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the compound or rubber to a maximum temperature greater than 100° C. Before the characterization begins, the test specimen is conditioned at the minimum temperature for 20 minutes to ensure good homogeneity of temperature in the test specimen.

(32) The result used is notably the value of the dynamic shear modulus G* at a temperature of 60° C.