Patent Application
20060048874
The present invention relates to a heavy-duty pneumatic tire and a method for manufacturing the same with which it is possible to effectively prevent occurrence of wrinkles or cracks at groove bottoms of main grooves.
Tread rubber for heavy-duty pneumatic tires that is employed in trucks and buses is usually made of hard rubber that exhibits superior wear resistance. However, in an intermediate term or later term of wear, the rigidity of land portions such as blocks or ribs is remarkably increased accompanying reductions in depths of the main grooves. Accordingly, large stress focuses and acts onto the groove bottom so that wrinkles or scars are apt to be caused on the surfaces, which remarkably worsen the external appearance of the tire.
It is therefore possible to consider arranging the tread rubber formed of various types of rubber of different viscoelastic properties.
The tread rubber a2 obtained through such integral extrusion can be finished to assume a substantially uniform contour shape. However, the respective rubber layers b, c and d exhibit plasticity and are affected through, for instance, pressure applied from another layer when it is merged with another layer. A drawback is accordingly presented in that boundary positions between the rubber layers will not be stable. The thickness of the respective rubber layers b, c and d thus tends to be irregular.
On the other hand, the tread rubber a2 receives heat and a large pressure when being vulcanized and molded in a mold so that it faces along the mold in a substantially flow state. A mold is often provided with main groove forming protrusions for forming main grooves e (
The groove bottoms of the main grooves e are continuously exposed to strains when running. Accordingly, unless the cap layer b has a sufficient thickness, a large amount of wrinkles and cracks is apt to be generated in the groove bottoms. This also leads to a drawback that the external appearance of the tire is remarkably harmed. In this respect, the followings are prior art references.
Suggestions for comprising a tire structural rubber material such as tread rubber of a strip laminated body in which rubber strips are wound in a spiral manner are disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2000-94542, Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2002-187219, and Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2003-104013, and so on.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object thereof to provide a heavy-duty pneumatic tire capable of effectively preventing occurrence of wrinkles and cracks at groove bottoms of main grooves by defining the thickness of respective rubber layers to be controllable at groove bottom positions of the main grooves provided in tread rubber.
That is, the present invention is heavy-duty pneumatic tire comprising:
In the present descriptions, viscoelastic properties such as complex elastic moduli of rubber and loss tangents tanδ are obtained from measuring samples that are measured by means of a viscoelasticity spectrometer under conditions for the measuring temperature being 70° C., for the frequency being 10 Hz, for the initial stretch strain being 10%, and for the single amplitude being 1%. The measuring samples are obtained by breaking down a tire and cutting out a piece therefrom by a size of 4 mm width, 30 mm length and 1 mm thickness and by buff finishing concavo—convex surface for making flat.
In this manner, the tread rubber comprised as a triple layered structure is formed by using a strip laminated body in which a non-vulcanized rubber strip of tape-like form is spirally wound. Winding pitches and numbers of winding of the rubber strip are controlled. With this arrangement, it is possible to accurately control the thickness of respective layers of the non-vulcanized tread rubber when compared to an extruding method. It is accordingly possible to eliminate irregularities in thickness of the non-vulcanized tread rubber that were formed in the prior art. As a result, it is possible to stably form a cap layer having a thickness of, for instance, not less than 1.3 mm also at groove bottom positions of the main grooves. The cap rubber comprising the cap layer exhibits specific viscoelastic properties of superior crack resistance. It is accordingly possible to effectively prevent occurrence of cracks or wrinkles, which are predictive of those cracks, at groove bottom positions of the main grooves.
FIGS. 5(A), 5(B) and 5(C) are sectional views illustrating one example of steps for winding the rubber strip;
One embodiment of the present invention will now be explained on the basis of the drawings.
The carcass 6 is comprised of a single carcass ply 6A having a main body portion 6a that extends from the tread portion 2 over the sidewall portions 3 up to bead cores 5 of the bead portions 4, and a turnup portions 6b that continue to the main body portion 6a. The turnup portions 6b are turned up around the bead cores 5 from inside to outside in a tire axial direction in the present embodiment. The carcass ply 6A is arranged in that steel cords are aligned at angles of, for instance, 75 to 90° with respect to a tire equator C. A bead apex 8 extending from the bead cores 5 outwardly in the tire radial direction in a tapering manner is provided between the main body portion 6a and the turnup portions 6b for suitably reinforcing the bead portions 4. In this respect, the heavy-duty pneumatic tire 1 of the present embodiment is illustrated to be of tubeless type in which an inner liner rubber is disposed on an inner surface of the carcass 6.
The belt layer 7 is comprised of at least two, in the present embodiment, four belt plies 7A to 7D. The belt plies are disposed such that steel cords aligned in parallel are inclined with respect to the tire equator C. At least two belt piles are overlapped such that the steel cords form an angle of approximately 15 to 40° with respect to the tire equator C and such that the steel cords intersect with each other.
A tread rubber Tg1 is disposed outside of the belt layer 7 in the tire radial direction. The tread rubber Tg1 comprises a tread surface 2a that grounds on road surfaces. The tread surface 2a is formed with at least one, in the present embodiment, three main grooves 9 that are recessed from the tread surface 2a and that extend successively in a tire circumferential direction. While the depth of the main grooves 9 is not particularly limited, it is preferably formed to have a depth of not less than approximately 6.0 mm and not more than 30.0 mm. The present heavy-duty pneumatic tire 1 is of so-called SOT (Sidewall Over Tread) structure, and both end portions of the tread rubber Tg1 in the tire axial direction are covered by sidewall rubber Sg.
The tread rubber Tg1 includes layers made of three types of rubber of different materials. More particularly, the tread rubber Tg1 is comprised of a cap layer 10 disposed on the outermost side in the tire radial direction and is made of cap rubber, a base layer 12 that is disposed on the innermost side in the tire radial direction and is made of base rubber, and a middle layer 11 that is disposed between the cap rubber layer 10 and the base rubber layer 12 and is made of middle rubber. In the present embodiment, the cap layer 10 and the middle layer 11 are formed over substantially the entire width of the tread portion 2. Here, the expression “substantially the entire width” denotes a width of the tread portion 2 comprised of the tread rubber Tg1 but not including portions comprised of the sidewall rubber Sg. The tread width includes groove walls and groove bottoms of the main grooves 9. In this respect, while the base layer 12 has a width that is at least larger than that of the belt layer 7, it is formed to have a width that is slightly smaller than that of the cap layer 10.
As exemplarily illustrated in
The laminated bodies 10a, 11a and 12a are arranged in that pitches of spirally winding the rubber strips 15A, 15B and 15C (amounts of movement of the strip 15 in the tire axial direction) are suitably changed. With this arrangement, they can be finished to have ideal cross-sectional shapes. In other words, pitches of winding the rubber strips 15 are preliminarily determined in accordance with cross-sectional shapes that are ideal for the respective laminated bodies, and those pitches are programmed to a control device or similar of the applicator. The applicator accurately changes the winding pitch of the rubber strip 15 on the basis of such signals.
While the widths W and thicknesses H of the rubber strips 15 are not particularly limited, they preferably have a width W of 15 to 30 mm and a thickness H of 0.7 to 1.4 mm. Where the width W of the rubber strip 15 is less than 15 mm or the thickness H thereof is less than 0.7 mm, the number of times of winding the rubber strip 15 for forming the laminated body will be increased so that the productivity tends to be degraded. On the other hand, when the width W exceeds 30 mm or the thickness H exceeds 1.4 mm, the amount of the step of rubber strips 15 overlapping in the tire radial direction will be increased so that forming delicate sectional shapes tends to be difficult.
In the present embodiment, the third strip laminated body 12a is first formed by using the third rubber strip 15C that is made of base rubber. While the method of winding is not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, the third rubber strip 15C is spirally wound in one direction from one end A side in the tire axial direction towards the other end B side. The thickness of the third strip laminated body 12a is formed to have a substantially constant thickness in this embodiment.
Outside of the third strip laminated body 12a, the second strip laminated body 11a is formed by using the second strip rubber 15B made of middle rubber. While the method of winding is not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, the second rubber strip 15B is also spirally wound in one direction from one end A side in the tire axial direction towards the other end B side. The thickness of the second strip laminated body 11a is also formed to have a substantially constant thickness in this embodiment.
While it is possible to start winding the second strip laminated body 11a after completion of winding the third strip laminated body 12a, an idle time will be caused in such instance so that the productivity might be degraded. It is preferable that winding of the second rubber strip 15B is started during a period from start of winding of the third rubber strip 15C up to completion of winding thereof. That is, as illustrated in
Outside of the second strip laminated body 11a, the first strip laminated body 10a is formed by using the first rubber strip 15A made of cap rubber. In the present embodiment, the first rubber strip 15A is successively wound from the other end B side in the tire axial direction towards the one end A side. The thickness thereof is arranged in that it is slightly large at both end portions in the tire axial direction while an intermediate portion is formed to have a substantially constant thickness.
However, the thickness of the respective layers and directions of winding are not limited to those of the illustrated case.
With the non-vulcanized tread rubber Tg2 obtained by overlapping the strip laminated bodies 10a, 11a and 12a, it is possible to finish the thickness of the laminated bodies 10a, 11a and 12a at high accuracy when compared to tread rubber a2 obtained through integral extrusion as illustrated in
The cap rubber that forms the cap layer 10 desirably has a complex elastic modulus E*1 of not less than 5.0 MPa and more preferably of not less than 5.5 MPa while an upper limit thereof is preferably not more than 7.0 MPa and more preferably not more than 6.5 MPa. The loss tangent tanδ of the cap rubber is preferably not less than 0.08, and more preferably not less than 0.10 while an upper limit thereof is preferably not more than 0.15 and more preferably not more than 0.13.
The cap rubber forms the tread surface 2A and further covers the groove bottoms of the main grooves 9. It accordingly needs to exhibit wear resistance, steering stability, and crack resistance. Where the complex elastic modulus E*1 of the cap rubber is less than 5.0 MPa, the rubber tends to soften so that the wear resistance is degraded. On the other hand, when it exceeds 7.0 MPa, the rubber will become excessively hard so that the crack resistance and steering stability tends to be degraded. Where the loss tangent tanδ of the cap rubber is less than 0.08, the wet performance tends to be worsened. On the other hand, when it exceeds 0.15, the fuel consumption tends to be worsened.
While the middle rubber forming the middle layer 11 is disposed inside of the tread rubber Tg1 covered by the cap layer 10 in a new condition up to a tread intermediate term of wear, a part thereof will be exposed to the exterior except for groove bottom positions from the intermediate term of wear up of the cap layer 10 to an end term of wear. Such middle rubber is required to exhibit low heat generating properties for restricting internal heat generation and suitable flexibility for preventing excess increase in rigidity of land portions when the main groove depth has become small in the end term of tread wear. In this aspect, the complex elastic modulus E*2 of the middle rubber is preferably not less than 5.0 MPa and more preferably not less than 5.3 MPa while an upper limit thereof is preferably not more than 7.0 MPa and more preferably not more than 6.0 MPa. The loss tangent tanδ of the middle rubber is preferably not less than 0.05 and more preferably not less than 0.08 while an upper limit thereof is preferably not more than 0.15 and more preferably not more than 0.12.
The base rubber that forms the base layer 12 is disposed inside of the tread rubber Tg1 even at the end term of tread wear. It is thus required to exhibit low heat generating properties for restricting internal heat generation and high adhesiveness for preventing peeling from the belt layer 7 that is of large rigidity. In this aspect, the complex elastic modulus E*3 of the base rubber is preferably not less than 4.0 MPa and more preferably not less than 4.5 MPa while an upper limit thereof is preferably not more than 6.0 MPa and more preferably not more than 5.5 MPa. The loss tangent tanδ of the middle rubber is preferably not less than 0.02 and more preferably not less than 0.04 while an upper limit thereof is preferably not more than 0.10 and more preferably not more than 0.08.
A JIS durometer A hardness Hd1 of the cap rubber is preferably not less than 60 degrees and more preferably not less than 63 degrees. When the hardness Hd1 becomes less than 60 degrees, early wear is apt to be caused though depending on conditions of use. While an upper limit for the hardness Hd1 is not particularly defined, it is generally selected to be riot more than 72 degrees.
The JIS durometer A hardness Hd2 of the middle rubber and the JIS durometer A hardness Hd3 of the base rubber desirably satisfy the following condition:
Hd1≧Hd2≧Hd3
In other words, the middle rubber is defined to have a hardness equivalent to or smaller than that of the cap rubber, and the hardness of the base rubber is defined to be smaller than that of the middle rubber. With this arrangement, it is possible to achieve improvements in riding comfort. In this respect, when a difference between the hardness of the middle rubber and that of the base rubber (Hd2-Hd3) becomes excessively large, stress will be concentrated at the boundary between both members so that the durability tends to be harmed. In this aspect, the difference in hardness (Hd2-Hd3) is preferably defined to be 0.5 to 10.0 degrees, prererably, 0.5 to 2.0 degrees and more preferably 1.0 to 1.5 degrees.
The tread rubber Tg1 is arranged in that the entire thickness T is formed to be 4.0 to 6.0 mm at groove bottom positions of the main grooves 9. When the entire thickness T is less than 4.0 mm, the rigidity at the groove bottom will not be sufficiently obtained at the tread rubber Tg1 so that even larger strains will be concentrated at such portions. On the other hand, when the entire thickness T exceeds 6.0 mm, internal heat generation is apt to occur so that it is not desirable. In this respect, where the groove bottoms of the main grooves 9 have, for example, a concave arc-like sectional shape, the entire thickness T is defined to be a thickness at a position where the depth of the main groove is largest.
A thickness t1 of the cap rubber layer 10 is formed to be not less than 1.3 mm, preferably not less than 1.5 mm and more preferably not less than 1.8 mm at the groove bottoms of the main grooves 9. Where the thickness t of the cap rubber layer 10 is less than 1.3 mm, strains will be concentrated at such a portion during running so that a lot of wrinkles are caused on the groove bottoms, which tend to remarkably worsen the external appearance. Such wrinkles might further proceed early into cracks. Both the thicknesses t2 and t3 of the middle layer 11 and the base layer are not less than 0.5 mm and more preferably not less than 1.0 mm. When the thicknesses t2 and t3 are less than 0.5 mm, strains will be concentrated so that peeling is apt to occur at the interface. Upper limits of the thickness of the rubber layers are determined through restrictions of the entire thickness T.
While an embodiment of the present invention has been explained so far, the method of winding the strip laminated body and others is not limited to the illustrated embodiment but may be executed through various methods.
Heavy-duty pneumatic tires having the structure of
<Wear Resistance/Crack Resistance>
Each sample tire was mounted to an applicable JATMA rim (7.5022.5), filled with standard air pressure (700 kPa) and mounted to a truck loaded with freight such that applied load per tire becomes a standard load (24.5 kN) whereupon the truck was made to run over 200,000 km. As for the wear resistance, depths of main grooves were measured at 10 spots on the circumference thereof to obtain average values, and they were indicated as indices with the value of the conventional example being defined as 100. The larger the values are, the more favorable they are. As for the crack resistance, presence/absence of cracks and wrinkles on groove bottoms were checked with eyes and evaluated on the basis of the following standards:
Thicknesses of respective rubber layers at 10 spots on the tire circumferential were measured at positions of groove central lines of the main grooves of the respective tires to obtain average values and minimum values.
The test results and others are indicated in Table 1.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-247171 | Aug 2004 | JP | national |
