Patent Application
20090095407
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a pneumatic tire to be used as a run-flat tire which can travel a predetermined distance even at the time of an abnormal drop in tire internal pressure, or blowout, and the pneumatic tire.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-119132, filed Apr. 24, 2006, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
This type of pneumatic tire includes a pair of right and left bead parts, a tread part arranged outside the bead parts in the radial direction of a tire, and having a tread of the tire, and a pair of right and left sidewall parts connecting both ends of the tread part in the width direction and the bead parts, as disclosed in the following Patent Documents 1 and 2. In this type of tire, a carcass layer which extends in a toroidal shape between bead cores buried in the pair of right and left bead parts, respectively, are provided inside the bead parts, the sidewall parts, and the tread part over these respective parts. Further, a belt layer is provided between a crown portion of the carcass layer and the tread, and a reinforcing rubber having a crescent cross-section is provided at the inside of the carcass layer in the width direction of the tire in each of the pair of right and left sidewall parts.
In this pneumatic tire, there is a demand for an improvement in run-flat durability, i.e., for increasing the distance that the tire can travel even at the time of an abnormal drop in tire internal pressure, or blowout. As a means for improving such run-flat durability, it is considered that the rigidity of the sidewall parts against deformation directed to the outside in the width direction of the tire is enhanced by increasing the thickness of the reinforcing rubber layer. However, in this case, as the thickness of the reinforcing rubber layer becomes large in the pneumatic tire, variations in this thickness become large, As a result, uniformity of the tire may get worse, and comfortable riding may be hindered,
Thus, in recent years, as a means for improving run-flat durability while maintaining comfortable riding, as shown, as disclosed in, for example, in the following Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is known that reinforcing rubber which constitutes the reinforcing rubber layer in the pneumatic tire is formed to have laminated structure, and thereby, the thickness of the whole reinforcing rubber is made larger than the conventional reinforcing rubber as well as the thickness of each reinforcing rubber sheet which constitutes the reinforcing rubber is smaller than the conventional one. Moreover, it is described in these Patent Documents 1 and 2 that, in order to make such operational effects exhibited surely, the cross-sectional area of reinforcing rubber sheet which constitutes the reinforcing rubber is varied in every reinforcing rubber sheet.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-62-279107
Patent Document 2: JP-A-1-278806
Problems that the Invention is to Solve
However, in the conventional pneumatic tire, the cross-sectional area is varied in every reinforcing rubber sheet which constitutes the reinforcing rubber having the laminated structure. Therefore, a plurality of dies for forming these reinforcing rubber sheets were needed, and as a result, the manufacturing cost may have been increased.
Thus, instead of such a means, a means which forms a thick reinforcing rubber sheet using one type of die, and sequentially bonding a plurality of reinforcing rubber sheets obtained by cutting this reinforcing rubber sheet short onto a forming drum so as to extend in the peripheral direction of the drum while the longitudinal ends of these reinforcing rubber sheets are jointed is considered. In this method, a reinforcing rubber in which a plurality of joint portions are arranged at almost equal intervals in the peripheral direction of the forming drum is formed. In this case, even if the die for forming a reinforcing rubber sheet is one type, a pneumatic tire with improved run-flat durability without hindering comfortable riding can be formed. On the other hand, a lot of time is taken for forming. As a result, the manufacturing cost is also increased.
This invention has been made in consideration of such a situation, and the object thereof is to provide a manufacturing method of a pneumatic tire capable of forming a pneumatic tire with improved run-flat durability without hindering comfortable riding while hindrances to manufacture are minimized, and the pneumatic tire.
The invention has been made in order to achieve such an object, and relates to a manufacturing method of a pneumatic tire including a pair of right and left bead parts, a tread part arranged outside the bead parts in the radial direction of a tire, and having a tread of the tire, and a pair of right and left sidewall parts connecting both ends of the tread part in the width direction and the bead parts, a carcass layer which extends in a toroidal shape between bead cores buried in the pair of right and left bead parts, respectively, being provided inside the bead parts, the sidewall parts, and the tread part over these respective parts, a belt layer being provided between a crown portion of the carcass layer, and the tread, and a reinforcing rubber having a crescent cross-section being provided at the inside of the carcass layer in the width direction of a tire in each of the pair of right and left sidewall parts. Reinforcing rubber which constitutes a reinforcing rubber layer in this pneumatic tire is formed by winding a plurality of beltlike reinforcing rubber sheets adapted to have almost the same cross-sectional area and cross-sectional shape around a forming drum over its entire periphery while being shifted in the axial direction of the forming drum such that at least portions thereof in the width direction overlap each other over the whole periphery of the forming drum and by separately jointing both longitudinal ends of the respective reinforcing rubber sheets.
In this invention, the reinforcing rubber which constitutes the reinforcing rubber layer in the pneumatic tire is formed by winding a plurality of beltlike reinforcing rubber sheets onto the forming drum. Accordingly, as well as the thickness of each reinforcing rubber sheet which constitutes this reinforcing rubber can be made smaller than the thickness of a conventional reinforcing rubber, the thickness of the overlapping portion can be made larger than the thickness of the conventional reinforcing rubber, As a result, run-flat durability can be improved, without hindering comfortable riding.
Moreover, since the plurality reinforcing rubber sheets which constitute the reinforcing rubber have almost the same cross-sectional area and cross-sectional shape, it is possible to mold these reinforcing rubber sheets under the same extruding conditions, using the same mouthpiece. As a result, an increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed.
From above, the pneumatic tire with improved run-flat durability without hindering comfortable riding can be formed while hindrances to manufacture are minimized.
Further, the reinforcing rubber is formed by winding the respective reinforcing rubber sheets onto the forming drum over its entire periphery, and jointing both longitudinal ends in the respective reinforcing rubber sheets. Thus, an increase in the time for forming the reinforcing rubber can be suppressed,
Here, the plurality of reinforcing rubber sheets may be wound around the forming drum such that joint portions in the respective reinforcing rubber sheets are shifted uniformly in the peripheral direction of the forming drum in the reinforcing rubber constituted by the reinforcing rubber sheets.
In this case, in each reinforcing rubber, the joint portions are shifted uniformly in the peripheral direction of the forming drum. Thus, as well as the thickness of the reinforcing rubber sheets can be made smaller than the thickness of a conventional reinforcing rubber, uniformity can be surely kept from deteriorating As a result, hindrance of comfortable riding can be further suppressed.
In addition, in the one pair of right and left reinforcing rubbers, it is desirable from the viewpoint of comfortable riding that the joint portions are arranged in the same position in the peripheral direction of a tire However, from the viewpoint of manufacture efficiency, the positional deviation of about 2% with respect to the peripheral length of the tire may be caused in the peripheral direction of the tire.
Further, a plurality of ridges may be formed at least in the overlapping portion in the reinforcing rubber sheets.
In this case, when a plurality of a plurality of reinforcing rubber sheets are made to overlap each other and are jointed together, it is possible to surely discharge air from between these sheets. As a result, air can be prevented from easily entering the pneumatic tire by splitting a reinforcing rubber to form a plurality of reinforcing rubber sheets.
In addition, it is desirable that the ridges extend in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing rubber sheets, i.e., in the peripheral direction of the forming drum which is the overlapping direction. In this case, while the overlapping portions are pressed and jointed together, air is sequentially discharged from between the overlapping portions. As a result, occurrence of entering of air can be more surely prevented.
Furthers the pneumatic tire of the invention is formed by the above manufacturing method of a pneumatic tire.
Here, the shore A hardness of the reinforcing rubber layer may be 70° or more and 85° or less.
According to the invention, the pneumatic tire with improved run-flat durability without hindering comfortable riding can be formed while hindrances to manufacture axe minimized.
Hereinafter, one embodiment of a pneumatic tire related to this invention will be described, referring to
A carcass layer 16 which extends in a toroidal shape between bead cores 11 a buried in the pair of right and left bead parts 11, respectively, are provided inside the bead parts 11, the sidewall parts 13, and the tread part 12 over these respective parts.
Both ends of the carcass layer 16 in the width direction of the tire constitutes folded ends 16a turned back to outside 10b from inside 10a in the width direction of the tire via the bead cores 11a, respectively. Further, a belt layer 15 is provided between a crown portion 16b of the carcass layer 16 and the tread 12a such that its ends in the width direction are arranged at the ends of the tread part 12 in the width direction.
Moreover, a reinforcing rubber 17 having a crescent cross-section is provided at the inside 10a of the carcass layer 16 in the width direction of the tire in each of the pair of right and left sidewall parts 13. The rigidity against the deflection deformation of the sidewall parts 13 directed to the outside 10b in the width direction of the tire is increased by the reinforcing rubber 17, and a run-flat tire which can travel a predetermined distance even at the time of an abnormal drop in tire internal pressure, or blowout is obtained.
In this embodiment, the reinforcing rubber layer 17 includes a first reinforcing rubber layer 21 arranged outside in the radial direction of the tire, and the second reinforcing rubber layer 22 arranged inside in the radial direction of the tire in the cross-sectional view of the pneumatic tire 10 as shown in
Further, referring to
In addition, in the central portion of the reinforcing rubber layer 17 in the width direction of the tire, the outer end of the second reinforcing rubber layer 22 in the radial direction of the tire is arranged at the outside 10b in the width direction of the tire, and the inner end of the first reinforcing rubber layer 21 in the radial direction of the tire is arranged at the inside la in the width direction of the tire. Furthermore, the cross-sectional areas and cross-sectional shapes of the first reinforcing rubber layer 21 and the second reinforcing rubber layer 22 are made almost the same. Moreover, the first and second reinforcing rubber layers 21 and 22 are formed of the same rubber material, and, the shore A hardness of the reinforcing rubber layer 17 is set to 70° or more and 85° or less.
Next, a manufacturing method of the pneumatic tire 10 will be described.
First, an inner liner rubber sheet is wound onto the outer peripheral surface of a first forming drum, which is circular in cross-sectional view, over its entire periphery, and this sheet is made into a cylindrical body. Then, reinforcing rubbers which become the reinforcing rubber layer 17 in the pneumatic tire 10 are formed at both axial ends of the outer peripheral surface of this cylindrical body over its entire periphery.
As for these reinforcing rubbers, first, beltlike first reinforcing rubber sheets are first wound around and pasted to both axial ends of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body over its entire periphery. Then, a beltlike second reinforcing rubber sheet having almost the same cross-sectional area and cross-sectional shape as each of the first reinforcing rubber sheets is shifted axially outward of the cylindrical body (the first forming drum) from the winding position of the first reinforcing rubber sheet and are wound around the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body such that its axial inner end in the width direction overlap the axial outer end of the outer peripheral surface of the first reinforcing rubber sheet in the width direction over its entire periphery.
As a result, the reinforcing rubber in which the axial outer end of the first reinforcing rubber sheet in the width direction and the axial inner end of the second reinforcing rubber sheet in the width direction overlap each other over the entire periphery of the first forming drum in the peripheral direction is formed.
Here, in the first and second reinforcing rubber sheets which constitutes each reinforcing rubber, at least one of portions which overlap each other over the entire periphery of the first forming drum in the peripheral direction, i.e. the front face of the axial outer end of the first reinforcing rubber sheet in the width direction, and the rear face of the axial inner end of the second reinforcing rubber sheet in the width direction are formed with a plurality of ridges. As the shape of a cross-section (cross-section which extends in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the first and second reinforcing rubber sheets) of each of the ridges, for example, a rectangular shape, a triangular shape, a convex curved surface shape, etc. can be adopted.
Moreover, in this embodiment, the ridges extend in a direction in which the first and second reinforcing rubber sheets are wound around the first forming drum, i.e., in the longitudinal direction (peripheral direction of the first forming drum) of the first and second reinforcing rubber sheets which are made beltlike.
Moreover, in this embodiment, the length of the first and second reinforcing rubber sheets is made almost equal to the peripheral length of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body, As for each of the reinforcing rubber sheets, one place becomes a joint portion. Further, in each of the reinforcing rubbers, the joint portion of the first reinforcing rubber sheet and the joint portion of the second reinforcing rubber sheet are shifted by about 180° around the axis in peripheral position in the first forming drum.
That is, the first and second reinforcing rubber sheets which constitute each reinforcing rubber are wound around and pasted to the first forming drum such that the joint portions in the reinforcing rubber sheets are shifted uniformly in the peripheral direction of the first forming drum, Further, the joint portion is arranged in the same position in the peripheral direction of the tire in each of the reinforcing rubbers respectively provided at both axial ends of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body.
Next, a carcass member which is made wider than the inner liner rubber is wound onto the first forming drum to cover the above inner liner rubber and first and second reinforcing rubber sheets (reinforcing rubber). Then, the axial central portion of the reinforcing rubber, the whole inner liner rubber, and the carcass member are increased in diameter, and the bead core 11a buried in an inner peripheral portion of a bead filler is set in a predetermined position of the carcass member.
Then, the carcass member which is more axially outside the bead core 11a is folded back around the bead core 11a, and sidewall rubber is stuck on an outer periphery of the carcass member, thereby forming a green case, Next, this green case is pulled out of the first forming drum, and is mounted on the second forming drum. Then, the green case is deformed in a toroidal shape by bringing the bead cores 11a close to each other. Then, a green tire is formed by increasing the diameter of the green case in a state where a BT band composed of a belt member and tread rubber which are formed in a cylindrical shape in advance by other forming drums are advanced into the outside of this green case.
Then, this green tire is loaded into a vulcanizing apparatus, and is vulcanized therein, thereby forming the pneumatic tire 10. As a result, the bead filler and a bead core 11a are made into the bead part 11, the tread rubber is made into the tread part 12, the sidewall rubber is made into the sidewall part 13, the inner liner rubber is made into the inner liner 14, the carcass member is made into the carcass layer 16, the belt member is made into the belt layer 15, the first reinforcing rubber sheet is made into the first reinforcing rubber layer 21, and the second reinforcing rubber sheet is made into the second reinforcing rubber layer 22.
As described above, according to the manufacturing method of a pneumatic tire by this embodiment, the reinforcing rubber which constitutes the reinforcing rubber layer 17 in the pneumatic tire 10 is formed by winding a plurality of beltlike reinforcing rubber sheets onto the first forming drum. Accordingly, as well as the thickness of each reinforcing rubber sheet which constitutes this reinforcing rubber can be made smaller than that of a conventional reinforcing rubber, the thickness of the overlapping portion can be made larger than the that of the conventional reinforcing rubber. As a result, run-flat durability can be improved without hindering comfortable riding.
Moreover, since the first and second reinforcing rubber sheets which constitute the reinforcing rubber have almost the same cross-sectional area and cross-sectional shape, it is possible to form these reinforcing rubber sheets under the same extruding conditions, using the same die. As a result, an increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed.
From above, the pneumatic tire 10 with improved run-flat durability without hindering comfortable riding can be formed while hindrances to manufacture are minimized.
Further, in this embodiment, the reinforcing rubber is formed by winding the first and second reinforcing rubber sheets onto the first forming drum over its entire periphery, and bonding together both longitudinal ends in the reinforcing rubber sheets, and one place becomes a joint portion in each of the first and second reinforcing rubber sheet. Thus, an increase in this forming time can be suppressed.
Moreover, in each reinforcing rubber, the joint portions of the first and second reinforcing rubber sheets are shifted uniformly in the peripheral direction of the first forming drum. Thus, as well as the thickness of the first and second reinforcing rubber sheets can be made smaller than the thickness of a conventional reinforcing rubber, uniformity can be surely kept from deterioration. As a result, hindrance of comfortable riding can be further suppressed.
Further, in the first and second reinforcing rubber sheets, at least one of portions which overlap each other over the entire periphery of the first forming drum in the peripheral direction, i.e., is formed with a plurality of ridges. Thus, when a joint is made by overlapping the first and second reinforcing rubber sheet, it is possible to surely discharge air from between the sheets. As a result, air can be prevented from easily entering the pneumatic tire 10 by splitting a reinforcing rubber to form the first and second reinforcing rubber sheets.
In particular, in this embodiment, the ridges extend in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing rubber sheets, i.e., in the peripheral direction of the first forming drum which is the overlapping direction. Thus, while the first and second reinforcing rubber sheets are made to overlap each other, and the overlapping portions are pressed and jointed together, air is sequentially discharged from between the overlapping portions. As a result, occurrence of entering of air can be more surely prevented.
In addition, it should be understood that the technical scope of the invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
The above embodiment has showed a two-split construction including the first reinforcing rubber layer 21 arranged outside in the radial direction of the tire, and the second reinforcing rubber layer 22 arranged inside in the radial direction of the tire as the reinforcing rubber layer 17. However, the number of splitting is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in
In this reinforcing rubber layer 26, a portion excluding an inner end of the second reinforcing rubber layer 24 in the radial direction of the tire, and a portion excluding an outer end of the third reinforcing rubber layer 25 in the radial direction of the tire overlap each other, and a portion excluding an outer end of the first reinforcing rubber layer 23 in the radial direction of the tire, and a portion ranging from an outer end of the third reinforcing rubber layer 25 in the radial direction of the tire to an outer end of the second reinforcing rubber layer 24 in the radial direction of the tire overlap each other. That is, an outer end of the reinforcing rubber layer 26 in the radial direction of the tire has one layer structure composed only of the first reinforcing rubber layer 23, an inner end of the reinforcing rubber layer in the radial direction of the tire has one-layer structure composed only of the second reinforcing rubber layer 24, and a central portion of the reinforcing rubber layer in the radial direction of the tire has three-layer structure in which the third reinforcing rubber layer 25, the first reinforcing rubber layer 23, and the second reinforcing rubber layer 24 were laminated,
The reinforcing rubber layer 26 is formed as follows.
First beltlike third reinforcing rubber sheets (the third reinforcing rubber layers 25) are respectively wound around and pasted to both axial ends of the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body made of an inner liner rubber sheet over its entire periphery. Then, a beltlike second reinforcing rubber sheet (second reinforcing rubber layer 24) having almost the same cross-sectional area and cross-sectional shape as each of the third reinforcing rubber sheets is shifted axially outward of the cylindrical body from the winding position of the third reinforcing rubber sheet and are wound around the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body such that its portion excluding the axial outer end in the width direction overlaps a portion excluding the axial inner end of the outer peripheral surface of the third reinforcing rubber sheet in the width direction over its entire periphery.
Next, a beltlike first reinforcing rubber sheet having (the first reinforcing rubber layer 23) almost the same cross-sectional area and cross-sectional shape as each of the third reinforcing rubber sheets is shifted axially inward of the cylindrical body from the winding position of the third reinforcing rubber sheet and are wound around the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body such that its portion excluding the axial inner end in the width direction overlaps a portion ranging from the axial inner end of the third reinforcing rubber sheet in the width direction to the axial inner end of the second reinforcing rubber sheet in the width direction over its entire periphery, Here, in each reinforcing rubber, the joint portions of the first to third reinforcing rubber sheets are arranged so as to be shifted uniformly in the peripheral direction of the cylindrical body (the first forming drum).
Then, similarly to the above embodiment, after a green case, a green tire, etc., are formed, the green tire is vulcanized, thereby forming the pneumatic tire 10.
Further, the ridges may be formed on the front and faces of the first and second reinforcing rubber sheets over their entire regions.
Next, a verification test about the operational effects described above was carried out. In this test size was unified 225/45R18, wheel size was unified 8JJ, and air pressure was unified to 230 kPa. As working examples, the pneumatic tire 10 shown in
Also, the ride quality when a vehicle on which each of the pneumatic tires was mounted was run was evaluated by driver's feeling. As a result, when the comparative example was set to 100, the result of 120 was obtained in Working Example 1 shown in
According to the invention, the pneumatic tire with improved run-flat durability without hindering comfortable riding can be formed while hindrances to manufacture are minimized.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-119132 | Apr 2006 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2007/058833 | 4/24/2007 | WO | 00 | 10/23/2008 |
