The present disclosure relates to a pneumatic tire, and a manufacturing method of a resin-coated belt.
Heretofore, in a pneumatic tire, for a purpose of exerting a hoop effect of tightening a carcass to increase rigidity of a tread, a belt is usually disposed outside the carcass in a tire radial direction (e.g., PTL1).
In recent years, demand for weight reduction of a tire has increased, and it has been suggested that a cord coated with a coating resin is used as a belt. If such a resin-coated belt is used, a function of the belt can be exerted while achieving the weight reduction, because a resin has high rigidity compared to that otherwise expected from its weight.
PTL 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-035220
If such a resin-coated belt is used, rigidity of the resin-coated belt in an in-plane direction (hereinafter, referred to as “the in-plane rigidity”) can be increased. However, not only the in-plane rigidity but also rigidity of the resin-coated belt in an out-of-plane direction (hereinafter, referred to as “the out-of-plane rigidity”) increase, and hence ride comfort performance is easy to be impaired.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a pneumatic tire comprising a resin-coated belt capable of improving ride comfort performance, and a manufacturing method of the resin-coated belt by which the resin-coated belt capable of improving the ride comfort performance of the pneumatic tire can be obtained.
A pneumatic tire as a first aspect of the present disclosure is a pneumatic tire comprising, in a tread portion, an annular resin-coated belt comprising a cord and a coating resin with which the cord is coated, wherein the resin-coated belt comprises an easy-to-deform part having a thickness in a tire radial direction smaller than that of a surrounding part thereof.
A manufacturing method of a resin-coated belt as a second aspect of the present disclosure is a manufacturing method of an annular resin-coated belt comprising a cord and a coating resin with which the cord is coated, the method comprising a transfer step of pressing a rotating body, comprising an uneven surface in an outer surface, onto at least one surface of a resin-coated body from which the resin-coated belt is originated, to transfer the uneven surface of the rotating body to the coating resin that forms the at least one surface of the resin-coated body.
The present disclosure can provide a pneumatic tire comprising a resin-coated belt capable of improving ride comfort performance, and a manufacturing method of the resin-coated belt by which the resin-coated belt capable of improving the ride comfort performance of the pneumatic tire can be obtained.
In the accompanying drawings:
Hereinafter, description will be made as to embodiments of a pneumatic tire and a manufacturing method of a resin-coated belt according to the present disclosure with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, common members and regions are denoted with the same reference signs.
Hereinafter, it is considered that a dimension of each element, a length relationship between respective elements, a positional relation therebetween, and the like are measured in a reference state where a pneumatic tire is assembled to an applicable rim, filled with a prescribed internal pressure and unloaded, unless otherwise mentioned.
Here, “the applicable rim” indicates an approved rim (a measuring rim in Standards Manual of ETRTO, and a design rim in Year Book of TRA) in an applicable size described or to be described in future in an industrial standard effective in a district where the pneumatic tire is produced and used, for example, JATMA Year Book of JATMA (the Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association) in Japan, Standards Manual of ETRTO (the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organization) in Europe, Year Book of TRA (the Tire and Rim Association, Inc.) in U.S. or the like (i.e., the above “applicable rim” also includes a size that may be included in the above industrial standard in future, in addition to the existing size. Examples of “the size to be described in future” include sizes described as “future developments” in 2013 edition of ETRTO. However, it is considered that a rim having a size that is not described in the above industrial standard refers to a rim having a width corresponding to a bead width of the pneumatic tire. Furthermore, “the prescribed internal pressure” refers to an air pressure (a maximum air pressure) corresponding to a maximum load capacity of a single wheel in an applicable size and ply rating described in Year Book of JATMA described above, or the like. The prescribed internal pressure for a rim having a size that is not described in the above industrial standard refers to an air pressure (the maximum air pressure) corresponding to the maximum load capacity prescribed for each vehicle to which the tire is assembled. Additionally, “the maximum load” that will be described later refers to a load corresponding to the above tire maximum load capacity of the standard of JATMA or the like among tires having the applicable size, or the maximum load for a rim having a size that is not described in the above industrial standard means a load corresponding to the maximum load capacity prescribed for each vehicle to which the tire is assembled.
As illustrated in
The tire 1 comprises the bead member 3, a carcass 4, a resin-coated belt 6, a tread rubber 7, a side rubber 8, and an inner liner 9.
[Bead Member 3]
The bead member 3 is embedded in the bead portion 1c. The bead member 3 comprises a bead core 3a, and a bead filler 3b made of a rubber and located outside the bead core 3a in the tire radial direction B. The bead core 3a comprises a plurality of bead wires having a periphery coated with the rubber. Each bead wire is formed of a steel cord. The steel cord may comprise, for example, a steel monofilament or stranded wire. Note that the bead core 3a of the present embodiment has a configuration where a bead wire is coated with a rubber, but may have a configuration where a part surrounding the bead wire is coated with a resin. Furthermore, the bead filler 3b of the present embodiment is made of the rubber, but may be made of a resin.
[Carcass 4]
The carcass 4 straddles between the pair of bead portions 1c, more specifically between the bead cores 3a of the pair of bead members 3, and extends toroidally. Furthermore, the carcass 4 includes at least a radial structure.
Furthermore, the carcass 4 is constituted of one or more carcass plies 4a (one ply in the present embodiment) in which a carcass cord is disposed at an angle, for example, from 75° to 90° in a tire circumferential direction C (see
[Resin-Coated Belt 6]
The resin-coated belt 6 is annular, and extends over an entire area in the tire circumferential direction C. Furthermore, the resin-coated belt 6 comprises a cord 10b, and a coating resin 10a with which the cord 10b is coated.
Furthermore, the resin-coated belt 6 is disposed outside a crown portion of the carcass 4 in the tire radial direction B, in the tread portion 1a. Specifically, the resin-coated belt 6 of the present embodiment comprises one or more belt layers (one layer in the present embodiment) disposed outside the crown portion of the carcass 4 in the tire radial direction B. More specifically, as illustrated in
The circumferential belt 6a as the resin-coated belt 6 of the present embodiment is a spiral belt formed in a state where a steel cord as a metal belt cord is spirally wound around a tire central axis along the tire circumferential direction C (see
In the resin-coated cord 10, portions adjacent to each other in the tire width direction A are joined together. In the present embodiment, the portions of the resin-coated cord 10 that are adjacent to each other in the tire width direction A are joined together by welding the coating resin 10a. However, the joining of the portions of the resin-coated cord 10 that are adjacent to each other in the tire width direction A is not limited to the welding, and may be performed by bonding with an adhesive or the like.
As illustrated in
For the cord 10b, any known material may be used, and, for example, the above steel cord may be used. The steel cord may comprise, for example, a steel monofilament or stranded wire. Furthermore, for the cord 10b, organic fibers, carbon fibers, stranded wires of such fibers, or the like may be used.
Furthermore, for the coating resin 10a, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer or a thermoplastic resin may be used. Alternatively, a resin that causes crosslinking by heat or electron beams, or a resin that cures by thermal dislocation may be used. Examples of the thermoplastic elastomer include polyolefin thermoplastic elastomer (TPO), polystyrene thermoplastic elastomer (TPS), polyamide thermoplastic elastomer (TPA), polyurethane thermoplastic elastomer (TPU), polyester thermoplastic elastomer (TPC), and dynamic crosslinking thermoplastic elastomer (TPV). Furthermore, examples of the thermoplastic resin include polyurethane resin, polyolefin resin, vinyl chloride resin, and polyamide resin. Furthermore, as the thermoplastic resin, for example, a thermoplastic resin may be used in which a deflection temperature under load (under a load of 0.45 MPa) prescribed in ISO75-2 or ASTM D648 is 78° C. or more, a tensile yield strength prescribed in JIS K7113 is 10 MPa or more, a tensile rupture elongation similarly prescribed in JIS K7113 is 50% or more, and a Vicat softening temperature (a method A) prescribed in JIS K7206 is 130° C. or more. It is preferable that a tensile elastic modulus (prescribed in JIS K7113: 1995) of the coating resin 10a with which the cord 10b is coated is 50 MPa or more. Furthermore, it is preferable that the tensile elastic modulus of the coating resin 10a with which the cord 10b is coated is 1000 MPa or less. Note that the coating resin 10a mentioned herein does not include a rubber (an organic polymer substance exhibiting rubber elasticity at normal temperature).
More specifically, an outer surface of the resin-coated belt 6 of the present embodiment in the tire radial direction B is constituted of an uneven surface. Furthermore, the easy-to-deform part 20 of the resin-coated belt 6 of the present embodiment is formed at a position of a recess 20a in the outer surface of the resin-coated belt 6 in the tire radial direction B. That is, the resin-coated belt 6 of the present embodiment comprises the easy-to-deform part 20 at the position of the recess 20a in the outer surface in the tire radial direction B. Consequently, if the position of the recess 20a in the outer surface of the resin-coated belt 6 is provided with the easy-to-deform part 20 that is thinner than the surrounding part, the easy-to-deform part 20 can be easily formed by processing the outer surface of the resin-coated belt 6.
Furthermore, in the uneven surface that forms the outer surface of the resin-coated belt 6 of the present embodiment in the tire radial direction B (a surface on an outer side in the tire radial direction B), the recess 20a extending in the tire width direction A and a protrusion 20b protruding to the outer side in the tire radial direction B and extending in the tire width direction A are repeatedly formed in the tire circumferential direction C. More specifically, the outer surface of the resin-coated belt 6 of the present embodiment in the tire radial direction B is constituted of a wavy-shaped uneven surface that repeats, toward the tire circumferential direction C, increase and decrease in a distance (hereinafter, referred to simply as “a radius”) from a tire central axis in the tire radial direction B. Such an uneven surface can inhibit a variation of the out-of-plane rigidity of the resin-coated belt 6 in the tire circumferential direction C. Consequently, the ride comfort performance can be further improved.
Note that a plurality of protrusions 20b are arranged and separated by a predetermined distance in the tire circumferential direction C, and a distance between two protrusions 20b adjacent to each other in the tire circumferential direction C is almost constant regardless of a position in the tire circumferential direction C. Thus, the plurality of protrusions 20b are distributed and arranged at a constant pitch in the tire circumferential direction C, so that the variation in the out-of-plane rigidity in the tire circumferential direction C can be inhibited. Consequently, the ride comfort performance can be further improved.
Furthermore, radii of apexes of the plurality of protrusions 20b are almost constant regardless of the position in the tire circumferential direction C. Thus, the radii of the apexes of the plurality of protrusions 20b arranged at different positions in the tire circumferential direction C are set to be almost constant, so that the variation in the out-of-plane rigidity in the tire circumferential direction C can be inhibited. Consequently, the ride comfort performance can be further improved.
Furthermore, the recess 20a of the present embodiment is a groove having a V-shaped cross section in cross-sectional view (see
Note that a shape of the recess 20a is not limited to the shape in the present embodiment. For example, the recess may be a recess formed by a recessed and curved surface. Alternatively, the recess may have another shape (see
Furthermore, it is preferable that an inner surface of the resin-coated belt 6 in the tire radial direction B (a surface on an inner side in the tire radial direction B) is constituted of not the uneven surface but a circumferential surface. Both surfaces of the resin-coated belt 6 in the tire radial direction B may be constituted of uneven surfaces, but a configuration where one of the surfaces is constituted of the uneven surface is easier to process. Furthermore, the outer surface of the resin-coated belt 6 in the tire radial direction B is easier to process than the inner surface of the resin-coated belt 6 in the tire radial direction B. That is, the easy-to-deform part 20 is easily formed. Therefore, it is particularly preferable that the outer surface of the resin-coated belt 6 in the tire radial direction B is constituted of the uneven surface and that the inner surface of the resin-coated belt 6 in the tire radial direction B is constituted of the circumferential surface.
Note that it is preferable that a minimum thickness of the easy-to-deform part 20 is ½ or more of a maximum thickness of the resin-coated belt 6 (a thickness of the protrusion 20b at a position of the apex in the present embodiment).
The resin-coated belt 6 of the present embodiment is formed in a state where the resin-coated cord 10 is spirally wound. However, there are not any special restrictions on such a configuration, as long as a plurality of cords 10b arranged in the tire width direction A and extending along the tire circumferential direction C or extending to be inclined at an angle smaller than 10° in the tire circumferential direction C are coated with the coating resin 10a. However, it is preferable that the resin-coated cord 10 is spirally wound as in the resin-coated belt 6 of the present embodiment. According to such a configuration, in-plane rigidity of the resin-coated belt 6 in the tire circumferential direction can be increased, and steering stability can be improved. Additionally, the out-of-plane rigidity can be decreased by the easy-to-deform part 20, and the ride comfort performance can be improved. That is, the steering stability is compatible with the ride comfort performance.
[Tread Rubber 7 and Side Rubber 8]
The tread rubber 7 forms an outer surface of the tread portion 1a in the tire radial direction B (hereinafter, referred to as “the tread outer surface”), and in the tread outer surface of the present embodiment, a tread pattern including a circumferential groove 7a extending in the tire circumferential direction C (see
[Inner Liner 9]
The inner liner 9 is stacked on an inner surface of the carcass 4, and is made of a butyl-based rubber having low air permeability in the present embodiment. Note that the butyl-based rubber means butyl rubber, and its derivative, halogenated butyl rubber.
Next, an example of a manufacturing method of the resin-coated belt according to the present disclosure will be described. The manufacturing method of the resin-coated belt according to the present disclosure is applicable as a manufacturing method of the annular resin-coated belt 6 (see
The manufacturing method of the resin-coated belt 6 illustrated in
Specifically, the resin-coated body 31 of the present embodiment is the resin-coated cord 10 (see
Note that as described above, while winding the resin-coated cord 10 around the drum 33, the portions adjacent to each other in an axial direction (hereinafter, referred to as “the tire axial direction A” for convenience of explanation) of the drum 33 are joined together by the welding, the axial direction forming the tire width direction A. In the present embodiment, the resin-coated cord 10 is wound around the drum 33 while melting, with heat, a side surface of the resin-coated cord 10 in the tire width direction A, and consequently, the portions of the resin-coated cord 10 that are adjacent to each other in the tire width direction A are joined together by welding the coating resin 10a.
Thus, in the present embodiment, the above transfer step is executed simultaneously with a winding step of spirally winding the resin-coated cord 10. In this case, a number of steps can be decreased and a manufacturing efficiency can be increased, as compared with a case where the winding step and the transfer step are separately executed.
Note that in the example illustrated in
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the resin-coated cord 10 is used as the resin-coated body 31, but an original form of a strip-shaped belt comprising the plurality of cords 10b (see
Instead of using a method of transferring the uneven surface to the resin-coated body 31 as in the manufacturing method of the resin-coated belt 6 illustrated in
Note that the uneven surface of the resin-coated belt 6 is not eliminated during vulcanizing, and is maintained even in a vulcanized and finished product as the tire 1.
The pneumatic tire according to the present disclosure is not limited to specific configurations illustrated in the above embodiment and modification, and can be variously modified and changed without departing from the scope of claims.
Furthermore, a resin annular body 5 may be disposed between the carcass 4 and the resin-coated belt 6.
As illustrated in
The resin annular body 5 does not comprise any cords, differently from the resin-coated belt 6. That is, any cords are not arranged in the resin annular body 5.
As the resin that forms the resin annular body 5, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer or a thermoplastic resin may be used similarly to a material illustrated as the above material of the coating resin 10a. Alternatively, a resin that causes crosslinking by heat or electron beams, or a resin that cures by thermal dislocation may be used. Note that the resin that forms the resin annular body 5 does not include a rubber (an organic polymer substance exhibiting rubber elasticity at normal temperature).
Thus, the resin annular body 5 is provided, so that the resin-coated belt 6 can be reinforced, and damages on the resin-coated belt 6 can be inhibited.
The present disclosure relates to a pneumatic tire, and a manufacturing method of a resin-coated belt.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2018-116439 | Jun 2018 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/JP2019/023522 | 6/13/2019 | WO | 00 |