Pneumatic tire

Abstract

This invention relates to a pneumatic rubber tire having a tread of a cap/base layered construction wherein said tire contains a first component as a tread cap layer having a running surface and at least two additional tire rubber components, wherein said tire components are comprised of rubber compositions which contain a maximum of 50 phr of reinforcing filler comprised of a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black. In one aspect, a purpose of such maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black for said plurality of tire components is to promote a relatively low hysteresis property within said tire via such components to thereby promote relatively low rolling resistance for a pneumatic tire which contains such components. In practice, such additional tire components may be, for example, outer sidewall rubber layer, apex, chafer, belt ply and carcass ply components.

Description

Claims

1. A pneumatic rubber tire comprised of a plurality of tire components comprised of: (A) a circumferential rubber tread component of a cap/base layered construction comprised of: (1) an outer tread cap rubber layer component having a tread running surface, and(2) an underlying tread base rubber layer component (underlying said tread cap rubber layer),(B) circumferential belt ply layer component comprised of a ply rubber composition containing a plurality of reinforcing steel cords embedded therein, said belt ply layer underlying said tread base rubber layer and said rubber composition referred to herein as a belt ply rubber composition;(C) outer sidewall rubber layer component extending from said tire tread component to a bead portion of said tire, wherein said outer sidewall layer component is exclusive of cord reinforcement;(D) apex;(E) chafer rubber component positioned adjacent to said tire bead portion, wherein said chafer rubber component optionally contains cord reinforcement (said chafer rubber component provides an interface between said bead portion and a rigid wheel rim as is well known to those having skill in such art);(F) at least one rubber carcass ply tire component comprised of a plurality of cords composed of at least one filament contained in a rubber composition (said rubber composition sometimes referred as carcass ply rubber composition and wherein said rubber carcass ply component typically extends from bead-to-bead through the crown portion of the tire as would be understood by those having skill in such art);wherein: (1) said outer tread cap rubber layer and(2) at least two, preferably at least three, of said additional tire components are comprised of rubber compositions which contain from about 20 to a maximum of 50 phr of rubber reinforcing filler comprised of from zero to a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black and from zero to a maximum of about 50 phr of precipitated silica (synthetic amorphous silica which contains hydroxyl groups on its surface).

2. The tire of claim 1 wherein the rubber compositions of said outer tread cap rubber layer component and said at least two additional tire components contain reinforcing filler in a range of from about 25 to about 45 phr with a rubber reinforcing carbon black content in a range of from about 5 to about 25 phr and precipitated silica in a range of from 10 to about 40 phr.

3. The tire of claim 1 wherein said pneumatic tire contains a tire innerliner component comprised of a nanocomposite composition comprised of a butyl-based rubber and a dispersion therein of exfoliated clay platelets.

4. The tire of claim 1 wherein the rubber compositions of said outer tread rubber cap layer and said at least two additional components having from zero to a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black have a rebound (100° C.) value of a minimum of 65 and within a range of from about 65 to about 85.

5. The tire of claim 1 wherein the rubber compositions of said outer tread rubber cap layer and said at least two tire components having from zero to a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black have a tan delta (100° C.) value of a maximum of 0.1 and within a range of about 0.03 to about 0.1.

6. The tire of claim 1 wherein said additional tire components comprised of rubber compositions containing from zero to a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black are said belt ply and said carcass ply components.

7. The tire of claim 1 wherein said additional tire components comprised of rubber compositions containing from zero to a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black are said belt ply and said outer sidewall layer components.

8. The tire of claim 1 wherein said additional tire components comprised of rubber compositions containing from zero to a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black are said carcass ply and said outer sidewall layer components.

9. The tire of claim 1 wherein said additional tire components comprised of rubber compositions containing from zero to a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black are said outer sidewall layer and said apex components.

10. The tire of claim 1 wherein said additional tire components comprised of rubber compositions containing from zero to a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black are said apex and said chafer components.

11. The tire of claim 1 wherein said additional tire components comprised of rubber compositions containing from zero to a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black are said belt ply, said carcass ply and said outer sidewall layer components.

12. The tire of claim 1 wherein said additional tire components comprised of rubber compositions containing from zero to a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black are said carcass ply, said apex and said outer sidewall layer components.

13. The tire of claim 1 wherein said additional tire components comprised of rubber compositions containing from zero to a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black are said outer sidewall layer, said apex and said chafer components.

14. The tire of claim 1 wherein said additional tire components comprised of rubber compositions containing from zero to a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black are said carcass ply, said belt ply, said outer sidewall layer, said apex and said chafer components.

15. The tire of claim 1 wherein said at least three of said additional tire components are comprised of rubber compositions which contain from about 20 to a maximum of 50 phr of rubber reinforcing filler comprised of from zero to a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black and from zero to a maximum of about 50 phr of precipitated silica.

16. The tire of claim 1 comprised of said outer tread cap rubber layer component and said additional tire components wherein at least three of said additional tire components are comprised of rubber compositions wherein said rubber reinforcing filler is therefor is precipitated silica.

17. The tire of claim 1 wherein said additional tire components are comprised of five of said additional tire components.

18. The tire of claim 1 wherein said additional tire components are comprised of six of said additional tire components.

19. The tire of claim 1 wherein said sidewall rubber layer component is comprised of a rubber composition which contains from zero to a maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black and contains at least one rubber strip extending across the radial width of said outer sidewall rubber layer, wherein said rubber strip is exclusive of the outer, visible surface of said sidewall rubber layer, wherein rubber strip provides a path of least electrical resistance across the radial width of said sidewall rubber layer and wherein the rubber composition of said rubber strip contains a minimum of 50 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black.

20. The tire of claim 1 wherein a path of least electrical resistance is provided through or around at least one of said outer tread cap rubber layer and at least two of said tire components of rubber composition(s) which contain from zero to the maximum of 30 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black by a rubber composition which contains at least 50 phr of rubber reinforcing carbon black, in order to provide said path of least electrical resistance through or around said tire component to a running surface of the tire tread cap layer.