GB2176157A

GB2176157A - Tire casing structure

Info

Publication number: GB2176157A
Application number: GB08514406A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jeng Maw Lin Jang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-06-04
Filing date: 1985-06-07
Publication date: 1986-12-17
Also published as: FR2583349B3; DE8516510U1; FR2583349A3; GB8514406D0; ZA854221B; NL8501714A; GB2176157B; AU570323B2; CA1235987A; AU4328085A; DE3520245A1

Abstract

A tire casing includes a puncture-sealing layer (2) on the inside surface thereof, the puncture-sealing layer (2) being made of rubberised interwoven flexible cords. It is due to the flexibility of the interwoven cords and the elasticity of the rubber, once a sharp object pierces the tire casing (1) and the puncture-sealing layer (2), the rubberized cords will work to tightly bind the sharp object so as to prevent the air contained in the tire casing (1) from leaking out. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tire casing structure This invention relates to a tire casing structure, and particularly concerns a tire casing provided with a novel puncture-sealing layer.

In the field of automotive parts, the development of more durable and safe tires plays an important role.

The inventor notes the fact that many car accidents, sometimes accompanied by very serious injuries and even death, are caused by the puncturing and consequent blow-out of tires. Even if such an accident does not lead to injury, it is still rathertroublesometo remove the blown-out tire and to install the spare tire orto make emergency repairs, the extent of which depends upon the degree of the puncture.

Priortire casing structures of the general type are shown in Iknayan U.S. Patent No.2,699,194 in which an innertube has spaced apart rubberized fabric plies. Each ply comprises parallel cords which extend in the same direction. One ofthe fabric cords has cords extending in one direction while the other ply has cords extending at about 50 relative to thatfirst direction. The priorart utilizesthetubeto span a brake in the casing and thus prevent the tire from blowing out. Villard U.S. Patent No. 1,572,053 reveals a shoe therein with its original inner surface outermost, said shoe consisting of a body substantially of elastic material and coextensive with the innersurface ofthe casing.Souldthe airwithin the tire exhaust, the compressed shoe will maintain the tire in an operative condition. A Pixley U.S. Patent No. 1,431,596 disclosed an innertube fortires, which innertube is reinforced buy a suitable number of layers offabricthroughoutthe greater portion of its transverse circumference, the reinforcing layers being arranged so that there is a greater thickness of reinforcement and rubber within the zone which is disposed adjacent to the tread of the shoe or casing. A Murphy U. S. Patent No. 919,915 disclosed an inner tube for use in tires for automobiles. The tube body is formed of one or more layers of woven partially elastic fabric with rubber compound being forced into the meshes of the fabric and forming an outer and an inner covering forthe fabric.And a Spancer U.K.

Patent No. 15640 also disclosed an innertube for the wheels of road vehicles. The inner tube taught by Murphy is characterized by the rubber at or about the ends or edges of the strip or strip of canvas orfabric being thickened and the intervening circumferential strip consisting of rubber only made as thin as possible consistent with the necessary strength.

Although said prior patents all were a success in providing a necessary strength for the innertube, they still suffer the same problem that once the inner tube is pierced through by a pointed object, no puncture-sealing layer can be effected around the pierced object so as to tightly bind the object without air-pressure escaping therefrom. Therefore, emergency operation is still needed for safety purposes.

It is the general object of this invention to provide a tire casing having a puncture-sealing layer which can automatically seal a puncture by having rubberized interwoven flexible cords that engage around a puncturing object.

It is the other object ofthis invention to provide a novel tire casing, which can run a long distance after being punctured by a sharp object.

According to this invention,thetire casing is characterized by having a puncture-sealing layer made up of rubberized interwoven cords and formed in a tube shape which is extended over the inside surface of the tire casing after being inflated therein.

The presently preferred exemplary embodiment will be described in detail with respect to the following drawings wherein: Figure lisa perspective view of a tire according to this invention, with several nails inserted therein; Figure2 is a cross-section view of an embodiment ofthetire casing accoring to this invention; Figure 3 is a cross-section view of another embodiment ofthetire casing; Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on lines4-4ofFigure 1, showing a tire casing of this invention having been punctured buy a nail; and Figure 5is a schematic view showing the sealing effect of rubberized interwoven cords when a nail punctures through the puncture-sealing layer of the tire casing according to this invention.

Referring nowto Figure 2, there is shown a preferred embodiment of a tire casing 1 provided with a puncture-sealing layer 2 according to this invention.

As illustrated in the drawings, the puncture-sealing layer 2 is made of flexible interwoven cords 3 as best seen in Figure 5, which are formed in a proper sheet and rubberized into a tubular shape adapted to be secured to the innerwall of thetire casing 1 with or without applying an adhesive therebetween since the puncture-sealing layer 2 will be stretched to tightly contactthe inner wall of the tire casing 1 after being inflated. The cords 3 selected to be interwoven into a sheet must be in good flexible condition and tough so thatoncetheyare interwoven and rubberized a desirable cohesive force in the woven cords 3 is present.

The interwoven cord-sheet is rubberized into a proper tubular form and disposed within the tire casing 1. When the puncture-sealing layer 2 is inflated therein, it will automatically be combined with the inside surface of the tire casing 1.

From a view of Figure 3 and Figure 4 it is believed by the inventorthatwhen a sharp object, illustrated here as a nail 6, pierces the tire casing 1 and the puncture-sealing layer 2, at the momentthe sharp object pierces the casing, a little airwill leak out, and immediatelythe puncture-sealing layer 2 will workto seal the opening. As is better shown in Figure 5, the rubberized interwoven cords 3 can rapidly bind the nail 6 tightly. This rapid binding is due to the flexibility of the interwoven cords, since the high elasticity of the rubber causes almost instantaneous recovery to its original state after being punctured and locally deformed by such a nail 6. The result isthatthe nail 6 is snugly gripped by the puncture-sealing layer 2 of the rubberized cords 3 as shown in Figure 4.

Referring to Figure 3 in which another embodiment ofthis invention is shown, in this embodiment the puncture-sealing layer2 includes an annular portion 20 integrally formed along the opposing edges 21 and 22 ofthe puncture-sealing layerduring rubberization operation thereof. This annular portion 20 is constituted of all material and is to be directly positioned over the rim area 5 becausethre is litle possibilitythatthe annular portion 20 will be punctured by any sharp objects.

Atestto determine the usefulness of the invention is conducted bythefollowing precedure: Seven pieces of nails with lengths of at least 1/2" are inserted into the tire casing which is mounted on the rearwheel of a Scooter 90 motorcycle. The distance between each two nails is less than 20cm, the load of the motorcycle is about 130kg (two persons riding thereon). The tire casing to betested is inflated to a pressure of 3kg/cm2. After a long-distance ride of about 37 mites,thetire pressure is slightly lowerthan 3kg/cm2 due to a factthat a small amount of air leakage occurs when pulling outthe nozzles of the pneumatic pump and the pressure gauge from thetire.

Claims

1. Atirecasing having an inside surface, characterized by a tubuiar puncture-sealing layer extending overthe inside surface of the tire casing, said tubular puncture-sealing layer being made of interwoven flexible cords and rubberized for being secured in the inner wall of the tire casing, whereby an object puncturing the tire casing and said tubular puncture-sealing layer and projecting between cords will be tightly engaged bythecordsofsaid puncture-sealing layer around the objectto seal the puncturewithoutairescaping therefrom.

2. Atire casing having an inside surface according to Claim 1, further characterized in that said puncture-sealing layer is adhesively connected tothe wall ofthe inside surface ofthe tire casing.

3. Atire casing having an inside surface according to Claim 1,furthercharacterized in thatsaid puncture-sealing layerfurthercomprises an annular all-rubber portion intergrallyformed along the opposing edges of said puncture-sealing layerduring rubberization thereoffor being positioned directly over a rim area.