JP2003118315A - Safety tire, rim assembly body, and foaming composition - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a safety tire and a rim assembly body capable of stably running over the required distance even when an internal pressure of the tire is reduced after the tire is damaged without sacrificing rolling resistance and riding comfortableness in ordinary running before the tire is damaged. SOLUTION: The hollow doughnut-like tire is mounted on an application rim. Many particles composed of continuous phases of resin and independent air bubbles and having a substantially spherical shape are arranged under a predetermined volume filling factor in the inside of the tire partitioned by the tire and the application rim.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a safety tire and rim assembly which enables normal running even after being injured,
In particular, the present invention relates to a safety tire and a rim assembly that have excellent durability and riding comfort in running after tire damage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a pneumatic tire, for example, a passenger car tire, internal pressure (absolute pressure, the same applies hereinafter) 2
Air is trapped under about 50 to 350 kPa to generate tension in the tire skeleton portion such as the carcass and belt of the tire, and this tension enables deformation and restoration of the tire with respect to input to the tire. That is, by maintaining the internal pressure of the tire within a predetermined range, a constant tension is generated in the skeleton of the tire to impart a load supporting function and enhance rigidity, such as driving, braking and turning performance, It gives the basic performance required for vehicle running.

When the tire held at the predetermined internal pressure is damaged, air leaks to the outside through the damage and the internal pressure of the tire is reduced to atmospheric pressure. Most of the tension generated in the part is lost. Then, as a result of losing the load supporting function, driving, braking and turning performance obtained by applying a predetermined internal pressure to the tire,
A vehicle equipped with the tires becomes unable to run.

Therefore, many proposals have been made for safety tires that enable traveling even in a punctured state. For example, as pneumatic safety tires and rim assemblies for automobiles, there are various types such as those having a double wall structure, those in which a load supporting device is provided in the tire, and those in which tire side portions are reinforced. Proposed. Among these proposals, the technique actually used is a tire having a side reinforcing layer made of relatively hard rubber on the inner surface from the shoulder portion to the bead portion centering on the sidewall portion of the tire. This type of tire is mainly used as a so-called run-flat tire having a flatness ratio of 60% or less.

However, the method of adding the side reinforcing layer is as follows.
Since the tire weight is increased by 30 to 40% and the vertical spring constant of the tire is increased, there is a disadvantage that rolling resistance is significantly deteriorated and riding comfort during normal running before puncture is deteriorated. Therefore, it is a technology that is still lacking in versatility because it adversely affects the performance, fuel efficiency, and environment during normal driving.

On the other hand, in a pneumatic tire having a high tire cross-section height and an aspect ratio of 60% or more, in order to avoid heat generation in the sidewall portion due to traveling at a relatively high speed and a long distance, a core or the like is attached to the rim. Run-flat tires having a structure in which the internal support of is fixed to support the load at the time of puncture are mainly applied.

However, the tire cannot withstand the local repetitive stress generated between the tire and the internal support during the run-flat after the puncture, and as a result, the mileage after the puncture is about 100 to 200 km. Was limited to. In addition, the work of assembling the tire on the rim after disposing the inner support inside the tire is complicated and requires a long time, which is also a problem. In this regard, there has been proposed a device for facilitating the insertion of the internal support by providing a difference in the rim diameter between the one end side and the other end side in the width direction of the rim, but the sufficient effect has not been obtained.

In order to extend the mileage after puncture of a run flat tire having an internal support, it is effective to add a frame material to make the tire structure heavier.
The addition of the skeletal material deteriorates rolling resistance and riding comfort during normal use, so it is not practical to adopt this method.

Further, these conventional safety tires can exhibit the running ability after puncture to some extent on a normal asphalt road surface or a road surface having a relatively high friction coefficient such as an uneven road surface. However, on a road surface having a low coefficient of friction, which is represented by an icy road or a snowy road in winter, if the punctured tire is not the drive wheel but the idle wheel, a serious drawback is revealed. That is, in the state before puncture, the tire flexure is naturally small and maintains a shape close to a circle, so when the vehicle starts to move due to the driving force generated from the driving wheels at the time of start, the idle wheels will move as the vehicle moves. Start rolling. However, in the state after the puncture, the tire is largely bent, and the shape deviates from the circular shape. The idle wheel is a wheel that cannot roll on its own, that is, cannot generate a driving force. Therefore, the rolling of the idle wheel depends on the movement of the vehicle and the friction coefficient of the road surface. Therefore, on a road surface with a low coefficient of friction, even if the vehicle starts to move, the tire that has deflected significantly due to puncture and deviates from the circular shape due to the low coefficient of friction on the road surface will cause a large slip in the ground contact tread and roll. Without being dragged, it will move with the vehicle. The reason is that the ground contact pressure distribution in the ground contact tread becomes extremely non-uniform along with a large bending deformation as compared with the relatively uniform state before puncture. Such a situation occurs not only at the time of starting but also at the time of braking. Therefore, a "driving force adjustment function (traction control)" that is a function that is installed in the vehicle in advance to supplement safe driving on a road surface with a low friction coefficient, and a "braking force adjustment function" that avoids tire lock during braking (Anti-lock brake system) "is not fully exerted, and there is a risk that the vehicle may become out of control due to malfunction. In particular,
Needless to say, in a vehicle in which the front wheels are idle wheels and the steered wheels, and the rear wheels are the drive wheels, the puncture of the front wheels causes the steering performance to be extremely reduced, resulting in a very dangerous state.

Further, a tire in which a foam having closed cells is filled in an inner cavity of an assembly of a tire and a rim to be assembled to the tire is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 6-127207 and 6-183226. It is described in, for example, Kaihei 7-186610 and JP-A-8-332805. The tires proposed therein are mainly limited to special or small tires such as agricultural tires, rally tires, motorcycle tires and bicycle tires. Therefore, its application to tires for passenger cars and tires for trucks and buses, such as tires that emphasize rolling resistance and riding comfort, has been unknown. And since any foam has a low expansion ratio, it has a large weight in place of the foam having bubbles, and it is inevitable that vibration riding comfort and fuel consumption are deteriorated, and since the inside of the closed cells is at atmospheric pressure,
It was not functionally sufficient as a substitute for the high pressure air of conventional tires.

Further, Japanese Patent No. 2987076 discloses a puncture tire in which a foam filler is inserted in the inner peripheral portion. However, in addition to the disadvantage that the internal pressure of bubbles is extremely close to the atmospheric pressure, Since it is a urethane type, energy loss due to intermolecular hydrogen bond of urethane group is large and self-heating property is high. Therefore, when the urethane foam is filled in the tire, repeated deformation during rolling of the tire causes the foam to generate heat, resulting in a significant decrease in durability. In addition, since it is difficult to form air bubbles independently of each other, it is difficult for air bubbles to communicate with each other and it is difficult to retain gas, and the desired tire internal pressure (load supporting ability or deflection suppressing ability, the same applies below) is obtained. There are disadvantages that cannot be obtained.

Further, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 48-47002, the outer circumference of a multi-cell body mainly composed of closed cells is integrally covered with an outer coating film such as rubber or synthetic resin having a thickness of 0.5 to 3 mm. A puncture-less tire has been proposed in which a large number of expanded pressure bubbles that have been sealed are filled in a tire and the tire is maintained at a specified internal pressure. In this technique, in order to make the bubble internal pressure of the foam higher than normal pressure, the amount of the foaming agent compounded in the closed foam forming compound material that becomes the expansion pressure bubble is at least equal to or more than the tire internal volume. The amount of foaming agent that generates gas is set so that at least the same performance as ordinary pneumatic tires is aimed at.

In the above-mentioned technique, in order to prevent the gas in the bubbles in the expanded pressure bubble from being dissipated, the outer envelope film is integrally encapsulated and sealed. The material of the outer envelope film is exemplified by an automobile. Materials such as tubes for use or formulations for forming the tubes. In other words, a soft elastic envelope film mainly composed of butyl rubber having a low nitrogen gas permeability, which is used for a tire tube or the like, is used for covering and sealing, and many of these are filled in the tire. As the manufacturing method, an unvulcanized tire tube is used as the soft elastic envelope film, and an unvulcanized closed-cell body-forming compounded raw material is used as the expansion pressure bubble body, and after arranging a large number of these inside the tire / rim assembly, A foam-filled tire is obtained by foaming by heating. The atmospheric air inside the tire due to the expansion of the foam is naturally exhausted from the exhaust small holes formed in the rim.

Since the internal pressure of passenger car tires is generally set to about 250 to 350 kPa in absolute pressure at room temperature, the above foam-filled tire is manufactured by heating during vulcanization molding. It is estimated from the equation of state of gas that the internal pressure is approximately 1.5 times the internal pressure in the state of (140 ° C.). However, at such a pressure level, it is unavoidable that the vulcanization pressure is insufficient and blown out. In order to avoid this blown phenomenon, it is necessary to greatly increase the compounding amount of the foaming agent to increase the pressure generated by foaming and increase the heating temperature. However, the method of increasing the blending amount of the blowing agent is to increase the blending amount of the blowing agent so that the internal pressure at room temperature is 400%.
Since it greatly exceeds kPa, it has been difficult to substitute for a conventional pneumatic tire. In addition, the method of increasing the heating temperature causes a great damage to the tire due to heat aging and significantly deteriorates the durability of the tire, which causes a problem in the durability in long-term use. On the other hand, inside the tire and the rim assembly, a large number of expansion pressure bubbles wrapped in a soft elastic envelope film are arranged, but the friction between the soft elastic envelope films in which the blown occurs, the tire inner surface and the rim inner surface There is a big problem in terms of durability such as friction with.
From the above, it can be said that the above-mentioned problem is a large defect caused by disposing a large number of divided expanded pressure bubbles, unlike the case where the expanded pressure bubbles have an integral donut shape. Further, although the exhaust small hole formed in the rim is effective for naturally exhausting the normal pressure air inside the tire due to the expansion of the inflation pressure bubble, it does not function as a dissipation path for the gas in the bubble in the inflation pressure bubble. Therefore, it cannot withstand long-term use.

Further, as the soft elastic envelope film, a compounded composition mainly composed of butyl rubber having a small nitrogen gas permeability such as a tire tube is used. However, since butyl rubber has an extremely slow vulcanization reaction rate, A large heating time is required at a temperature of about 140 ° C. to complete the reaction. This means that the cross-linking density of the soft elastic envelope coating is insufficient, and it goes without saying that it becomes a factor in the occurrence of peeling of the soft elastic envelope coating. Further, the extension of the heating time further increases the damage of the tire due to the above-mentioned heat aging, so that the deterioration of the durability cannot be avoided and is not a good measure.

[0016]

Therefore, the present invention is
To provide a safety tire and a rim assembly capable of stably traveling a required distance even when the tire internal pressure is lowered after the tire is damaged, without sacrificing rolling resistance and riding comfort during normal traveling. The purpose is to

Another object of the present invention is to provide a foamable resin composition which is a raw material for particles arranged inside the safety tire and rim assembly.

[0018]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of intensive studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventors have found that in order to enable stable running even when the tire internal pressure decreases after injury.
It has been found that it is effective to apply the minimum tire pressure necessary for the subsequent running by an appropriate means when gas in the tire leaks due to external damage.

That is, the gist of the present invention is as follows. (1) A hollow donut-shaped tire is attached to an application rim, and a large number of substantially spherical particles composed of a continuous phase and closed cells made of resin are provided inside the tire partitioned by the tire and the application rim. Volume filling rate defined by the following formula is 75% or more 1
A safety tire and rim assembly characterized by being arranged below 50%. Note (volume filling rate) = (Vs / Vt) × 100 where, Vs: total volume (liters) of all particles arranged inside the tire under atmospheric pressure, where Vs is Vt including void volume around particles : Tire internal volume (liter)

(2) The safety tire and rim assembly according to the above (1), wherein the volume filling rate of particles in the tire is 75% or more and 130% or less.

(3) In the above (1) or (2),
A safety tire and a rim assembly, wherein the volume filling rate of particles in the tire is 75% or more and 110% or less.

(4) In any one of the above (1) to (3), the volume filling rate of particles in the tire is 85% or more 1
A safety tire and rim assembly characterized by being less than or equal to 00%.

(5) In any one of (1) to (4) above, the pressure of the voids around the particles at 25 ° C. is 150 kPa or more in absolute pressure, and the pressure at 25 ° C. in the closed cells of the particles is A safety tire and rim assembly having an absolute pressure of 150 kPa or more.

(6) In any one of the above (1) to (5), the content of particles having a specific gravity of 0.79 or more is 40 mass.
% Or less, a safety tire and rim assembly.

(7) In any one of the above (1) to (6), the content of particles having a specific gravity of 0.79 or more is 30 mass.
% Or less, a safety tire and rim assembly.

(8) In any one of (1) to (7) above, the content of particles having a specific gravity of 0.79 or more is 20 mass.
% Or less, a safety tire and rim assembly.

(9) In any one of (1) to (8) above, the content of particles having a specific gravity of 0.79 or more is 5 mass%.
A safety tire and rim assembly, characterized in that:

(10) In any one of the above (1) to (9), the continuous phase of particles is at least one of polyvinyl alcohol resin, acrylonitrile polymer, acrylic polymer and vinylidene chloride polymer. A safety tire and rim assembly comprising:

(11) In any one of the above (1) to (10), the continuous phase of particles comprises an acrylonitrile polymer, and the acrylonitrile polymer is an acrylonitrile polymer, an acrylonitrile / methacrylonitrile copolymer, A safety tire and rim assembly comprising at least one selected from an acrylonitrile / methyl methacrylate copolymer and an acrylonitrile / methacrylonitrile / methyl methacrylate terpolymer.

(12) In any one of (1) to (11) above, the continuous phase of the particles is made of an acrylic polymer, and the acrylic polymer is a methyl methacrylate resin, a methyl methacrylate / acrylonitrile copolymer, Methyl methacrylate / methacrylonitrile copolymer and methyl methacrylate / acrylonitrile /
A safety tire and a rim assembly, which is at least one selected from a methacrylonitrile terpolymer.

(13) In any one of (1) to (12) above, the continuous phase of the particles comprises a vinylidene chloride polymer, and the vinylidene chloride polymer is a vinylidene chloride / acrylonitrile copolymer or vinylidene chloride. / Methyl methacrylate copolymer, vinylidene chloride / methacrylonitrile copolymer, vinylidene chloride / acrylonitrile / methacrylonitrile copolymer, vinylidene chloride / acrylonitrile / methyl methacrylate copolymer,
A safety tire and rim assembly comprising at least one selected from vinylidene chloride / methacrylonitrile / methyl methacrylate copolymer and vinylidene chloride / acrylonitrile / methacrylonitrile / methyl methacrylate copolymer.

(14) In any one of (1) to (13) above, nitrogen, air and carbon number 2 are contained in the bubbles of the particles.
To 8 linear and branched aliphatic hydrocarbons and fluorinated products thereof, alicyclic hydrocarbons having 2 to 8 carbon atoms and fluorinated products thereof, and the following general formula (I): R ¹ -O-R ² ---- (I) (R ¹ and R ² in the formula each independently have 1 carbon atom
At least 1 selected from the group consisting of a monovalent hydrocarbon group of 5 to 5 and some of the hydrogen atoms of the hydrocarbon group may be replaced with fluorine atoms). A safety tire and rim assembly having a species of gas.

(15) In any one of the above (1) to (14), the continuous phase of particles has a gas permeability coefficient of 300 × 10 ⁻¹² (cc · cm / cm ² · s · c) at 30 ° C.
mHg) or less, a safety tire and rim assembly.

(16) In any one of (1) to (15) above, the continuous phase of particles has a gas permeability coefficient of 20 × 10 ⁻¹² (cc · cm / cm ² · s · cm) at 30 ° C.
Hg) or less, a safety tire and a rim assembly.

(17) In any one of (1) to (16) above, the continuous phase of particles has a gas permeability coefficient of 2 × 10 ⁻¹² (cc · cm / cm ² · s · cmH at 30 ° C.).
g) A safety tire and rim assembly, characterized in that:

(18) In any one of (1) to (17) above, an inner liner layer is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the tire, and the inner liner layer has a melting point of 170 to 230 ° C.
And a rim of an isobutylene paramethylstyrene copolymer, which comprises a thermoplastic elastomer composition dynamically vulcanized to a gelation rate of 50 to 95%. Assembly.

(19) In the above (18), the gas permeability coefficient of the inner liner layer at 30 ° C. is 20 × 10.
^-12 (cc · cm / cm ² · s · cmHg) or less, a safety tire and a rim assembly.

(20) A foamable composition containing the following resin (A) and one or both of the following thermally decomposable foaming agent (B) and the following foaming agent (C). (A) At least one selected from polyvinyl alcohol resin, acrylonitrile-based polymer, acrylic polymer and vinylidene chloride-based polymer (B) dinitrosopentamethylenetetramine, azodicarbonamide, paratoluenesulfonylhydrazine and derivatives thereof. And at least one (C) linear or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon having 2 to 8 carbon atoms selected from oxybisbenzenesulfonylhydrazine and its fluorinated product, and alicyclic hydrocarbon having 2 to 8 carbon atoms And a fluorinated compound thereof, and the following general formula (I): R ¹ —O—R ² ---- (I) (R ¹ and R ² in the formula each independently have 1 carbon atom.
To 5 monovalent hydrocarbon groups, in which a part of the hydrogen atoms of the hydrocarbon groups may be replaced by fluorine atoms), at least one selected from ether compounds

[0039]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A safety tire and a rim assembly according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
It will be described based on. That is, in the illustrated safety tire and rim assembly, the tire 1 is mounted on the applicable rim 2, and the tire 1 divided by the tire 1 and the applicable rim 2 is composed of a resin continuous phase and closed cells. , A large number of substantially spherical particles 3 are arranged. The structure of the tire 1 is not particularly limited as long as it is a tire for various automobiles, such as a tire for passenger cars, which is generally used. For example,
The illustrated tire is a general automobile tire, and a belt 6 and a tread 7 are sequentially arranged on the outer side in the radial direction of a crown portion of a carcass 5 extending in a toroidal shape between a pair of bead cores 4. In the figure, reference numeral 8 is an inner liner layer.

The particles 3 have closed cells surrounded by a continuous phase made of a substantially spherical resin, for example, having a diameter of 10 μm.
It is a spongy structure having a hollow body of about 500 μm or a large number of small chambers formed by closed cells. That is, the particle 3 is a particle that contains closed air bubbles that are closed without communicating with the outside, and the number of the air bubbles may be singular.
There may be a plurality. The fact that the particles have closed cells means that the particles have a resin shell that encloses the closed cells in a sealed state. The continuous phase of the above-mentioned resin refers to the continuous phase in terms of the component composition that constitutes the resin shell. The composition of this resin shell is as described below.

A large number of the particles 3 are provided under a volume filling ratio defined by the following formula (A) of 75% or more and 150% or less.
By arranging the inside of the tire, the internal pressure of the tire is partially supported, and the minimum necessary internal pressure required at low internal pressure is secured. Note (volume filling rate) = (Vs / Vt) × 100 ---- (A) Here, Vs: total volume (liters) of all particles arranged inside the tire under atmospheric pressure Vt: internal volume of the tire (liter)

Here, the total volume of all particles arranged inside the tire under atmospheric pressure is calculated by the following method. First,
The average bulk specific gravity of the particles at atmospheric pressure is determined. The method is calculated, for example, by measuring the weight of a known volume under atmospheric pressure. Here, the particles are weighed in a graduated cylinder under atmospheric pressure, and vibration is applied in an ultrasonic water bath, and the total volume of particles and the total weight of particles are measured in a state where packing between particles is stable. The average bulk specific gravity under the above atmospheric pressure was calculated by. That is, the average bulk specific gravity of particles under atmospheric pressure is the average bulk specific gravity of particles under atmospheric pressure = total weight of particles / total volume of particles.

Next, the total weight of the particles packed in the tire is measured and divided by the average bulk specific gravity of the particles calculated above under the atmospheric pressure to obtain the atmospheric pressure of all the particles arranged inside the tire. The total volume at can be calculated. That is, the total volume of all the particles arranged inside the tire under the atmospheric pressure = the total weight of the particles packed in the tire / the average bulk specific gravity of the particles under the atmospheric pressure.

The inner volume of the tire is defined by the volume enclosed by the tire and the rim. Therefore, after assembling the rim to the tire, it was decided to fill the inside with a non-compressible fluid such as water having a known specific gravity, and determine the tire internal volume from the weight increase.

That is, in a tire assembly in which a large number of the particles 3 are arranged inside the tire 1 under the above-mentioned volume filling rate, when the tire is damaged, the particles 3 and the internal pressure of the tire are regulated. As a result of the gas present in the voids 9 between the particles 3 leaking out of the tire, the internal pressure of the tire is reduced to the same level as the outside of the tire. However, in the process of lowering the internal pressure, the following phenomenon occurs in the tire, so that the required tire internal pressure is maintained.

That is, first, when the tire is damaged and the internal pressure starts to decrease, the particles seal the damaged portion, and a rapid decrease in internal pressure is suppressed. On the other hand, the amount of flexure of the tire increases as the tire internal pressure decreases, and the tire internal volume decreases, so that the particles themselves directly bear the load, and the minimum tire internal pressure required for the subsequent running is obtained. Will be held. Further, the bubble internal pressure in the closed cells of the particles that existed under the tire internal pressure before the damage, while maintaining the pressure according to the tire internal pressure after the damage, in other words,
The particles will be present in the tire while keeping the total volume of the particles before being damaged. Therefore, as the tire further rolls, the particles themselves directly bear the load, and the particles cause friction and self-heat, resulting in a sharp rise in the temperature of the particles in the tire. Then, when the temperature exceeds the expansion start temperature of the resin forming the continuous phase of the particles, in addition to the pressure inside the closed cells of the particles being the pressure according to the tire internal pressure before damage, Since the pressure inside the bubble is further rising due to the sudden rise, the volume of the particles expands at once, and the tire internal pressure is restored to a pressure close to the state before the injury.

In the above state, the particles directly bear the load to give the minimum tire internal pressure required for running. The tire deflection in this state is relatively small, and it is possible to maintain a circular shape compared to the above-mentioned conventional safety tire, and thus it is possible to maintain a relatively uniform contact pressure distribution in the contact tread. By filling the particles of the present invention in a tire mainly used for road surface running in winter such as a studless tire, the basic performance of the studless tire is not deteriorated even after the tire is damaged. That is, even on a road surface having a low coefficient of friction such as on a snowy road, the driving performance such as driveability, braking performance, turning performance, etc. is not significantly deteriorated and the vehicle is not incapable of running.

The above effects can be obtained by arranging the particles inside the tire under a predetermined compressibility, so that it is not necessary to regulate the tire structure itself, and a general-purpose tire and a general-purpose rim are used. As a result, a new safety tire and rim assembly can be provided.

Here, the volume filling rate is 75% or more and 15
The limit to 0% or less is that when the volume filling rate is less than 75%, when the air pressure around the particles becomes equal to the atmospheric pressure due to tire damage, the tire largely bends, and the vehicle runs while dragging the side portion. Therefore, there is a risk that the tire will be damaged before the target distance is reached due to local wear of the side portion. On the other hand, if it exceeds 150%, some of the particles are completely crushed by compression, and at this point some of the particles are destroyed. Therefore, when the tire internal pressure decreases due to tire damage, it may not be possible to guarantee that the minimum tire internal pressure required for traveling a certain distance is maintained. For the above reasons, the volume filling rate of particles inside the tire is limited, and further, the volume filling rate may be 75% or more and 130% or less, 75% or more and 110% or less, and 80% or more and 100% or less. , And more preferable.

Further, the spring constant in the radial direction of the tire can be variously changed by variously changing the volume filling rate when the particles are filled in the tire within the above range. That is, by increasing the volume filling rate,
When the air pressure around the particles after the tire is damaged drops to the same level as the atmospheric pressure, each particle under compression generates a recovery reaction force, so that a high spring constant can be secured.

After supplying the particles into the tire, the particles can be compressed by filling the inside of the tire with air of, for example, about 200 to 300 kPa. Therefore, the compression level of the particles can be set within a desired range by appropriately adjusting the amount of particles supplied to the inside of the tire and the pressure of the air filling the inside of the tire.

If the particles are compressed by the above-mentioned method, high pressure air will pass around the particles, and the load that the particles bear during normal running can be reduced. The added fatigue is also reduced, so that the durability of the particles is not impaired.

The pressure in the voids around the particles, which corresponds to the internal pressure of the tire, is 150 kPa in absolute pressure at 25 ° C.
It is recommended that the pressure is preferably 200 kPa or more.
That is, the pressure is 150 kPa or more, preferably 20 kPa.
Setting the pressure to 0 kPa or more means increasing the compression level of particles and increasing the void pressure around the particles. In normal driving before tire damage, the load bearing ratio of the particles is reduced and the durability of the particles is preserved. It is possible.

By the way, although the particles are characterized by having an extremely small specific gravity, not all the particles are uniform, but the particles have a specific gravity distribution. From the viewpoint of specific gravity, these particles can be roughly separated into two components. A component that precipitates in ethanol (specific gravity: 0.79) (particles with a specific gravity of 0.79 or more) and a floating component (specific gravity is 0). Separation of particles having a particle size of 0.79 or less) was attempted, and each particle was positioned under the definition such as the content of the precipitated component relative to the total weight of the sample. Here, the facts found from the definition of the precipitation component content rate are as follows.

It is important that the content of particles having a specific gravity of 0.79 or more among the particles arranged inside the tire is 40 mass% or less. First, the content rate of particles having a specific gravity of 0.79 or more was defined because it was found that the component having a specific gravity of 0.79 or more controls the durability of the particles. Therefore, the content of particles having a specific gravity of 0.79 or more is 40 mass%
If the air pressure exceeds the atmospheric pressure around the particles due to tire damage, the particles will break down extremely rapidly and the tire will bend significantly, and the side parts will drag while running, so the side parts There is a problem that the tire is destroyed before the target distance is reached due to local wear. For the above reasons, the content of particles having a specific gravity of 0.79 or more is limited, and further, the content is 30% or less,
It is more preferably 20% or less, and 5% or less.

Here, when arranging a large number of particles 3 inside the tire according to the present invention, it is important to add a liquid that does not substantially swell a continuous layer of particles inside the tire. By adding this liquid, it is possible to further enhance the sealing function of the tire damaged portion when the tire is damaged and further extend the traveling distance after the tire is damaged. That is,
Since the particles have a substantially spherical shape, they have high fluidity, and therefore, the particles can be easily filled into the tire and the rim assembly from an inlet having a small inner diameter such as a valve of the tire. On the other hand, when the tire is damaged, particles tend to blow out from the damaged part to the outside of the tire and collect on the inner surface of the damaged part. However, the damage route from the inner surface of the damaged portion to the outer peripheral surface of the tire has a complicated intricate shape rather than a straight line, and thus particles entering from the scratch on the inner surface of the tire block the way on the way of the path, resulting in a large number of particles. As a result, the particles gather in a compressed state on the inner surface of the damaged part, and the damaged part is sealed with particles. At that time, if a liquid is added to the inside of the tire together with the particles, it is possible to aggregate several to several thousand particles based on the affinity between the particle surface and the liquid and the viscosity of the liquid. When a tire is damaged, it is possible to instantly fill the damaged part with an aggregate of particles.

Further, since the liquid to be mixed has a significantly larger specific gravity than particles, it is distributed in large quantities on the inner surface of the tire tread portion due to the centrifugal force associated with tire rolling during normal running. This indicates that a large number of relatively large aggregated particles were present in the vicinity of the inner surface of the tire tread during normal running. Therefore, when the tire is damaged by stepping on a foreign substance or the like, most of the particles that have been aggregated through a relatively large amount of liquid quickly seal the damaged part, which is extremely effective.

In order to obtain a particle-filled tire in which a liquid is mixed, the following points should be noted in production. That is, when filling the tire, it is important that the particles are filled in a highly fluid state, in other words, in a dry state before being mixed with the liquid. The particles form an aggregate by mixing with the liquid as described above. Therefore, the particles mixed with the liquid are
The fluidity becomes extremely low, making it difficult to fill the tire. Therefore, the liquid to be mixed is efficiently and surely applied by a method of applying the liquid to the tire inner surface or the rim inner surface before the filling or a method of injecting the liquid into the tire and the rim assembly after the particles are filled.

The liquid used here does not particularly swell the continuous phase of the particles or cause a chemical reaction, and preferably does not cause a swell or a chemical reaction with respect to the inner liner layer. Performance such as stability against heat generation during driving is required. For example, silicone oil and aliphatic polyhydric alcohols represented by ethylene glycol and propylene glycol can be cited.

Further, in order to apply the minimum necessary internal pressure by the particles in a low internal pressure state after the tire is damaged, the gas enclosed in the closed cells of the particles at a predetermined pressure should not leak to the outside of the particles. In other words, it is essential that the continuous phase of closed cells in the particles has a property of making it difficult for gas to permeate. That is, the continuous phase of the particles forming the matrix of the closed cells is made of a material having low gas permeability, specifically, polyvinyl alcohol resin, acrylonitrile-based copolymer, acrylic copolymer, vinylidene chloride-based copolymer. , Acrylonitrile / styrene resin (AS), polyethylene resin (PE), polypropylene resin (P
P), polyester resin (PET) and polystyrene / polyethylene copolymer (PS / PE). All of these materials are particularly effective for the present invention because they can be foamed relatively easily in the tire and have flexibility for input due to tire deformation.

Particularly, it is preferable to apply any one of polyvinyl alcohol resin, acrylonitrile polymer, acrylic polymer and vinylidene chloride polymer to the continuous phase of the particles. Further, as the acrylonitrile-based polymer, acrylonitrile polymer, acrylonitrile / methacrylonitrile copolymer, acrylonitrile / methylmethacrylate copolymer and acrylonitrile / methacrylonitrile / methylmethacrylate 3
At least one selected from the original copolymers, as the acrylic polymer, methyl methacrylate resin (MMA),
Methyl methacrylate / acrylonitrile copolymer (M
MA / AN), methyl methacrylate / methacrylonitrile copolymer (MMA / MAN) and methyl methacrylate / acrylonitrile / methacrylonitrile 3
At least one selected from the former copolymers (MMA / AN / MAN), and as the vinylidene chloride-based polymer,
Vinylidene chloride / acrylonitrile copolymer, vinylidene chloride / methyl methacrylate copolymer, vinylidene chloride / methacrylonitrile copolymer, vinylidene chloride /
Acrylonitrile / methacrylonitrile copolymer, vinylidene chloride / acrylonitrile / methyl methacrylate copolymer, vinylidene chloride / methacrylonitrile /
At least one selected from the group consisting of methyl methacrylate copolymer, vinylidene chloride / acrylonitrile / methacrylonitrile / methyl methacrylate copolymer is preferably suitable. Since all of these materials have a low gas permeability coefficient and a low gas permeability, the gas in the closed cells does not leak to the outside and the air pressure in the closed cells can be maintained.

Furthermore, the continuous phase of particles has a gas permeability coefficient of 300 × 10 ⁻¹² (cc · cm / cm ^{2) at} 30 ° C.
· S · cmHg) or less, preferably a gas permeability coefficient at 30 ° C. of 20 × 10 ⁻¹² (cc · cm / cm ² · s · c)
mHg) or less, more preferably a gas permeability coefficient at 30 ° C. of 2 × 10 ⁻¹² (cc · cm / cm ² · s · cmH)
It is recommended that g) or less. Because, the gas permeability coefficient of the inner liner layer in a normal pneumatic tire is 300 × 10 ⁻¹² (cc · cm / cm ² · s · cm).
Considering the track record of having a sufficient internal pressure holding function at a level of Hg) or less, the gas permeation coefficient at 30 ° C. of the continuous phase of particles is 300 × 10 ⁻¹² (cc · cm / cm 2).
cm ² · s · cmHg) or less. However, at this gas permeation coefficient level, it is necessary to replenish the internal pressure about once every 3 to 6 months, so from the viewpoint of maintainability,
20 x 10 ^-12 (Cc · cm / cm ² ・ S ・ cmHg)
^Or less, more preferably 2 × 10 ⁻¹² (cc · cm / c)
m ² · s · cmHg) or less is recommended.

The gas forming the closed cells of the particles includes nitrogen, air, linear and branched aliphatic hydrocarbons having 2 to 8 carbon atoms and their fluorinated products, and alicyclic rings having 2 to 8 carbon atoms. Formula hydrocarbons and fluorinated compounds thereof, and the following general formula (I): R ¹ —O—R ² ---- (I) (R ¹ and R ² in the formula each independently have a carbon number of 1).
At least 1 selected from the group consisting of a monovalent hydrocarbon group of 5 to 5 and some of the hydrogen atoms of the hydrocarbon group may be replaced with fluorine atoms). Seed. The gas filled in the tire may be air, but when the gas in the particles is not a fluorinated product, a gas containing no oxygen, such as nitrogen or an inert gas, is preferable in terms of safety.

The method of forming particles having closed cells is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use a foaming agent. Examples of the foaming agent include a thermally decomposable foaming agent that generates a gas by thermal decomposition, a high-pressure compressed gas and a liquefied gas. These high-pressure compressed gas and liquefied gas heat a liquid to vaporize it, and specifically correspond to the above-mentioned foaming agent (C). In particular, many of the thermally decomposable foaming agents have a characteristic of generating nitrogen, and the particles obtained by appropriately controlling the reaction have nitrogen in the bubbles.

Further, during the above resin continuous phase polymerization for forming particles, propane, butane, pentane, hexane, heptane, octane, cyclopropane, cyclobutane, cyclopentane, cyclohexane, cycloheptane, cyclooctane and the like are liquefied under high pressure. Then, while dispersing in the reaction solvent, there is also a method of emulsion polymerization, by which propane, butane, pentane, hexane, heptane, octane, cyclopropane, cyclobutane, cyclopentane,
Cyclohexane, cycloheptane and cyclooctane gas components such as liquid can be obtained foamable resin particles that are contained in the resin continuous phase in the liquid state, filled in the tire with this, when the particles by heating, Propane, butane, pentane, hexane, heptane,
Octane, cyclopropane, cyclobutane, cyclopentane, cyclohexane, cycloheptane and cyclooctane are included. The isomers of butane, pentane, hexane, heptane and octane include isobutane, isopentane, neopentane, 2-methylpentane, 2,2-dimethylbutane, methylhexanes, dimethylpentanes, trimethylbutane, methylheptanes. , Dimethylhexanes, trimethylpentanes and the like.

The desired tire can be obtained by heating and foaming the surface of the expandable resin particles coated with a surface active agent, an oil agent or the like in the tire. Further, the target tire can be obtained by preliminarily heat-foaming the resin particles enclosing the liquefied gas to form substantially spherical particles and compressing and filling the particles into the tire.

On the other hand, a tire usually has an inner liner layer on its inner peripheral surface. The inner liner layer comprises a nylon resin having a melting point of 170 to 230 ° C. and a halogen of isobutylene paramethylstyrene copolymer. And a thermoplastic elastomer composition in which an elastomer component containing a compound is dynamically vulcanized to a gelation rate of 50 to 95%,
preferable. This is because, unlike the conventional inner liner layer mainly composed of butyl rubber, by using a nylon resin as the continuous phase, the gas permeability becomes extremely low, so that the function of the inner liner layer can be enhanced. On the other hand, the gelling rate of the elastomer component containing the halide of isobutylene paramethylstyrene copolymer is 50 to 95%.
By using the dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic elastomer composition, it is possible to obtain an inner liner layer having excellent flexibility, heat resistance and durability. The inner liner layer having the above characteristics can create an environment in which the gas in the closed bubbles of the particles can easily remain in the bubbles.

The gelation rate means the pelletized mixture after biaxial kneading, is subjected to Soxhlet extraction with acetone in a water bath for 8 hours, and the residue is further subjected to n-
It is a value calculated by the following formula by extracting the unvulcanized elastomer component with a solvent by Soxhlet extraction with hexane and measuring the weight of the acetone and n-hexane extract after solvent drying. Gelation rate (%) = [weight of total formulation − {(amount of acetone extracted + amount of n-hexane extracted) −amount of stearic acid}] / weight of total formulation × 100

[0069] Further, the inner liner layer, the gas permeability coefficient at 30 ° C. is ^{20 × 10 -1 2 (cc ·} cm / c
It is preferably m ² · s · cmHg) or less. This is because even if the gas in the bubbles leaks from the particles for some reason, the gas in the bubbles in the particles may leak to the outside of the tire if the gas permeability of the inner liner layer is sufficiently low. Is less, which is advantageous for maintaining the internal pressure of the tire. That is, the gas permeability of the inner liner layer is a factor that directly determines the pressure retention of the tire as a pressure vessel. Of course, it is fundamental that the gas permeability of the continuous phase forming the particles is low, and it is ideal that an inner liner layer having low gas permeability is used.

Since the above effects are obtained by arranging particles inside the tire, it is not necessary to regulate the tire structure itself, and a general-purpose tire and a general-purpose rim are utilized to newly add a safety tire and A rim assembly can be provided.

[0071]

EXAMPLE A tire having the structure shown in FIG.
Particles of various specifications shown in Table 1 were applied as shown in the table, and a passenger car safety tire and a rim assembly in which a tire of size 205 / 60R15 was incorporated in a rim of size 6J × 15 were prototyped. Further, particles of various specifications shown in Table 2 were applied as shown in the same table, and truck and bus tires in which a tire of size 11R22.5 was incorporated in a rim of size 750 × 22.5 were prototyped. Here, the tire 1 complies with a general structure of the tire type and size. The types of compositions constituting the continuous phase of the particles in Tables 1 and 2 are as shown in Table 3, and the resin particles in which the bubble gas component shown in Table 3 is sealed are heated to foam the particles. The particles were loaded inside the tire under the volume filling rates shown in Tables 1 and 2. Similarly, the rubber types of the inner liner layer are as shown in Table 4, respectively.

For each of the tires thus obtained, the safety tire for passenger cars had a load load of 4.41 kN and a speed of 90.
The tire deflection amount was measured before and after the drum running before and after the drum running test at a load load of 26.46 kN and a speed of 60 km / h at a speed of 60 km / h respectively for a distance of 5000 km. Deflection change amount (tire height of tire before running under load-tire height after running under load)
The tire height before running under the load of each tire is 1
It was described as an index when 00 was set. The smaller this index is, the better the result is.

Here, the fact that the load can be supported means that
That is, the tire has a force capable of opposing the force from the outside. In the conventional tire, this force is exerted by the air inside, and in the tire of the present invention, the particles filled inside and the gas present in the voids around the particles are exerted.
If the two are in opposition, the tire retains its original shape and does not hinder driving, but if the force from the inside of the tire decreases due to leakage of internal air, etc., the force from the outside Is gradually deformed, causing the phenomenon of flexure. Leakage of the air inside means that the air filled in the tire in the conventional pneumatic tire leaks out of the tire, and in the tire of the present invention, the gas contained in the bubbles in the particles is outside, that is, Leakage into the voids around the particles, and the gas existing in the voids around the particles further leaks to the outside of the tire. Therefore, in the present invention, the rate of increase in the amount of flexure of the tire is measured as an index for grasping the change in the load bearing capacity of the tire.

Also, the passenger car tire after running on the drum was mounted on a 2000 cc class passenger car, and then a tire having a diameter of 3 mm and a length of 3 cm was penetrated from the outside of the tire tread to the tread to prevent damage. After being given, a load equivalent to that for four passengers was loaded, the test course was run at 90 km / h, and a maximum of 300 km was carried out, and a travelable distance of 200 km or more was passed. In addition, the tires for trucks and buses after running on the drum were subjected to external damage by penetrating a tread from the outside of the tire tread with a nail having a diameter of 5 mm and a length of 8 cm, and then loaded on a truck loaded with 100% load. The test course was run at 60 km / h for a maximum of 100 km, and a passable distance of 40 km or more was passed.
The results of these investigations are also shown in Tables 1 and 2.

[0075]

[Table 1]

[0076]

[Table 2]

[0077]

[Table 3]

[0078]

[Table 4]

[0079]

According to the present invention, a safety tire that enables stable running even in a tire-damaged state without sacrificing rolling resistance and riding comfort during normal running before the tire is damaged, and A rim assembly can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view in a tire width direction showing a safety tire and a rim assembly according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 tire 2 rims 3 particles 4 bead core 5 carcass 6 belts 7 tread 8 Inner liner layer 9 void

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 4F074 AA37 AA37A AA42 AA48                       AA48A AA49 AA49A BA16                       BA17 BA19 BA31 BA35 BA36                       BA37 BA38 BA39 BA40 BA53                       CA23 CA32 CA33 CA34 CA49                       CC32Y CC42Y DA02 DA12                       DA59

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. A hollow donut-shaped tire is mounted on an application rim, and a large number of substantially spherical particles each of which is composed of a continuous phase made of resin and closed cells are provided inside the tire partitioned by the tire and the application rim. The volume filling rate defined by the following formula is 75
% And 150% or less, a safety tire and a rim assembly. Note (volume filling rate) = (Vs / Vt) × 100 where, Vs: total volume (liters) of all particles arranged inside the tire under atmospheric pressure, where Vs is Vt including void volume around particles : Tire internal volume (liter) 2. The safety tire and rim assembly according to claim 1, wherein the volume filling rate of particles in the tire is 75% or more and 130% or less. 3. The safety tire and rim assembly according to claim 1, wherein a volume filling rate of particles in the tire is 75% or more and 110% or less. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A safety tire and a rim assembly, wherein the volume filling rate of particles in the tire is 80% or more and 100% or less. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The pressure of the void around the particle at 25 ° C is 150 in absolute pressure.
A safety tire and rim assembly having a pressure of not less than kPa and a pressure in a closed cell of particles at 25 ° C. of not less than 150 kPa in absolute pressure. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A safety tire and rim assembly characterized in that the content of particles having a specific gravity of 0.79 or more is 40 mass% or less. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A safety tire and a rim assembly, characterized in that the content of particles having a specific gravity of 0.79 or more is 30 mass% or less. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein
A safety tire and rim assembly, characterized in that the content of particles having a specific gravity of 0.79 or more is 20 mass% or less. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein
A safety tire and a rim assembly, wherein the content of particles having a specific gravity of 0.79 or more is 5 mass% or less. 10. The particle continuous phase according to claim 1, wherein the continuous phase comprises at least one of polyvinyl alcohol resin, acrylonitrile-based polymer, acrylic polymer and vinylidene chloride-based polymer. A featured safety tire and rim assembly. 11. The particle according to claim 1, wherein the continuous phase of the particles comprises an acrylonitrile polymer, and the acrylonitrile polymer is an acrylonitrile polymer, an acrylonitrile / methacrylonitrile copolymer, or acrylonitrile / methyl methacrylate. A safety tire and rim assembly characterized by being at least one selected from a copolymer and an acrylonitrile / methacrylonitrile / methyl methacrylate terpolymer. 12. The particle according to claim 1, wherein the continuous phase of the particles is made of an acrylic polymer, and the acrylic polymer is a methyl methacrylate resin, a methyl methacrylate / acrylonitrile copolymer, a methyl methacrylate / meth. A safety tire and rim assembly comprising at least one selected from an acrylonitrile copolymer and a methyl methacrylate / acrylonitrile / methacrylonitrile terpolymer. 13. The continuous phase of particles according to claim 1, wherein the continuous phase of the particles is a vinylidene chloride polymer.
The vinylidene chloride-based polymer is a vinylidene chloride / acrylonitrile copolymer, vinylidene chloride / methyl methacrylate copolymer, vinylidene chloride / methacrylonitrile copolymer, vinylidene chloride / acrylonitrile / methacrylonitrile copolymer, vinylidene chloride / acrylonitrile / A safety tire and rim set comprising at least one selected from a methylmethacrylate copolymer, vinylidene chloride / methacrylonitrile / methylmethacrylate copolymer and vinylidene chloride / acrylonitrile / methacrylonitrile / methylmethacrylate copolymer Three-dimensional. 14. The particle according to claim 1, wherein nitrogen, air, a linear or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon having 2 to 8 carbon atoms and a fluorinated product thereof, or a carbon atom having 2 carbon atoms are contained in the bubbles of the particles. To alicyclic hydrocarbons and fluorinated compounds thereof, and the following general formula (I): R ¹ —O—R ² ---- (I) (R ¹ and R ² in the formula are each independently Carbon number 1
At least 1 selected from the group consisting of a monovalent hydrocarbon group of 5 to 5 and some of the hydrogen atoms of the hydrocarbon group may be replaced with fluorine atoms). A safety tire and rim assembly having a species of gas. 15. The continuous phase of particles according to claim 1, which has a gas permeability coefficient of 3 at 30 ° C.
A safety tire and a rim assembly characterized by having a size of not more than 00 × 10 ⁻¹² (cc · cm / cm ² · s · cmHg). 16. The continuous phase of particles according to claim 1, which has a gas permeability coefficient of 2 at 30 ° C.
A safety tire and a rim assembly, which is 0 × 10 ⁻¹² (cc · cm / cm ² · s · cmHg) or less. 17. The continuous phase of particles according to claim 1, which has a gas permeability coefficient of 2 at 30 ° C.
A safety tire and rim assembly characterized by having a density of not more than × 10 ⁻¹² (cc · cm / cm ² · s · cmHg). 18. The tire according to claim 1, further comprising an inner liner layer on an inner peripheral surface of the tire, the inner liner layer having a melting point of 170 to 230 ° C. and a nylon resin and isobutylene paramethylstyrene copolymer. The gelling rate of the elastomer component including the halide of 50 to
A safety tire and rim assembly comprising a 95% dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic elastomer composition. 19. The gas permeation coefficient of the inner liner layer at 20 ° C. according to claim 18, which is 20 × 10.
^-12 (cc · cm / cm ² · s · cmHg) or less, a safety tire and a rim assembly. 20. A foamable composition containing the following resin (A) and one or both of the following thermally decomposable foaming agent (B) and the following foaming agent (C). (A) At least one selected from polyvinyl alcohol resin, acrylonitrile-based polymer, acrylic polymer and vinylidene chloride-based polymer (B) dinitrosopentamethylenetetramine, azodicarbonamide, paratoluenesulfonylhydrazine and derivatives thereof. And at least one (C) linear or branched aliphatic hydrocarbon having 2 to 8 carbon atoms selected from oxybisbenzenesulfonylhydrazine and its fluorinated product, and alicyclic hydrocarbon having 2 to 8 carbon atoms And a fluorinated compound thereof, and the following general formula (I): R ¹ —O—R ² ---- (I) (R ¹ and R ² in the formula each independently have 1 carbon atom.
To 5 monovalent hydrocarbon groups, in which a part of the hydrogen atoms of the hydrocarbon groups may be replaced by fluorine atoms), at least one selected from ether compounds