JP5101052B2 - Heavy duty pneumatic tire - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire mounted on a heavy-duty vehicle such as a truck or a bus. Specifically, the present invention relates to a pneumatic tire whose carcass has a radial structure.

Heavy duty tires with a radial structure are known. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-141309 discloses a heavy duty radial tire provided with a belt ply provided with a jointless cord extending in the circumferential direction. JP 2000-504655A discloses a heavy duty radial tire including a belt ply having a jointless cord extending in the circumferential direction and a belt ply having a bias structure. JP-T-2001-522748 discloses a heavy duty radial tire including a belt ply having a jointless cord extending in the circumferential direction and a belt ply having a bias structure.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-141309 Special Table 2000-504655 Special table 2001-522748 gazette

  When a load is applied to the tire, in the belt ply having a bias structure, a shear strain is generated in a direction in which the angle of the cord with respect to the circumferential direction decreases. Due to this distortion, tension is applied to the jointless cord in the ply provided with the jointless cord. As the tire rolls, the tension varies. This tension fluctuation induces the cutting of the jointless cord. In particular, a jointless cord positioned on the outer side in the axial direction is likely to be cut due to a large variation in tension. From the viewpoint of preventing cutting, the axial width of the ply provided with the jointless cord needs to be set small.

  The jointless cord is excellent in binding force against the carcass. However, if the axial width of the ply is set small, the restraining force in the vicinity of the shoulder is insufficient. Insufficient binding force leads to gating of the tread groove near the shoulder. Gaping may cause cracks at the bottom of the groove.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a heavy duty pneumatic tire that is less likely to cause cord cutting and groove cracking.

The heavy duty pneumatic tire according to the present invention,
(1) A tread having a plurality of grooves extending in the circumferential direction and a plurality of lands partitioned by these grooves,
(2) a pair of sidewalls extending substantially inward in the radial direction from the end of the tread;
(3) A pair of beads positioned substantially inward of the sidewall in the radial direction,
(4) A carcass having a radial structure spanned between both beads along the inside of the tread and the sidewall,
(5) Located outside the carcass in the radial direction, has a non-stretchable belt cord, has a bias structure, and (6) is located between the belt and the tread, It has a band with a band cord wound in a spiral. The density of the band cord is large immediately below one or more grooves and small immediately below the land.

  Preferably, the ratio of the band cord density immediately below the land to the band cord density immediately below the groove is not less than 0% and not more than 90%. Preferably, the density of the band cord immediately below the groove is 15 ends / 5 cm or more, and the density of the band cord immediately below the land is 10 ends / 5 cm or less.

  Preferably, the density of the band cord is large immediately below the outermost groove in the axial direction. Preferably, the band width is 75% or more of the tread width.

  In the tire according to the present invention, since the band cords are densely arranged immediately below the groove, the gating of the groove hardly occurs. Cracks are suppressed by suppressing gating. Since the density of the band cord immediately below the land is small, the tension applied to the band cord is large immediately below the groove. A large tension suppresses fluctuations in tension, so that it is difficult for the band cord to be cut.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments with appropriate reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a heavy duty pneumatic tire 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the vertical direction is the radial direction of the tire 2, the left-right direction is the axial direction of the tire 2, and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface is the circumferential direction of the tire 2. The tire 2 has a substantially left-right symmetric shape centered on a one-dot chain line CL in FIG. This alternate long and short dash line CL represents the equator plane of the tire 2. The tire 2 includes a tread 4, a sidewall 6, a bead 8, a carcass 10, an inner liner 12, a belt 14, and a band 16. The tire 2 is a tubeless type.

  The tread 4 is made of a crosslinked rubber having excellent wear resistance. The tread 4 has a shape protruding outward in the radial direction. The tread 4 includes a tread surface 18. The tread surface 18 is in contact with the road surface. A groove 20 is carved in the tread surface 18. The groove 20 extends in the circumferential direction. A region other than the groove 20 in the tread surface 18 is a land 21. The land 21 is partitioned by the groove 20. Other minute grooves may be formed in the land 21. A tread pattern is formed by the groove 20 and the land 21. In FIG. 1, four grooves 20a to 20d are shown. As described above, the tire 2 has a symmetrical shape with the one-dot chain line CL in FIG. 1 as the center, so the total number of grooves 20 is 8 and the total number of lands 21 is 9.

  The sidewall 6 extends substantially inward in the radial direction from the end of the tread 4. The sidewall 6 is made of a crosslinked rubber. The sidewall 6 absorbs an impact from the road surface by bending. Furthermore, the sidewall 6 prevents the carcass 10 from being damaged.

  The bead 8 is located substantially inward of the sidewall 6 in the radial direction. The bead 8 includes a core 22 and an apex 24 that extends radially outward from the core 22. The core 22 has a ring shape. The core 22 includes a plurality of non-stretchable wires (typically steel wires). The apex 24 has a tapered shape that tapers outward in the radial direction. The apex 24 is made of a highly hard crosslinked rubber.

  The carcass 10 is bridged between the beads 8 on both sides, and extends along the inside of the tread 4 and the sidewall 6. The carcass 10 is wound around the core 22 from the inner side to the outer side in the axial direction. Although not shown, the carcass 10 includes a cord and a topping rubber. The absolute value of the angle formed by the cord with respect to the equator plane is 70 ° to 90 °. In other words, the carcass 10 has a radial structure. A common cord material is steel.

  The inner liner 12 is joined to the inner peripheral surface of the carcass 10. The inner liner 12 is made of a crosslinked rubber. The inner liner 12 is made of rubber having excellent air shielding properties. The inner liner 12 serves to maintain the internal pressure of the tire 2.

  The belt 14 is located on the radially outer side of the tread 4. The belt 14 includes a first ply 26, a second ply 28, a third ply 30 and a fourth ply 32. Although not shown, each of the plies 26, 28, 30, and 32 includes a belt cord and a topping rubber. The belt cord is inclined with respect to the circumferential direction. The absolute value of the tilt angle is not less than 10 ° and not more than 45 °. In other words, the belt 14 has a bias structure. The cord is made of a non-stretchable material. A typical non-stretch material is steel.

  The band 16 is located between the belt 14 and the tread 4. The band 16 is laminated with the belt 14. The tread 4 is laminated with the band 16. There may be other plies between the band 16 and the tread 4.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the band 16 together with the tread 4. In FIG. 2, illustration of the belt 14 is omitted. The band 16 includes a band cord 34 and a topping rubber 36. Preferably, the band cord 34 is made of a non-stretchable material. A typical non-stretch material is steel. Examples of the steel cord type are “3 × 7 × 0.22” and “3 × 7 × 0.27”. The band cord 34 is wound spirally. The band 16 has a so-called jointless structure. As is apparent from FIG. 2, the band cord 34 has a density. The band cord 34 is dense just below the grooves 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d. Just below the land 21, the band cord 34 is rough.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the tread 4 and the band 16 of FIG. In FIG. 3, what is indicated by the symbol E is the edge of the groove 20. The edge E is a boundary between the groove 20 and the land 21. In FIG. 3, what is indicated by a symbol L is a straight line that passes through the point E and is perpendicular to the tread surface 18. In FIG. 3, two straight lines L are shown. A region sandwiched between two straight lines in the band 16 is a region 38 directly below the groove. A region of the band 16 other than the region 38 directly below the groove is a region 40 immediately below the land. In FIG. 2, four regions 38 immediately below the grooves and four regions 40 directly below the land are shown.

When the number of band cords 34 included in one region 38 directly below the groove is NG and the axial width of the region 38 immediately below the groove is WG (cm), the density DG of the band cord 34 in the region 38 immediately below the groove is Is calculated by the following mathematical formula (I).
DG = (NG / WG) * 5 (I)
When the number of band cords 34 included in one land area 40 is NL and the axial width of the land area 40 is WL (cm), the density DL of the band code 34 in the land area 40 is Is calculated by the following mathematical formula (II).
DL = (NL / WL) * 5 (II)
As described above, the band cord 34 is dense immediately below the grooves 20 a, 20 b, 20 c, and 20 d, and the band cord 34 is rough immediately below the land 21. In other words, the density DG is larger than the density DL.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a part of the band 16 of FIG. In FIG. 4, an arrow A indicates the circumferential direction of the tire 2. FIG. 4 shows a region 38 directly below the groove and a region 40 directly below the land. In the region 38 directly below the groove and the region 40 directly below the land, the band cord 34 is spirally wound. The angle of the band cord 34 with respect to the circumferential direction is small in the region 38 immediately below the groove and large in the region 40 immediately below the land. The difference in density is achieved by this difference in angle. The angle in the region 38 directly below the groove does not need to be constant. The angle in the land area 40 need not be constant.

  Since the density DG of the region 38 immediately below the groove is large, the band cord 34 sufficiently suppresses deformation of the tread 4. The band cord 34 suppresses the gating of the groove 20 and prevents cracks. Since the density DL of the area 40 immediately below the land is small, a large tension is applied to the band cord 34 in the area 38 immediately below the groove when an internal pressure is applied to the tire 2. The large tension suppresses fluctuations in tension accompanying rolling and prevents the band cord 34 from being cut. Since the band cord 34 in the region 40 immediately below the land is rough, the weight of the tire 2 can be reduced.

  From the viewpoint of suppressing cracks and cutting of the band cord 34, the ratio of the density DL of the region 40 immediately below the land to the density DG of the region 38 immediately below the groove is preferably 90% or less, more preferably 50% or less, and particularly preferably 30% or less. . The ratio may be 0%.

  From the viewpoint of suppressing cracks, the density DG of the region 38 immediately below the groove is preferably 15 ends / 5 cm or more, and more preferably 20 ends / 5 cm or more. The density DG is preferably 40 ends / 5 cm or less. From the viewpoint of suppressing the cutting of the band cord 34 and the light weight of the tire 2, the density DL of the region 40 immediately below the land is preferably 10 ends / 5 cm or less. The density DL may be zero. For the convenience of manufacturing the band 16 having a jointless structure, the density DL can be set to 1 end / 5 cm or more, and further 5 ends / 5 cm or more.

  In all the regions 38 immediately below the grooves, the density DG need not be set large. A band 16 having a high density DG in the region 38 directly below some grooves and a small density DG in the region 38 directly below other grooves may be provided. Gaping is likely to occur in the groove 20d (see FIGS. 1 and 2) located on the outermost side in the axial direction. From the viewpoint of crack suppression, it is preferable that the density DG is set to be large immediately below the groove 20d. From the viewpoint of suppressing the cutting of the band cord 34, it is preferable that the density DL is set to be small in the region 40 immediately below the land adjacent to the outermost groove 20d. From the viewpoint of the light weight of the tire 2, it is preferable that the density DG is large immediately below the groove 20 d positioned on the outermost side in the axial direction and the density DG is small immediately below the other grooves 20 a, 20 b, 20 c. In this case, it is preferable that the density DG immediately below the other grooves 20a, 20b, and 20c is equal to the density DL of the land area 40 immediately below.

  Since the band cord 34 is dense, cutting of the band cord 34 on the outside in the axial direction is suppressed. Therefore, the axial width Wb (see FIG. 1) of the band 16 can be set large. By providing the band 16 having a large width Wb and extending directly below the outermost groove 20d, gapping in the groove 20d is suppressed. The ratio of the width Wb to the width W of the tread 4 is preferably 75% or more, and more preferably 85% or more. The ratio is preferably 90% or less.

  Cracks tend to occur in tires with a low flatness. The present invention exhibits a remarkable effect in the tire 2 having an aspect ratio of 80% or less, further 70% or less, and further 50% or less.

  The size and angle of each part of the tire 2 are measured in a state where the tire 2 is incorporated in a regular rim and the tire 2 is filled with air so as to have a regular internal pressure. At the time of measurement, no load is applied to the tire 2. In the present specification, the normal rim means a rim defined in a standard on which the tire 2 depends. “Standard rim” in the JATMA standard, “Design Rim” in the TRA standard, and “Measuring Rim” in the ETRTO standard are regular rims. In the present specification, the normal internal pressure means an internal pressure defined in a standard on which the tire 2 relies. “Maximum air pressure” in JATMA standard, “Maximum value” published in “TIRE LOAD LIMITS AT VARIOUS COLD INFLATION PRESSURES” in TRA standard, and “INFLATION PRESSURE” in ETRTO standard are normal internal pressures.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a heavy duty pneumatic tire 42 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Similar to the tire 2 shown in FIG. 1, the tire 42 includes a tread 4, a sidewall 6, a bead 8, a carcass 10, an inner liner 12, and a belt 14.

  The tire 42 further includes a band 44. The band 44 includes a first band ply 44a, a second band ply 44b, a third band ply 44c, and a fourth band ply 44d. Each band ply 44 a, 44 b, 44 c, 44 d is located between the belt 14 and the tread 4. The first band ply 44a is located immediately below the groove 20a. The second band ply 44b is located immediately below the groove 20b. The third band ply 44c is located immediately below the groove 20c. The fourth band ply 44d is located immediately below the groove 20d. The second band ply 44b is separated from the first band ply 44a. The third band ply 44c is separated from the second band ply 44b. The fourth band ply 44d is separated from the third band ply 44c.

  Although not shown, each band ply 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d is made of a band cord and a topping rubber. Preferably, the band cord is made of a non-stretchable material. A typical non-stretch material is steel. The band cord is spirally wound. The band 44 has a so-called jointless structure.

  In the tire 42, the density of the band cord is large immediately below the groove 20 and is zero immediately below the land 21. In the tire 42, the ratio of the band cord density immediately below the land 21 to the band cord density immediately below the groove 20 is 0%. In the tire 42, the gapping of the groove 20 is suppressed by the band cord. Since there is no band cord immediately below the land 21, a large tension is applied to the band cord when internal pressure is applied to the tire 42. The large tension suppresses fluctuations in tension accompanying rolling and prevents the band cord from being cut. Since no band cord exists immediately below the land 21, the tire 42 is lightweight.

  The cord density in each band ply 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d is preferably 15 ends / 5 cm or more, and more preferably 20 ends / 5 cm or more. The density is preferably 40 ends / 5 cm or less.

  The band ply may be provided directly below some of the grooves 20 and the band ply may not be provided directly below the other grooves 20. Gaping is likely to occur in the groove 20d located on the outermost side in the axial direction. From the viewpoint of suppressing cracks, it is preferable that a band ply is provided directly below the groove 20d. The ratio of the width Wb of the band 44 to the width W of the tread 4 is preferably 75% or more, and more preferably 85% or more. The ratio is preferably 90% or less.

  Hereinafter, the effects of the present invention will be clarified by examples. However, the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner based on the description of the examples.

[Example 1]
A heavy duty tire having the structure shown in FIG. 1 was obtained. The size of this tire is “435 / 45R22.5”. The tread width of this tire is 389 mm. The tread has eight grooves having a depth of 13.5 mm. The belt includes a first ply, a second ply, a third ply, and a fourth ply. The width of the first ply is 348 mm, the width of the second ply is 368 mm, the width of the third ply is 352 mm, and the width of the fourth ply is 168 mm. The first ply includes a steel cord having an angle with respect to the circumferential direction of + 50 °. The second ply includes a steel cord having an angle with respect to the circumferential direction of + 18 °. The third ply includes a steel cord having an angle of −18 ° with respect to the circumferential direction. The fourth ply includes a steel cord having an angle of −18 ° with respect to the circumferential direction. The band includes a band cord wound spirally. The material of the band cord is steel. The band code type is “3 × 7 × 0.22”. The density of the band cord is 28 ends / 5 cm immediately below all the grooves. Directly below the land, the density of the band cord is 8 ends / 5 cm.

[Examples 2 to 4 and Comparative Example 1]
Tires of Examples 2 to 4 and Comparative Example 1 were obtained in the same manner as Example 1 except that the band cord density was as shown in Table 1 below.

[Example 5]
A tire of Example 5 was obtained in the same manner as Example 1, except that the band structure was as shown in FIG.

[Comparative Example 2]
A tire of Comparative Example 2 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a band having a short width Wb was provided and the density of the band cord was as shown in Table 1 below. In this tire, there is no band cord immediately below the outermost groove.

[Comparative Example 3]
A tire of Comparative Example 3 was obtained in the same manner as Example 1 except that no band was provided.

[Comparative Example 4]
A tire of Comparative Example 4 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the belt was composed of the following four plies and no band was provided.
First ply: equipped with a steel cord having an angle of + 18 ° with respect to the circumferential direction. The width is 368 mm.
Second ply: with a jointless steel cord. The width is 280 mm. The density of the steel cord is 28 ends / 5 cm.
Third ply: equipped with a steel cord having an angle of −18 ° with respect to the circumferential direction. The width is 344 mm.
Fourth ply: includes a steel cord having an angle of -18 ° with respect to the circumferential direction. The width is 310 mm.

[Running test]
The tire was incorporated into a “14.00 × 22.5” rim. This tire was filled with air so as to have a normal internal pressure. The tire was mounted on a running test apparatus, and a load of 1.4 times the maximum load defined by the standard was applied to run on the drum at a speed of 30 km / h. Traveling was stopped when the distance was 30,000 km, and the presence or absence of cracks was visually checked. Further, the tires were disassembled and the degree of band cord cutting was rated according to the following criteria.
A: No cutting has occurred.
B: Some cutting has occurred.
C: Many cuttings have occurred.
The results are shown in Table 1 below.

[Measurement of mass]
The mass of the tire was measured. This result is shown in the following Table 1 as an index when Comparative Example 1 is set to 100.0.

  As shown in Table 1, in the tire according to the example, the band cord is hardly broken and cracks are not generated. From this evaluation result, the superiority of the present invention is clear.

  The tire according to the present invention is suitable for heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks and buses.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a heavy duty pneumatic tire according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the band together with the tread. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the tread and band of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a part of the band of FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a part of a heavy duty pneumatic tire according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

2, 42 ... Pneumatic tire for heavy load 4 ... Tread 6 ... Side wall 8 ... Bead 10 ... Carcass 12 ... Inner liner 14 ... Belt 16, 44 ... Band 20 ... Groove 21 ... Land 34 ... Band cord 36 ... Topping rubber 38 ... Area just below the groove 40 ... Area just below the land

Claims (4)

A tread having a plurality of grooves extending in the circumferential direction and a plurality of lands defined by the grooves,
A pair of sidewalls extending substantially inward in the radial direction from the ends of the tread,
A pair of beads positioned substantially radially inward of the sidewalls;
A carcass having a radial structure spanned between both beads along the inside of the tread and sidewall,
A belt located on the radially outer side of the carcass, having a non-stretchable belt cord, and having a bias structure ;
And,
It is located between this belt and the tread and comprises a single layer band with a topping rubber and a spirally wound band cord,
The band is a single layer when viewed in the radial direction, and is continuously wound between the grooves located on the outermost side in the axial direction,
A heavy-duty pneumatic tire in which the density of the band cord is large immediately below a groove located on the outermost side in the axial direction and small immediately below other grooves and directly below lands. 2. The tire according to claim 1, wherein a band cord density immediately below the outermost groove in the axial direction is 15 ends / 5 cm or more, and a band cord density immediately below the land is 10 ends / 5 cm or less. The tire according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the density of the band cord immediately below the grooves excluding the outermost groove in the axial direction is equal to the density of the band cord immediately below the land. The tire according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a width of the band is 75% or more of a width of the tread.

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