JP5760424B2 - Tire noise reduction device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tire noise reduction device that is composed of a sound-absorbing material laminate and reduces cavity resonance generated in a pneumatic tire.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a tire noise reduction device that is typically composed of a laminate of sound-absorbing materials made of foam or / and non-woven fabric, and is particularly effective in shortening the time required for production and reducing production costs. The present invention relates to a tire noise reduction device that does not increase in weight.

  Conventionally, in a pneumatic tire, one of the causes for generating noise is the generation of cavity resonance sound due to vibration of air filled in the tire. This cavity resonance sound is generated when the tread portion vibrates due to road surface irregularities when the tire rolls, and the vibration of the tread portion vibrates the air inside the tire.

  As a technique for reducing noise due to such a cavity resonance phenomenon, it has been proposed to arrange a sound absorbing material along the inner surface of the tread portion of a pneumatic tire over the entire circumference (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  When arranging such a sound absorbing material along the inner surface of the tread portion of the pneumatic tire over the entire circumference, it may be necessary to join the sound absorbing materials.

  For example, in cases where foamed rubber or foamed resin such as urethane rubber, which is a material that forms the sound absorbing material, is used in an annular shape, the tire cavity surface is joined to the molded sound absorbing material, Although it is necessary to consider the joining of a member that urges the molded sound absorbing material (for example, a spring member) and the molded sound absorbing material, there is almost no need to consider the joining of the sound absorbing materials.

  On the other hand, in the case where the sound absorbing material is configured and used with an amorphous band-shaped material, for example, an amorphous band-shaped material such as a soft polyurethane foam or a nonwoven fabric is used, and the band-shaped material is used particularly on the tire lumen surface. In cases such as those that are placed in the tire lumen without joining materials or without the use of biasing materials, the band-shaped sound-absorbing material such as soft polyurethane foam or nonwoven fabric is used. In some cases, it is necessary to join the two at both ends of the belt.

  However, the material constituting the sound absorbing material is generally a porous structure such as a foam or nonwoven fabric, has a low thermal conductivity, and has a suitable thickness and bulk. It has been generally difficult to join the sound absorbing materials using pressure.

  The inventors of the present invention have previously proposed that the sound absorbing material is fastened to a joined state by using a fastener generally called “eyelet (eyelet)” (Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-209976, FIG. 4). ) Since the eyelet is made of metal or hard synthetic resin, it causes a weight increase that cannot be ignored for the entire tire, and the manufacturing process becomes longer, which is extremely disadvantageous in terms of tire weight and manufacturing cost. There was a problem.

JP 62-50203 A JP 2004-291855 A

An object of the present invention is a laminated body in which sound absorbing materials are joined in view of the above-described points, and has a remarkable effect on shortening the time required for manufacturing and thereby reducing manufacturing cost, and a special weight increase, etc. An object of the present invention is to provide a tire noise reduction device using a sound-absorbing material laminate that does not accompany the noise.

The tire noise reduction device of the present invention that achieves the above-described object has the following configuration (1).
(1) A laminated band-shaped sound absorbing material and a hot melt adhesive disposed at an interface between the laminated sound absorbing materials, and the sound absorbing materials are placed on the interface by heat welding of the hot melt adhesive. A tire noise reduction device composed of a sound-absorbing material laminate that is at least partially joined to form a ring, and is bonded or fixed on the surface of the tire lumen, or inserted into the tire lumen. Tire noise reduction device used,
Tire noise , characterized in that at least one end of the annular sound-absorbing material laminate in the tire width direction is formed with at least a portion of the annular sound-absorbing material folded back to the tire equator side. Reduction device.

In the tire noise reduction device according to the present invention, it is preferable to have any one of the following configurations (2) to ( 6 ).
(2) The tire noise reduction device according to (1), wherein the sound absorbing material is made of a flexible polyurethane foam.
(3) The tire noise reduction device according to (1), wherein the sound absorbing material is made of a nonwoven fabric.
(4) The tire noise reduction device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the hot melt adhesive is thermally welded by ultrasonic heating.
(5) The tire noise reduction device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the hot melt adhesive is made of a film-like thermoplastic resin having a thickness of 5 to 300 μm.
(6) The annular sound-absorbing material laminate is configured by overlapping a part so that both end portions in the length direction of the band-shaped sound-absorbing material are arranged inside the outermost periphery. The tire noise reduction device according to any one of (1) to (5), which is characterized in that

According to the tire noise reduction device of the present invention defined in (1) above , the sound-absorbing material laminate is formed of laminated sound-absorbing materials, and a hot melt adhesive is disposed at the interface between the laminated sound-absorbing materials, Since the sound absorbing materials are at least partially joined to each other on the interface by heat welding of the hot melt adhesive, heat is applied to the hot melt adhesive at a necessary location to the extent necessary for joining. Thus, the sound absorbing materials can be joined together as desired, the manufacturing process is simple and the processing time is short, and the desired sound absorbing material laminate can be manufactured at low cost. As a result, it is possible to provide a tire noise reduction device that does not increase the overall weight so much. In addition, it is possible to provide a tire noise reduction device with excellent durability that does not buckle in the tire lumen as it is used.

According to the tire noise reduction device of the present invention according to any one of the above (2) to ( 6 ), it is possible to obtain a sound-absorbing material laminate having the effects of the present invention more clearly.

(A)-(c) is the schematic side view which showed the method of manufacturing the sound-absorbing-material laminated body concerning this invention with an ultrasonic heating system with the model figure in process order. (A) is an external perspective view illustrating one embodiment example of the tire noise reduction device comprising a sound absorbing material laminate model to, (b) is a front view of the developed strip sound absorbing material used therein. It is an external perspective view illustrating another example of a tire noise reduction device as a model, (A)-(h) is the external appearance perspective view which showed the example of the embodiment of the tire noise reduction apparatus concerning this invention in model. However, (e), (g), and (h) are reference examples. It is the perspective view which illustrated the form of the horn of the ultrasonic welding machine which can be used for manufacture of the sound-absorbing material laminated body concerning this invention.

  Hereinafter, the sound-absorbing material laminate of the present invention and a tire noise reduction device using the sound-absorbing material laminate will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

  The sound-absorbing material laminate of the present invention is formed of laminated sound-absorbing materials, a hot-melt adhesive is disposed at the interface between the laminated sound-absorbing materials, and the sound-absorbing materials are bonded to each other by thermal welding of the hot-melt adhesive. It is characterized in that it is at least partially bonded on the interface.

  FIG. 1 shows a model of a process for manufacturing the sound-absorbing material laminate 1 of the present invention using an ultrasonic welder. For example, as shown in FIG. The sound-absorbing materials 2A and 2B made of polyurethane foam and / or non-woven fabric are laminated with the hot melt adhesive 3 interposed at the interface, and in this state, the horn 4 of the ultrasonic welder is placed at a place where they are desired to be joined. As shown in FIG. 1B, the horn 4 is ultrasonically vibrated when the horn 4 is lowered and the sound absorbing material is compressed. The vibration energy is transmitted to the hot melt adhesive 3 which is a boundary surface through the horn 4, and strong frictional heat is generated at the boundary surface by the transmitted vibration energy, and the hot melt adhesive 4 instantaneously reaches the welding joining temperature. The sound absorbing materials 2A and 2B are instantaneously joined to each other by welding of the hot melt adhesive 4. As shown in FIG. 1C, the joining portion of the sound absorbing materials 2A and 2B is only the portion 5 in which the hot melt adhesive 3 is dissolved substantially corresponding to the size and shape of the horn 4. It is not indispensable to join both in the whole area of the interface of 2A and 2B. The sound absorbing materials 2A and 2B are immediately returned from the state where the sound absorbing materials 2A and 2B are pressed by the horn 4 ((b)) to the original thickness state by instantaneously heating and welding and then returning the horn 4. Thus, when joining using a hot-melt-adhesive, the curing time is short, and the time required for manufacturing is significantly shorter than in other cases. For example, when a liquid adhesive is used instead of a hot melt adhesive, the curing time is usually required to be 10 times longer than the curing time of the hot melt adhesive. Also gets higher.

  The sound absorbing material is preferably made of flexible polyurethane foam or / and non-woven fabric. The sound absorbing material made of flexible polyurethane foam and / or non-woven fabric generally has a low thermal conductivity and a suitable bulk and thickness, and it is difficult to conduct heat. This is because it is difficult to join, and a method of melting and hot-sealing a hot melt adhesive as in the present invention is good. For this reason, it is optimal for the present invention that the thickness of the sound absorbing material is 3 mm or more. This is because the thicker the sound absorbing material is, for example, 3 mm or more, the more difficult it is to pass heat, and it becomes difficult to join by a normal hot press method, and the method of the present invention is particularly effective. The upper limit of the preferred thickness is different depending on the application, so there are some points that cannot be generally stated, but it is preferably up to 100 mm, and when the thickness exceeds 100 mm, processing according to the present invention becomes difficult. This is because it is difficult to obtain the desired effect of the present invention.

  The hot-melt adhesive 3 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use a film-shaped thermoplastic resin having a thickness of 5 to 300 μm, more preferably 10 to 200 μm. It is a manufacturing process to arrange the agent 3 in the entire region of the interface between the sound absorbing materials desired to be bonded, and then apply the horn of an ultrasonic welder to an arbitrary position and bond at that position. Management is simple and preferable. When the thickness of the hot melt adhesive 3 is smaller than 5 μm, the bonding force is weak, which is not preferable. When the thickness is larger than 300 μm, the total weight increase is large, which is not preferable.

  Here, the film shape means a thin film shape, and is a concept including a non-woven fabric of a low melting point fiber or a woven fabric in addition to a plain flat film-like thin film. Typical film-like hot melt adhesives include polyamide main components (softening point 160 ° C., etc.), polyolefin main components (softening point 130 ° C., etc.), polypropylene main components (softening point 150 ° C., etc.) or EVA ( In the present invention, a polyamide main component (such as a softening point of 160 ° C.) is particularly preferable. Since tires may become hot during use, they may not be suitable if they have a softening point of 100 ° C. or lower. In general, a tire composed mainly of polyamide having a higher softening point is better.

Sound absorbing material laminate of the present invention is used as a reducing device cavity resonance sound generated by the pneumatic tire described above. Specifically, the tire noise reduction device is used by being bonded or fixed on the surface of the tire lumen, or inserted into the tire lumen .

  Various specific modes of the tire noise reduction device have been studied. For example, the tire noise reduction device 10 shown in FIG. 2A is a belt-like sound absorbing material as shown in FIG. 2 so that both end portions 12a and 12b in the length direction are formed narrowly and a part thereof is overlapped like a brush so that they are arranged inside the outermost periphery. It is an example formed in a ring shape. In this example, in the laminated portion in which both end portions 12a and 12b are overlapped with each other, the heat welding location 11 is appropriately provided (in FIG. 2A, 6 locations are exemplified), and the whole is processed into an annular shape. Is done. In such a type of tire noise reduction device, it is possible to manufacture tire noise reduction devices of different sizes by appropriately changing the overlapping degree of both ends using the band-shaped sound absorbing material 2 of the same size as a raw material. The sound-absorbing material laminate of the present invention that can be adjusted and set to an arbitrary position can be effectively and suitably used.

  Examples of various other tire noise reduction devices 10 are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A to 4H.

  FIG. 3 shows a brushing configuration similar to that in FIG. 2, in which a large portion of the ring is composed of two layers of sound absorbing material. In this case, the heat welding location 11 should just be arrange | positioned in a required place over the perimeter.

  4A, 4B, 4C, 4E, and 8F show a mode in which both ends of a rectangular band-shaped sound absorbing material are overlapped and joined, and further, FIG. , (B), (c), (d), and (f) are folded portions 13 for preventing buckling (buckling in the tire radial direction) of the tire noise reduction device toward the tire rotation center axis during use. And (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), and (f) are provided on part of the peripheral edge of the annular sound absorbing material for balance adjustment. A mode in which the notch portion 14 is provided, and (b), (c), and (d) are modes in which the convex portion 15 is provided in the folded portion 13 for balance adjustment, and (e), ( f) shows a mode in which the additional portion 16 is provided for balance adjustment. Also, (g) and (h) are each formed by annularly forming two pieces of sound absorbing material for half a circumference by heat-welding each other from the outer periphery side near each end of the two pieces of sound absorbing material. Later (g), it is further turned over so that the convex portion of the joint portion faces the inner peripheral side.

  In these various embodiments, the sound absorbing materials are joined to each other at a heat welding location 11 provided at an appropriate location by thermal welding of a hot melt adhesive. In particular, since the durability of the joining at the turn-back portion 13 is improved as the number of the heat-welded joining portions 11 is increased at an appropriate interval, the joining locations (position and number) can be selected relatively arbitrarily. Adopting the method is effective.

  When an ultrasonic welder is used in manufacturing the sound-absorbing material laminate of the present invention, the horn should have a flat tip as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. However, it is preferable because of high processing accuracy and processing efficiency. In particular, a circular surface having a diameter of about 5 to 50 mm, an elliptical shape having an equivalent area, a square shape, or a polygonal shape is preferable from the viewpoint of durability and processing efficiency as a laminated sound absorbing material.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the use of an ultrasonic welder, and can be adopted as long as the same kind of welding can be realized. For example, a high-frequency welding machine can also be used.

  A total of two types of tire noise reduction devices were manufactured as follows: the product of the present invention (Example 1) and the product of Comparative Example 1.

  The sound-absorbing material is made of foamed polyurethane (thickness 10 mm) as a band-like porous material, and is made annular for pneumatic tires of tire size 245 / 40R18, and the structure is as shown in FIG. The product of the present invention is an embodiment in which the joint portion 11 is joined with the structure shown in FIG. 4 (d) by ultrasonic welding, and the comparative product is obtained by fastening the same part as the joint portion of the product of the present invention with an eyelet. It is. The hot-melt adhesive is composed mainly of polyamide (softening point 160 ° C.), and the area of one joint portion by ultrasonic welding is equal to the area surrounded by the outer diameter portion of the eyelet. Processed.

  As a result, assuming that the weight of the tire noise reduction device of Comparative Example 1 is 100, the product of Example 1 is 94, a weight reduction of 5% or more can be achieved, and durability, time required for manufacturing and work There was no problem with speed and the like, and the evaluation according to the present invention was obtained.

  Furthermore, as a comparative example 2, a liquid adhesive was used to produce an equivalent (comparative example 2) to the above-described product of Example 1 of the present invention. The first embodiment of the invention requires about 15 times as long as the time required to manufacture the product, and the management of the processing process is difficult, and it is difficult to adopt in the actual production process.

1: Sound-absorbing material laminate 2A, 2B: Sound-absorbing material 3: Hot melt adhesive 4: Horn of ultrasonic welder 5: Bonding portion of sound-absorbing material (part where hot melt adhesive is dissolved)
10: Tire noise reduction device 11: Heat welding locations 12a, 12b: Both ends 13 in the longitudinal direction of the band-shaped sound absorbing material 2: Turned portion 14: Notch portion 15 for balance adjustment 15: Convex portion for balance adjustment 16: Additional part for balance adjustment

Claims (6)

A laminated band-shaped sound absorbing material, and a hot melt adhesive disposed at an interface between the laminated sound absorbing materials, and the sound absorbing materials are at least partially on the interface by heat welding of the hot melt adhesive. Is a tire noise reduction device composed of a sound-absorbing material laminate formed so as to form an annular shape, and is used by being bonded or fixed on the surface of the tire lumen, or inserted into the tire lumen A tire noise reduction device,
Tire noise, characterized in that at least one end of the annular sound-absorbing material laminate in the tire width direction is formed with at least a portion of the annular sound-absorbing material folded back to the tire equator side. Reduction device.   The annular sound-absorbing material laminate is configured by overlapping a part so that both end portions in the length direction of the band-shaped sound-absorbing material are arranged inside the outermost periphery. The tire noise reduction device according to claim 1. The tire noise reduction device according to any one of claims 1 to 2 , wherein the sound absorbing material is made of a flexible polyurethane foam. The sound absorbing material, the tire noise reduction device according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that it consists of non-woven fabric. The tire noise reduction device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the hot-melt adhesive is thermally welded by ultrasonic heating. The tire noise reduction device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the hot melt adhesive is made of a film-like thermoplastic resin having a thickness of 5 to 300 µm.

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