Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60C—VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES
  • B60C13/00—Tyre sidewalls; Protecting, decorating, marking, or the like, thereof
  • B60C13/04—Tyre sidewalls; Protecting, decorating, marking, or the like, thereof having annular inlays or covers, e.g. white sidewalls
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60C—VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES
  • B60C13/00—Tyre sidewalls; Protecting, decorating, marking, or the like, thereof
  • B60C13/001—Decorating, marking or the like
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60C—VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES
  • B60C13/00—Tyre sidewalls; Protecting, decorating, marking, or the like, thereof
  • B60C13/002—Protection against exterior elements
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60C—VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES
  • B60C13/00—Tyre sidewalls; Protecting, decorating, marking, or the like, thereof
  • B60C13/02—Arrangement of grooves or ribs
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60C—VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES
  • B60C15/00—Tyre beads, e.g. ply turn-up or overlap
  • B60C15/02—Seating or securing beads on rims
  • B60C15/024—Bead contour, e.g. lips, grooves, or ribs
  • B60C15/0242—Bead contour, e.g. lips, grooves, or ribs with bead extensions located radially outside the rim flange position, e.g. rim flange protectors
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60C—VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES
  • B60C13/00—Tyre sidewalls; Protecting, decorating, marking, or the like, thereof
  • B60C2013/005—Physical properties of the sidewall rubber
  • B60C2013/006—Modulus; Hardness; Loss modulus or "tangens delta"

Definitions

• the subject of the present invention is a tire, intended more particularly to equip a light four-wheeled vehicle (car, van), or two-wheeled vehicle (motorcycle), and comprising at least one sidewall with a sidewall insert, intended customize the tire sidewall design.
• a known colored means is a colored rubber composition, for example white in color, contained in the sidewall of the tire and contrasting with the black color of the adjacent rubber compositions.
• this technical solution has a number of drawbacks.
• certain chemical components, such as protective components, contained in the rubber compositions adjacent to the colored medium can migrate towards the colored rubber composition and lead to its gradual discoloration over time.
• the deformations of the sidewall during the life of the tire can initiate cracking in the colored rubber composition and degrade its appearance.
• the mechanical means used for mounting the tire on its rim, by rubbing on the colored rubber composition can also degrade it.
• the manufacture of a tire comprising portions of differentiated colors is more industrially complex.
• document EP 2692542B1 describes a decorative ring intended to be mounted between the bead of the tire and the rim.
• the assembly of this ring is delicate because of its positioning.
• the presence of a ring between a bead of the tire and the rim can modify the mechanical behavior of the tire, and therefore that of the vehicle.
• this ring runs the risk, for its correct positioning, of requiring an adaptation of the geometry of the rim which would then no longer comply with the standard rim profile for which the tire was designed.
• Document US 3,128,815 describes another insert in the form of a tire lining element intended to be removably engaged in a sidewall.
• This trim element can be fixed to the sidewall by various means, such as engagement of its ends in the sidewall, attachment at its ends by anchoring means raised or recessed with respect to the sidewall.
• the lining element described covers a significant portion of the sidewall, typically at least one third of the surface of the sidewall, and is positioned more particularly in the radially inner part of the sidewall, between the most axially outer point of the sidewall and the rim flange.
• this lining element is liable to deform and come off the sidewall during rolling of the tire, since it is positioned in a zone of high flexing of the tire.
• the document JPH11151918 also describes a removable colored insert intended to be fixed to a sidewall of a tire, in the radially outer part of the sidewall, close to the tread, by means of an attachment means recessed with respect to on the surface of the flank.
• attachment means do not allow easy mounting of this insert on the tire mounted on its rim and inflated, because there may be a mismatch between the geometry of the insert and the geometry of the hollow of the means of hooking, depending on the inflation pressure, or depending on the width of the rim.
• the tightness of the insert on the sidewall can be modified, for example under strong transverse accelerations, with a risk of ejection of the insert.
• the inventors have set themselves the objective of proposing a tire capable of being equipped with at least one sidewall insert, with improved assembly and attachment to the sidewall.
• a tire for a light vehicle intended to be mounted on a rim and able to be fitted with at least one sidewall insert, said tire having a nominal section of height H and comprising:
• the anchoring means extending at least in part circumferentially, in a circumferential direction of the tire, and comprising a hollow formed in a axially outer sidewall layer comprising at least one rubber material, extending from an axially outer face of the sidewall axially towards the inside of the sidewall,
• the hollow being delimited axially towards the inside by a hollow bottom and radially by two hollow walls,
• the hollow having, in any meridian plane containing the axis of rotation of the tire, a depth Pc, maximum distance measured perpendicularly between the axially outer face of the sidewall and the bottom of the hollow, at least equal to 2 mm, and a width Le , measured, at the level of the axially outer face of the sidewall, between the two hollow walls, at most equal to 15% of the nominal section height H of the tire, -the anchoring means comprising a protuberance, in relief with respect to at the bottom of the hollow and extending from the bottom of the hollow to the vicinity of the axially outer face of the sidewall,
• the protrusion having, in any meridian plane, a minimum width Lpmin in the vicinity of the hollow bottom so as to guarantee the anchoring of the sidewall insert intended to cooperate with the anchoring means.
• the principle of the invention is to have an anchoring means, for a sidewall insert, comprising a circumferential hollow, formed in an axially outer layer of the sidewall, and a protuberance, formed in said hollow.
• the hollow may be circumferentially continuous or circumferentially discontinuous, that is to say formed from circumferential portions that are separate from one another.
• the axially outer sidewall layer in which the hollow is formed extends axially from an axially outer sidewall face, in contact with the atmospheric air, to an axially outermost reinforcing layer, made up of mostly textile reinforcements. More specifically, the axially outer sidewall layer is in axially inner contact with the rubber compound coating the reinforcements of the axially outermost reinforcing layer, usually referred to as the coating compound.
• the hollow makes it possible to anchor the sidewall, by blocking the edges of the sidewall insert between its walls. It therefore contributes to maintaining the sidewall insert while rolling, liable to be ejected.
• the hollow also makes it possible to engage the sidewall insert in the thickness of the sidewall, so as not to create a significant protrusion relative to the axially outer face of the sidewall, and therefore not to disturb the flow air in the vicinity of the flank in this zone. Consequently, the aerodynamic drag of the tire is not increased. Correlatively, the rolling resistance of the tire, and therefore the fuel consumption, are not increased either.
• the depth Pc of the hollow is at least equal to 2 mm.
• the anchoring means does not guarantee sufficient attachment of the sidewall insert, making it possible to withstand the various mechanical stresses applied to the tire during its use, throughout its entire life. life.
• the width Le of the hollow is at most equal to 15% of the nominal section height H of the tire.
• the width Le of the hollow must remain limited, because the more it increases, the more the flexion of the zone of the sidewall insert, in use, increases, which generates significant deformations and possible problems of fatigue of the flank insert.
• the deformations at the level of the hollow increase in fact with the width Le of the hollow, the latter being able to be expressed as a percentage of the nominal section height H of the tire or as an absolute value.
• the nominal section of height H is defined by the usual standards relating to tires, such as, for example, the standard of the “European Tire and Rim Technical Organization” (European Tire and Rim Technical Organization) or “ETRTO” standard.
• the protrusion formed in the hollow from the bottom of the hollow, is intended to come into contact with an axially inner face of the sidewall insert, and allows the anchoring of the sidewall insert thanks to its portion axially inner which has a minimum width Lpmin in the vicinity of the hollow bottom.
• This protuberance configuration allows effective clipping of the sidewall insert onto the protuberance and guarantees that it is held in position during rolling, under the mechanical stresses of bending and centrifugation applied to the tire.
• the depth Pc of the hollow is at least equal to 3 mm.
• the depth Pc of the hollow is at most equal to 7 mm, preferably at most equal to 5 mm.
• the depth Pc is greater than 7 mm, the thickness of the layer of rubber material, axially inside the hollow bottom, is insufficient to guarantee mechanical decoupling between the sidewall insert, intended to be engaged in said hollow, and the axially outermost reinforcing layer. This results in stress concentrations at the bottom of the hollow likely to generate cracking and a reduction in the endurance of the sidewall.
• a hollow of limited depth guarantees the presence of a thickness of layer of rubber material, axially interior to the bottom of the hollow, despite the existence of significant movements of the materials present in this zone, during the steps making and then finishing the tyre. In other words, a recess depth that is not too deep makes it possible to guarantee manufacturing tolerances.
• the axially outer sidewall layer having a thickness W at the level of the anchoring means the difference between the thickness W of the axially outer sidewall layer and the depth Pc of the hollow is at least equal to 1 mm, preferably at least equal to 2 mm.
• the thickness W is measured between the axially outer sidewall face and the axially outer fibers of the reinforcements of the axially outermost reinforcing layer: it therefore takes into account the axially outer sidewall layer strictly speaking and the layer axially outer coating of the axially outermost reinforcing layer.
• the difference between the thickness W of the axially outer sidewall layer and the depth Pc of the recess therefore defines the thickness of the layer of rubber material, between the bottom of the recess and the axially outermost reinforcement layer.
• a thickness of 1 mm is the minimum thickness of the layer of rubber material, guaranteeing mechanical decoupling between the sidewall insert, intended to be engaged in said hollow, and the reinforcement reinforcement axially inside and in interface with the axially outer sidewall layer. This minimum thickness consequently avoids concentrations of stress at the bottom of the hollow, liable to generate cracking and a reduction in the endurance of the sidewall.
• the width Le of the hollow is at most equal to 10% of the nominal section height H of the tire.
• the width Le of the hollow is at most equal to 20 mm, preferably at most equal to 12 mm.
• the hollow is formed in an axially outer sidewall layer consisting of a single rubber material.
• the hollow is not formed in a composite layer, consisting of a superposition of materials, and, therefore, potentially sensitive to problems of mechanical strength of the interfaces between said materials.
• the straight line contained in any meridian plane and passing through two points of intersection respectively of each hollow wall with the axially outer face of the flank, forms, with the radial direction, an angle at most equal to 25°, preferably at most equal to 15°.
• the protuberance has, in any meridian plane, a height Hp at least equal to the depth Pc of the hollow minus 2 mm.
• a minimum height value Hp equal to the depth Pc of the hollow minus 2 mm, makes it possible to position a sidewall insert on the protrusion, with a sufficient anchoring height while not exceeding or slightly exceeding the axially outer face. flank. This configuration therefore allows effective anchoring of the sidewall insert while protecting it from potential gratings of the sidewall against the sidewalks. In addition, a limited engagement of the sidewall insert in the thickness of the sidewall guarantees its visibility as a means of design.
• the protuberance has, in any meridian plane, a height Hp at most equal to the depth Pc of the hollow plus 2 mm.
• a maximum value of height Hp equal to the depth Pc of the hollow plus 2 mm, makes it possible to prevent the insert from being in relief with respect to the axially outer face of the flank. This configuration thus makes it possible not to disturb the flow of air in the vicinity of the sidewall in this zone. Consequently, the aerodynamic drag of the tire is not increased. Correlatively, the rolling resistance of the tire, and therefore the fuel consumption, are not increased. In addition, the sensitivity to potential grating of the sidewall against the pavements remains limited.
• the protrusion is constituted, in any meridian plane, by a staggering of a first narrow portion extending axially outwards from the hollow bottom and having a width width equal to the minimum protrusion width Lpmin, and a second wide portion extending axially outwards from the first narrow portion and having a maximum width equal to the maximum protrusion width Lpmax.
• a protrusion thus has substantially the shape of a mushroom, the foot of which is the first narrow portion and the head is the second wide portion.
• the sidewall comprising, on its axially outer sidewall face and in the radially outer vicinity of a bead, a protective bead having an edge, and the anchoring means having a circumferential mean line
• the circumferential mean line of the means anchor is advantageously positioned, in any meridian plane, at a radial distance dl at least equal to 4 mm, radially outside the edge of the protective bead.
• a protective bead is positioned on the axially outer face of the sidewall and in the radially outer vicinity of a bead. Positioning in the radially outer vicinity of the bead means that the most radially inner point of the protective bead is positioned at a radial distance of at least 4 mm radially to the outside of a rim flange on which the tire is intended to be mounted. Furthermore, the edge of the protective bead is the top of the substantially triangular section of the protective bead, not located on the axially outer face of the sidewall.
• the protective bead Since the protective bead has the function of protecting the flange of the rim on which the tire is intended to be fitted, it is the portion of the tire most likely to rub against external elements, such as pavements and stones, and also the most likely to come into contact with the ground when removing the tire. Consequently, the sidewall insert, and therefore the corresponding anchoring means, must be far enough away from the protective cord to avoid being damaged. In addition, a means of anchoring near the protective cord gives it more visibility.
• the mean circumferential line of the anchoring means is positioned, in any meridian plane, at a radial distance d2 at least equal to 10% of the height of the nominal section H of the tire, radially inside an axial straight line passing at mid-height H/2 of the nominal section of the tire.
• the protective bead is the axially outermost tire portion
• the axially outermost point of the tire is positioned on an axial straight line passing at mid-height H/2 of the nominal section of the tire.
• the average circumferential line of the corresponding anchoring means is advantageously radially positioned at a radial distance d2 at least equal at 10% of the height of the nominal section H of the tire, radially inside the axial straight line passing at mid-height H/2 of the nominal section of the tire.
• the radial distance d2 is at least equal to 2 mm and preferably at least equal to 8 mm.
• Another subject of the invention is a sidewall insert intended to be mounted on a sidewall of a tire.
• the sidewall insert is intended to cooperate with an anchoring means according to one of the previously described tire embodiments, by engagement in the hollow (7) of the anchoring means (6) and by clipping on the protrusion (8) of the anchoring means (6).
• the sidewall insert has a circumferential mean line having a mean diameter D2, before mounting on the tire, at most equal to a mean diameter DI of a circumferential mean line of the anchoring means.
• the anchoring of the sidewall insert in the anchoring means is carried out under prestressing, which contributes to effective retention of the sidewall insert in the sidewall, with a low risk of ejection while rolling. .
• the flank insert may have, in the vicinity of the axially outer face of the flank, a variable width. This implies a variable hollow width of the anchoring means, and therefore a non-axisymmetric anchoring means, with respect to the axis of rotation of the tire.
• the sidewall insert comprises at least one polymeric material, such as a rubber material, a silicone or a thermoplastic material, for example a polyurethane.
• the material(s) that make up the sidewall insert must be sufficiently deformable so as not to generate excessive stresses at the interface between the sidewall insert and the anchoring means, liable to induce cracking and fatigue failures in the tire sidewall.
• a polymeric material such as, in a non-exhaustive manner, a rubber material, a silicone or a thermoplastic material, for example a polyurethane, satisfies this requirement.
• the side insert being made of a material having a modulus of elasticity in extension at 10% elongation M2 and being intended to cooperate with an anchoring means made of a rubber material having a modulus of elasticity in extension at 10% elongation M1, M2 is advantageously at least equal to 0.4*M1.
• the sidewall insert must be rigid enough to allow it to be placed on the sidewall.
• the flank insert being made of a material having a modulus of elasticity in extension at 10% elongation M2 and being intended to cooperate with an anchoring means consisting of a rubber material having a modulus of elasticity in extension at 10% elongation M1, M2 is again advantageously at most equal to 5*M1.
• the sidewall insert must not be too rigid so as not to generate excessive stresses in the sidewall of the tire liable to damage the sidewall, when the latter is subjected to bending stresses, and to reduce the risk of ejection by centrifugation of the sidewall insert while driving.
• the sidewall insert preferably has a coloring and/or a texture different from those of the sidewall comprising the anchoring means. Since the objective of the invention is to personalize the design of the sidewalls of the tire, the sidewall insert preferably has a coloring and/or a texture that differs from the sidewall.
• the preferentially colored sidewall insert can have one or more colors that are differentiated from the usually black color of the sidewall. Still preferably, the sidewall insert is monochrome for the purpose of simplifying its manufacture.
• the sidewall insert is covered with a graphic design or a texture, for example of the velvet type.
• the subject of the invention is an assembly consisting of a tire according to any one of the embodiments of the tire described above, and of at least one sidewall insert according to any one of the embodiments of the sidewall insert previously described.
• Figure 1 is a meridian half-section of a tire 1 according to the invention mounted on its rim 2.
• the tire 1 for a light vehicle is mounted on a rim 2 and able to be fitted with at least one flank insert 9 (not shown).
• the tire 1 has a nominal section of height H within the meaning of the ETRTO (European Tire and Rim Technical Organization) standard and comprises two sidewalls 3 connecting a crown 4 respectively to two beads 5, each intended to come into contact with the rim 2.
• the sidewall 3 shown comprises an anchoring means 6, intended to cooperate with a sidewall insert 9 (not shown).
• the anchoring means 6 extends circumferentially, in a circumferential direction XX' of the tire, and comprises a hollow 7 formed in an axially outer layer of the sidewall 30 comprising at least one rubber material, extending from one side axially exterior of the sidewall 31 axially towards the interior of the sidewall 3.
• the anchoring means 6 comprises a protrusion 8, in relief with respect to the bottom of the hollow and extending from the bottom of the hollow to in the vicinity of the axially outer face of the sidewall 31, and the protrusion 8 has, in the meridian plane YZ, a minimum width Lpmin (not referenced) in the vicinity of the hollow bottom so as to guarantee the anchoring of the sidewall insert intended to cooperate with the anchoring means 6.
• the sidewall 3 comprises, on its axially outer face of the sidewall 31 and in the radially outer vicinity of the bead 5, a protective bead 32 having u edge 321.
• the edge 321 of the protective bead 32 is the apex of the substantially triangular section of the protective bead, not located on the axially outer face of the sidewall 31.
• the anchoring means 6 having a circumferential mean line 61, the circumferential mean line 61 of the anchoring means 6 is positioned, in the meridian plane YZ, at a radial distance d1 at least equal to 4 mm, radially outside the edge 321 of the protective bead 32.
• middle circumferential line 61 of the anchoring means 6 is positioned, in the meridian plane YZ, at a radial distance d2 at least equal to 10% of the height of the nominal section H of the tire 1, radially inside a axial straight line D passing at mid-height H/2 of the nominal section of tire 1.
• FIG. 2 is a meridian section of an anchoring means 6 according to the invention. This is a detailed view of Figure 1.
• the anchoring means 6 comprises a hollow 7 and a protuberance 8.
• the hollow 7 is delimited axially inwardly by a hollow bottom 71 and radially by two hollow walls 72.
• the hollow 7 has, in the meridian plane YZ containing the axis of rotation YY' of the tire, a depth Pc, maximum distance measured perpendicularly between the axially outer face of the sidewall 31 and the bottom of the tire.
• hollow 71, and a width Le measured at the axially outer face of flank 31, between the two hollow walls 72.
• the depth Pc of hollow 7 is at least equal to 2 mm and at most equal to 7 mm.
• the width Le of the hollow 7 is at most equal to 15%, preferably at most equal to 10% of the nominal section height H of the tire 1.
• the axially outer sidewall layer 30 having a thickness W at the level of the means of anchor 6, the difference between the thickness W of the axially outer sidewall layer 30 and the depth Pc of the hollow 7 is at least equal to 1 mm.
• the straight line T contained in the meridian plane YZ and passing through two points of intersection (721, 722) respectively of each hollow wall 72 with the axially outer face of the flank 31, forms, with the radial direction ZZ', an angle A at most equal to 25°.
• the protuberance 8 is constituted, in any meridian plane YZ, by a staggered first narrow portion 81 extending axially outwards from the hollow bottom 71 and having a minimum width equal to the minimum width of protrusion Lpmin, and a second wide portion 82 extending axially outwards from the first narrow portion 81 and having a maximum width equal to the maximum protrusion width Lpmax.
• FIG. [3A] to [3H] are examples of embodiments of the anchoring means.
• the anchoring means of FIG. [3A] has a meridian section of a dovetail protuberance.
• the anchoring means of FIG. [3B] has a meridian section of spherical protuberance.
• the anchoring means of Fig. [3C] has a mushroom-shaped protrusion meridian section.
• the anchoring means of figure [3D] has a crenellated dovetail protrusion meridian section.
• the anchoring means of FIG. [3E] has a meridian section of stepped dovetail protrusion.
• the anchoring means of Figure [3F] has an incised cylindrical protrusion meridian section.
• FIG. 4 is a meridian half-section of a tire according to the invention mounted on its rim and fitted with a sidewall insert. It combines the tire of figure 1 with a sidewall insert 9.
• Figure 5 is a meridian section of an anchoring means 6 according to the invention, as shown in Figure 2, in combination with a side insert 9. This is a detailed view of Figure 4 .
• the inventors have more particularly studied this invention for a tire of size 245/45 R 18 10 W XL, intended to be inflated to a recommended pressure equal to 2.9 bars and to carry a recommended load equal to 800 kg.
• the characteristics of the example studied by the inventors are presented in Table 1 below:
• the inventors have observed easier assembly and more effective attachment for a sidewall insert fitted to a sidewall of a tire according to the invention.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Tires In General (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

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Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (4)

Citations (6)

Family Cites Families (20)

• 2020
  • 2020-10-01 FR FR2010023A patent/FR3114772B1/fr active Active
• 2021
  • 2021-09-28 WO PCT/FR2021/051675 patent/WO2022069831A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2021-09-28 JP JP2023520092A patent/JP7804657B2/ja active Active
  • 2021-09-28 EP EP21798083.8A patent/EP4222001B1/fr active Active
  • 2021-09-28 BR BR112023004434A patent/BR112023004434A2/pt unknown
  • 2021-09-28 US US18/029,740 patent/US12459307B2/en active Active
  • 2021-09-28 CN CN202180067375.8A patent/CN116249627B/zh active Active

Patent Citations (6)

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