Self-sealing pneumatic tire

• Main Authors: Gersman, Michael Lawrence, Papakonstantopoulos, George Jim
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 28.05.2024
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCESIN A PLASTIC STATE; REPAIRING, OR CONNECTING VALVES TO, INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIESIN GENERAL; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; TYRE CHANGING OR REPAIRING; TYRE INFLATION; VEHICLE TYRES; VEHICLES IN GENERAL; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

The method of this invention provides a simple and inexpensive method for manufacturing self-sealing pneumatic rubber tires of the tubeless type having a higher degree of uniformity than can be made utilizing conventional manufacturing procedures that are currently being practiced. In the practice of this invention a low viscosity sealant formulation, which would ordinarily be difficult to handle and build into an uncured tire, is encapsulated in a stiff rubber formulation. This makes it relatively easy to build the sealant layer into the tire since the low viscosity sealant formulation is contained with the more rigid solid material. The low viscosity sealant material requires little and preferably no depolymerization to act effectively as a sealant. Accordingly, it does not need to be depolymerized with a peroxide which causes off-gassing and the resultant tire uniformity and balance issues normally associated with polymer break down.