Resilient tires and wheels – Tires – resilient – Anti-skid devices
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-18
2004-11-09
Maki, Steven D. (Department: 1733)
Resilient tires and wheels
Tires, resilient
Anti-skid devices
C156S114000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06814115
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention pertains to a spike for motor vehicle tires, especially for snow tires of automobiles. In order to make it possible for the spike to accept the maximal force from below, e.g., a frozen or snowy street, German Utility Model No. 1,850,309 teaches that the spikes in top view (i.e., in the radial view from the outside to the inside) should be out-of-round, i.e., flat or flat-oval.
Each spike contains a plate-like root, which serves to anchor the spike in the tire in the vicinity of the upper radial ply. The part of the spike that does not form the root is hereinafter called the upper part of the spike. At least a part of the upper part of the spike protrudes out of the running surface of the tire. The root of the spike can be just as out of round as the upper part of the spike. The upper part of the spike can have a thicker spike part, to which a tapered, pointed part is joined radially outward, which protrudes out of the rubber running surface.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An objective of the invention is to improve a spike of the generic type in such a way that a tire equipped therewith is able to accept even larger forces from below. Another objective of the invention is to create a comparably improved tire and a third objective is to produce such a tire.
The above and other objectives of the invention can be achieved with a spike for the running surface of a motor vehicle tire, especially a snow tire with an out-of-round, longitudinal, plate-like spike root, whose greatest extension defines a longitudinal axis, and with an out-of-round, longitudinal spike upper part, whose greatest extension defines a longitudinal axis, characterized in that the spike root and the spike upper part are twisted in relation to each other, so that the longitudinal axis of the spike root together with the longitudinal axis of the spike upper part encloses an angle varying from zero.
Preferably, the angle enclosed by the two longitudinal axes is between 65° and approximately 115°, and more preferably essentially 90°. In addition, preferably a longitudinal extension of the thicker part is essentially the same as a width extension of the root. It is also preferred that the upper part consists of a thicker spike part and a tip sitting thereon, and the tip has an out-of-round cross section, while a longitudinal axis of the tip is oriented essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the thicker part.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a snow tire for motor vehicles with a running surface having a plurality of protruding spikes, each with an upper part, protruding at least in part from the running surface and anchored in the tire by means of a root, which are distributed over the width and the circumference of the running surface.
Preferably the spikes are arranged in the middle (M) of the running surface, the longitudinal axes of the roots are essentially oriented in the circumferential direction of the tire and the longitudinal axes of the upper parts are essentially axial. In addition, it is preferred that the edge areas (S) of the running surface of the tire, spikes are arranged, in which the longitudinal axes of the root and the spike upper part enclose an angle that varies from 90°. It is also preferred that the spikes anchored in the running surface have several different configurations of the roots.
Furthermore, yet another aspect of the invention provides a process for producing a snow tire with a running surface, as described above, and with spikes, as described above, in which the spikes, after completion of the formation of the blank running surface, are shot, preferably while the running surface is still unvulcanized, into the running surface, wherein the injection pipes, in which the spikes are accelerated prior to the impact on the periphery of the running surface, have such a clear cross section that this cross section surrounds the top view of each of the spikes to be mounted with slight play, in order to guide the spike securely free of torsion and seat it in the proper angular position.
With the design of the root plate and the upper part of the spike, each with oblong outline and the approximately right-angled (65-115°) orientation of both longitudinal axes, the buckling of the spike can be greatly reduced, which improves the ability to accept force from below. Surprisingly, the higher burden of the thusly oriented spike root itself and its contact with the surrounding rubber, especially the upper radial ply, has been shown to be unproblematical.
The longitudinal axis of the plate-like root of a spike according to the inventions, encloses with the longitudinal axis of the upper part, an angle greater than zero, preferably 65-115°, ideally 90°.
The upper part of the spike is conveniently configured in the middle of the running surface such that the longitudinal axis of the approximately oval or ellipsoidal top view of the spike approximates an axial line. In this manner, this running surface area can transfer the greatest forces in the circumferential direction, which shortens the braking distance and improves traction (thrust).
For most snow tires, it is nevertheless more important to be able to transfer sufficient lateral force on ice as well, so as to ensure directional stability and curve tracking. Such forces can be best transferred by the sidewalls of the tires, the surface pressure of which intensifies on the outer side of the curve when driving in a curve. For this reason, the upper parts of the spikes are expediently installed in the sidewalls of the tires rotated at least so far with respect to the axial that the top view of the longitudinal axis describes an angle of at least 30° to the axial. For an automobile snow tire, an angle of 45° appears to be especially favorable; for a truck snow tire, even more, e.g., 60°, since the latter, due to the great wheel diameter and therefore the long contact surface, already has a good longitudinal force transfer capacity. In the case of a motorcycle tire, it is practical for the sidewall spikes to be arranged such that the top view longitudinal axis is exactly oriented in the circumferential direction so as to maximize the transfer capacity of the transverse forces. In the case of tires for trailers without brakes, the latter holds true for all spike positions.
For all spikes whose upper part is axially oriented, i.e., the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal top view of the spikes runs along an axial, as discussed in the penultimate paragraph, the optimal twisting angle between the upper part and the root is also 90°. The root is then oriented circumferentially in the finished tire and imparts to the spike the smallest possible deformation under forces in the circumferential direction.
For all spikes whose upper part is circumferentially oriented, i.e., the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal top view of the spikes runs in the circumferential direction, as discussed at the end of the penultimate paragraph, the optimal twisting angle between the upper part and the root is likewise 90°. In the finished tire, the root is then oriented axially and imparts to the spike the smallest possible deformation under forces in the axial direction.
For all spikes whose upper part is oriented diagonally, i.e., the longitudinal axis of the elongated spike top view runs at an angle greater than 0° and less than 90° to the circumferential, as discussed at the beginning of the penultimate paragraph, the optimal twisting angle between the upper part and the root is 90° only if the latter run precisely on the equator (zenith) of the tire, which is not preferred, however. In the finished tire, the root is then complementarily oriented diagonally to the circumferential direction, so that, e.g., when in a first rotational sense the upper part rotates some 30° to the circumferential direction, the root is oriented by 60° (or between about 90° to about 30°) in the inverse rotational sense to the circumferential direction.
For all spikes whose upper part is diagonally oriented and whi
Continental Aktiengesellschaft
Maki Steven D.
Smith , Gambrell & Russell, LLP
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