US 12,220,948 B1
Pneumatic tire bead and sidewall construction
Jacek Wojcik, Colmar-Berg (LU); Philippe Joseph Auguste Muller, Champlon (BE); Jaroslaw Antoni Kotwica, Rollingen (LU); Veronique Marie-Jose Herbeuval, Arlon (BE); Praveen Kumar Ranganath Gurav, Howald (LU); Martina Schiel, Babenhausen (DE); and Bernd Zotz, Hanau (DE)
Assigned to The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, OH (US)
Filed by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, OH (US)
Filed on Dec. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/532,314.
Int. Cl. B60C 15/06 (2006.01); B60C 15/00 (2006.01); B60C 15/04 (2006.01)
CPC B60C 15/0607 (2013.01) [B60C 15/0009 (2013.01); B60C 15/0036 (2013.01); B60C 2015/048 (2013.01); B60C 2015/0614 (2013.01); B60C 2015/0617 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A pneumatic tire, comprising
a tread;
a bead region,
a sidewall extending from an edge of the tread generally in a radially inward direction to the bead region;
a circumferentially extending bead core arranged in the bead region;
a first apex extending from the bead core in radially outward direction;
an apex extension extending in radially outward direction from the first apex, the apex extension having a radially inward end and a radially outward end;
a carcass extending along an axially inner side of the sidewall to the bead region, the carcass including:
a first ply turned up around the bead core from an axially inner side to an axially outer side of the bead core so as to form a first turnup portion, the first turnup portion extending along an axially outer side of the first apex and along an axially outer side of the apex extension and terminating radially inwardly from the radially outward end of the apex extension; and
a second ply turned up, between the bead core and the first ply, around the bead core from an axially inner side to an axially outer side of the bead core so as to form a second turnup portion, the second turnup portion extending along the axially outer side of the first apex;
a chafer positioned around at least a portion of the bead core and the first and second turnup portions, the chafer intended for contacting a rim of a wheel, the chafer comprising a toe guard and a rim flange protector; and
a second apex positioned between the rim flange protector and at least one of the first apex and the apex extension.
 
11. A pneumatic tire, comprising
a tread;
a bead region,
a sidewall extending from an edge of the tread generally in a radially inward direction to the bead region;
a circumferentially extending bead core arranged in the bead region;
a first apex extending from the bead core in radially outward direction;
an apex extension extending in radially outward direction from the first apex, the apex extension having a radially inward end and a radially outward end;
a carcass extending along an axially inner side of the sidewall to the bead region, the carcass including:
a first ply turned up around the bead core from an axially inner side to an axially outer side of the bead core so as to form a turnup portion, the turnup portion extending along an axially outer side of the first apex and along an axially outer side of the apex extension and terminating radially inwardly from the radially outward end of the apex extension; and
a second ply parting from the first ply at the radially outward end of the apex extension and extending into the bead region along the axially outer side of the apex extension and along an axially outer side of the turnup portion of the first ply;
a chafer positioned around at least a portion of the bead core and the turnup portion of the first ply, the chafer intended for contacting a rim of a wheel, the chafer comprising a toe guard and a rim flange protector; and
a second apex positioned between the rim flange protector and at least one of the first apex and the apex extension.