Tire with electrically conductive pathway

1 . A pneumatic tire comprising:

a pair of axially opposite bead portions, wherein each bead portion of the pair of bead portions comprises a bead and a chafer;

a tread portion;

at least one carcass ply extending at least from one bead portion of the pair of bead portions to an axially opposite bead portion of the pair of bead portions;

a belt portion arranged radially between the tread portion and the at least one carcass ply in a crown region of the tire;

a pair of axially opposite sidewalls, wherein each sidewall of the pair of axially opposite sidewalls extends from an axially outer end region of the tread portion and radially inwards to a respective one of the bead portions;

wherein the tread portion comprises at least one radially outer tread cap layer and at least one radially inner electrically conductive tread base layer; and wherein the tire further comprises:

an electrically conductive rubber composition strip having a first strip end, which is i) axially between the first sidewall and an adjacent axially outer surface of the tread base layer, and ii) radially below the tread cap layer, and wherein the electrically conductive rubber composition strip extends along an axially inner side of a first sidewall of the pair of sidewalls from the first strip end at least to a respective chafer of the respective one of the bead portions adjacent the first sidewall, wherein the respective chafer is an electrically conductive chafer, wherein the electrically conductive rubber composition strip further extends along the chafer, around the bead, and further along the carcass ply to an opposite lateral side of the tire, and at least around the bead of another one of the bead portions at the opposite lateral side of the tire.

2 . A pneumatic tire comprising:

a pair of axially opposite bead portions, wherein each bead portion of the pair of bead portions comprises a bead, a first apex, a second apex and a chafer;

a tread portion;

at least one carcass ply extending at least from one bead portion of the pair of bead portions to an axially opposite bead portion of the pair of bead portions;

a belt portion arranged radially between the tread portion and the at least one carcass ply in a crown region of the tire;

a pair of axially opposite sidewalls, wherein each sidewall of the pair of axially opposite sidewalls extends from an axially outer end region of the tread portion and radially inwards to a respective one of the bead portions;

wherein the tread portion comprises at least one radially outer tread cap layer and at least one radially inner electrically conductive tread base layer; and wherein the tire further comprises:

an electrically conductive rubber composition strip having a first strip end, which is i) axially between the first sidewall and an adjacent axially outer surface of the tread base layer, and ii) radially below the tread cap layer, and wherein the electrically conductive rubber composition strip extends from the first strip end along an axially inner side of a first sidewall and between the first and second apex to a respective chafer of the respective one of the bead portions adjacent the first sidewall, wherein the respective chafer is an electrically conductive chafer.

3 . The pneumatic tire according to claim 2 , wherein the electrically conductive rubber composition strip has a second strip end in contact with a radially outer end region of the electrically conductive chafer.

4 . The pneumatic tire according to claim 2 , wherein the electrically conductive chafer is one or more of:

extending from a radially innermost tip of the respective bead portion over less than 40% of a total radial height of the tire; and

extending from a first position, which is radially and axially inside of the adjacent bead, passing an axially outer side of the bead to a second, radially outer position, which is covered by a radially inner end of the first sidewall.

5 . The pneumatic tire according to claim 2 , wherein the electrically conductive rubber composition strip has one or more of:

a length extension of over more than 50% of a total radial height of the tire;

a circumferential strip width within a range of 1 mm to 80 mm;

a strip thickness within a range of 1 mm to 4 mm, measured perpendicular to a length and a width of the strip;

an electrical volume resistivity lower than 10 8 ohm·cm;

a rubber composition comprising one or more of: more than 40 phr carbon black, a carbon black having an iodine absorption of at least 100 g/kg, less than 15 phr of silica; and

a rubber composition devoid of one or more of a cord reinforcement, and a fabric reinforcement.

6 . The pneumatic tire according to claim 2 , wherein a radially outer end of the first sidewall is in contact with an axially outer side of the tread cap layer.

7 . The pneumatic tire according to claim 2 , wherein the tread portion comprises an electrically conductive circumferential ring portion having an axial thickness of less than 10 mm and extending from the tread base layer to a radially outermost surface of the tread portion.

8 . The pneumatic tire according to claim 7 , wherein one or more of the electrically conductive rubber composition strip, the electrically conductive tread base layer, the electrically conductive chafer, and the electrically conductive circumferential ring portion have an electrical volume resistivity lower than 10 7 ohm·cm; and wherein one or more of the tread cap layer, one or more of the sidewalls, and a rubber coating composition of the at least one carcass ply have an electrical volume resistivity higher than 10 10 ohm·cm.