Pneumatic tire with a three dimensional component
A pneumatic tire includes an axis of rotation, a carcass having at least one reinforced ply and a reinforcing structure providing a buffer for absorbing shear strain, a tread disposed radially outward of the carcass, and a belt structure disposed radially between the carcass and the tread. The reinforcing structure includes at least one layer of a three dimensional fabric including a frame structure of fabric and open cells defined by the frame structure.
1. A pneumatic tire having an axis of rotation, the pneumatic tire comprising:
a carcass having at least one reinforced ply and a reinforcing structure providing a buffer for absorbing shear strain;
a tread disposed radially outward of the carcass; and
a belt structure disposed radially between the carcass and the tread, the reinforcing structure comprising a flipper with two layers of a three dimensional fabric including a frame structure of fabric and open cells defined by the frame structure, the flipper having physical properties intermediate to those of a rigid metal bead and a less rigid reinforced ply, the flipper serving as an active strain-relieving layer separating the rigid metal bead from the reinforced ply, the flipper surrounding the rigid metal bead.
2. The pneumatic tire of claim 1 wherein the fabric has warp yarns of 940/1 dtex polyaramide and weft yarns of 1220/1 dtex rayon.
3. The pneumatic tire of claim 2 wherein the warp yarns have a density of 14 EPI and the weft yarns have a density of 12 EPI.
4. The pneumatic tire of claim 1 wherein the fabric has warp yarns with a density of 14 EPI and weft yarns have a density of 12 EPI.
5. The pneumatic tire of claim 1 wherein the fabric comprises an open weave tape.
6. The pneumatic tire of claim 5 wherein outside edges of the open weave tape has a pair of warp yarns continuous for the radial length of the open weave tape.
7. The pneumatic tire of claim 6 wherein the open weave tape further comprises an adhesion promoter disposed thereon.
8. The pneumatic tire of claim 1 wherein the reinforcing structure is a flipper having two or more layers of open weave tape.
9. The pneumatic tire of claim 8 wherein the flipper includes warp yarns of at least two fibers of different fiber materials.