Tire with recycled rubber in tire wall

Abstract

A tire is provided having a sidewall extending from a crown, the sidewall having an outwardly facing outer surface and an inwardly facing outer surface. The tire wall has a side surface forming at least a portion of an outward-facing outer surface. The side has a native portion and a recycled portion, wherein the native portion forms at least a portion of the outwardly facing outer surface. The recovery portion does not form any portion of the outwardly facing outer surface. The native portion includes native rubber and the recovered portion includes recovered rubber.

Description

[0001] Statement regarding federally funded research or development

[0002] This invention was completed with government support under the Advanced Manufacturing Office Award No. DE-EE0007897 granted by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) of the U.S. Department of Energy. The government holds certain rights to this invention. Technical Field

[0003] The subject matter of this invention relates to a tire comprising recycled rubber. More specifically, this application relates to a sidewall design characterized in that both virgin bead filler and recycled bead filler are strategically placed to maintain tire performance. Background Technology

[0004] Once tires exceed their service life, they cease use and enter their end-of-life period. Approximately 50% of tires are burned to produce tire-derived fuels after reaching their end-of-life. Of the remaining end-of-life tires, some are reused in shredded rubber products, others are used in civil engineering applications, and the rest are ground up and sent to landfills. To reduce the environmental impact of end-of-life tires, it might be desirable to reuse the rubber from these tires in the manufacture of new tires. However, only a small amount of recycled rubber is used in new tires because it has been shown that adding a large amount of recycled rubber to new tires reduces functional properties such as strain modulus and tensile strength. Therefore, using recycled rubber instead of new virgin rubber in newly manufactured tires may reduce tire performance. This disadvantage limits the applicability of recycled rubber in newly manufactured tires. Therefore, it is desirable to design a tire that allows recycled rubber to be incorporated into newly manufactured tires without reducing the performance of the new tires due to this incorporation. Attached Figure Description

[0005] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the complete and feasible disclosure of the invention for those skilled in the art, including its best mode, is set forth in the specification, wherein:

[0006] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of a heavy truck tire.

[0007] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the radial section of a truck tire according to an exemplary embodiment, wherein the cross-section of all items is how the tire looks when mounted to the rim.

[0008] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The embodiment is shown in close-up cross-sectional view of the bead, sidewall, and a portion of the crown.

[0009] Figure 4This is a cross-sectional view of the bead, sidewall, and a portion of the crown according to another exemplary embodiment.

[0010] The same or similar reference numerals are used in different accompanying drawings to represent the same or similar features. Detailed Implementation

[0011] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, with one or more examples of embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Each example is provided to illustrate the invention and is not intended to limit the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used with another embodiment to obtain a third embodiment. The invention is intended to include these and other modifications and variations.

[0012] The present invention provides a tire 10 having recycled rubber incorporated into a sidewall 36 in a manner that does not compromise durability and longevity. In this regard, the sidewall 36 has a sidewall 54 having a virgin portion 56 and a recycled portion 58. The recycled portion 58 includes recycled rubber, while the virgin portion 56 does not include any recycled rubber; rather, any rubber within the virgin portion 56 is virgin rubber and not recycled rubber. The sidewall 54 is arranged in the sidewall 36 such that the virgin portion 56 forms at least a portion of the outwardly facing surface 50 of the sidewall 36, and the recycled portion 58 does not form any portion of the outwardly facing surface 50. This arrangement allows recycled rubber to be incorporated into a newly manufactured tire 10 without degrading the performance of the tire 10.

[0013] Figure 1A tire 10 is shown, which is a heavy-duty truck tire 10. The tire 10 can be a steering tire, drive tire, trailer tire, or all-position tire. The tire 10 includes a carcass 22 on which a tread 20 is provided. The carcass 22 may include a sidewall 36, a bead 24, and a portion of a crown 26. The bead 24 is the portion of the carcass 22 at its inner radial end closest to the central axis 12. The central axis 12 of the tire 10 extends through the center of the carcass 22, and the axial direction 16 of the tire 10 is parallel to the central axis 12. The radial direction 14 of the tire 10 is perpendicular to the central axis 12, and in the radial direction 14, the tread 20 is located further from the central axis 12 than the carcass 22. The tread 20 extends around the entire carcass 22 in the circumferential direction 18 of the tire 10 and is 360 degrees around the central axis 12. Although described as being used with a heavy-duty truck tire 10, the tire 10 provided according to the invention can be any type of tire 10, such as a light vehicle tire, a light truck tire, a bus tire, or any other type of tire 10. However, there are certain embodiments in which the tire 10 is a heavy-duty truck tire 10. As used herein, a direction described as outward or inward in the radial direction 14 means being further away from or closer to something in the radial direction 14 relative to the central axis 12. A direction described as being inside or outside in the axial direction 16 means being closer to or further away from the centerline of the tire 10 in the axial direction 16, which is located in... Figure 2 The center is represented by 14 radial lines.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a radial section of a tire 10 according to an exemplary embodiment. Various structures made of different materials, sometimes referred to as products, may be present throughout the tire 10. The tread 20 of the tire 10 is shown as being furthest from the axial center of the tire 10 in the radial direction 14. The crown 26 of the tire 10 is the part of the tire 10 that engages with the road surface, and specifically, the tread 20 is designed for engaging the ground. The crown 26 is located at the center of the tire 10 in the axial direction 16, and a pair of sidewalls 36 extend from the crown 26 in the radial direction 14. The bead 24 is located at the end of the sidewalls 36 in the radial direction 14 and is closest to the central axis 12 in the radial direction 14. The crown 26 includes a plurality of belt layers 98 located below the tread 20 in the radial direction 14 and includes belts for reinforcing and maintaining the shape of the tire 10. The reinforcing belts of the belt layers 98 may cross each other, and in some cases, these reinforcing belts may be arranged at an angle of 20 degrees to each other. Any number of belt layers 98 may be present, and they may include reinforcing belts made of steel. The carcass 22 or skeleton extends from the tread 20 and includes the sidewall 36 of the tire 10, which terminates in a pair of bead 24 arranged on a rim for mounting to a wheel of a vehicle.

[0015] Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 The left side of the tire allows for a more detailed view of the various components. The tread 26 includes a base tread layer 84, which lies beneath the tread 20 in the radial direction 14 and engages with both the tread 20 and the belt layer 98. The base tread layer 84 is made of a rubber of a different type than that constituting the tread 20. In the disclosed embodiment, the base tread layer 84 has sections made of virgin rubber 88 and sections made of recycled rubber 86. The recycled rubber 86 engages the tread 20, while the virgin rubber 88 does not engage the tread 20. The virgin rubber 88 surrounds and engages the edges of the belt layer 98.

[0016] The tread 26 also includes a buffer layer 92, which sits on top of the reinforcing ply 32 within the tread 26 and provides a flat surface on which the belt layer 98 can be disposed. A large portion of the buffer layer 92 may be made of recycled rubber 94, and a smaller portion may be made of virgin rubber 96. The virgin rubber 96 does not contact the reinforcing ply 32, but rather contacts the belt layer 98 at its outer edge in the axial direction 16. The virgin rubber 96 also engages a belt edge layer 90 made of virgin rubber. The belt edge layer 90 acts as a wedge between the belt layer 92 and the underbody tread layer 84 to dampen stress and provides durability for the tire 10. Figure 3 Another component of the tire 10 shown is a tread wall 82, which is located at the axial end of the tread 20 and extends therefrom to the sidewall 54. The tread wall 82 is made of a different rubber composition than the tread 20 and joins the tread 20, the base tread layer 84, the native portion 56 of the sidewall 54, and the recycled portion 58 of the sidewall 54. The tread wall 82 forms part of the outer surface of the tire 10 and covers a small portion of the recycled portion 58.

[0017] Bead cores 28 are located in each bead of bead 24 and are present to provide strength and clamping force within the bead 24 to hold it to the rim. The left bead 24 may be a mirror image of the right bead 24, and both bead 24 may have a product made of the same material. Some tissues / products are located only within the bead 24, while others are located within and extend from it. For example, an inner liner 68 is located inside the bead 24 and extends to the inner and outer sides of the bead 24, then extends upward along the sidewall 36. The inner liner 68 then extends in the axial direction 16 across the entire inner side of the crown, then extends into the right sidewall of the carcass 22 and forms the inner side of that sidewall. The inner liner 68 then terminates inside the right bead 24 and is arranged in a similar mirror manner to its presence in the left bead 24. The inner liner 68 is a product of the tire 10, extending from one bead 24 to the other and made of a fluid-impermeable material, thereby retaining fluid between the tire 10 and the rim to maintain the inflation pressure of the tire 10. The inner liner 68 controls air retention, has low-temperature crack resistance, and good resistance to flexural fatigue. The inner liner 68 can be made as a single layer or can be multilayered. In the disclosed embodiment, the inner liner 68 is made of two layers, namely a first layer 70 and a second layer 74. The first layer 70 is inside the two layers in the axial direction 16 and forms the inner and outer surfaces 52 of the sidewall 36. The second layer 74 is located outside the first layer 70 in the axial direction 16 and joins the reinforcing ply 32 such that, in the sidewall 36, the reinforcing ply 32 joins the second layer 74 but not the first layer 70.

[0018] Tire 10 includes a structure designated as reinforcing ply 32, which is located within one bead of bead 28 and extends through sidewall 36 and crown 26 to reach the other bead 28. The reinforcing ply 32 is wound around bead core 28 and is designated as a reverse-wrapped carcass ply 34 in the axial direction 16 outward from bead core 28. The reinforcing ply 32 has a main portion located within bead 24 and inside the reverse-wrapped carcass ply 34 in the axial direction 16. The main portion extends to bead core 28 until the position of the reinforcing ply 32 closest to the central axis 12 in the radial direction 14. At this location closest to the central axis 12 in the radial direction 14, the reinforcing ply 32 is then referred to as the reverse ply 34, which extends from this point to the outward radial end of the reverse ply 34, which is the portion of the reverse ply 34 furthest from the central axis 12 in the radial direction 14. Thus, in some embodiments, both the main portion and the reverse ply 34 are wrapped around the bead core 28, and both can engage the bead core 28. In the bead 24, the reverse ply 34 may be completely outside the main portion in the axial direction 16, but this arrangement is not always necessary. The main portion of the reinforcing ply 32 and its reverse ply 34 may be continuous with each other, wherein there is no interruption between them in the reinforcing ply 32. The reinforcing ply 32 provides strength and flexibility to the tire 10 and is a support structure for bearing the inflation pressure of the tire 10's load. The reinforcing ply 32 is a composite material comprising metal cords and compound rubber. The reinforcing ply 32 is more rigid in the direction of its cords than the winding structure 44, bead filler 76, and filler rubber 30. The reinforcing ply 32 extends below the belt layer 98 from the bead 24, through the sidewall 36, and then into the opposing sidewall 36 and downwards into the bead 24 on the right side of the tire 10.

[0019] The relative position in the axial direction 16 can be described relative to the inner and outer positions. The innermost point of the tire 10 is... Figure 3 The radial direction line 14 shown is located at the center of the tire 10 along the axial direction 16. Figure 3 The center of tire 10 is located inside the two bead 24 in the axial direction 16. Therefore, as used herein, describing an object as being inside another object in the axial direction 16 means that it is positioned closer to the radial line 14, as... Figure 3 As shown or as will be positioned in other figures. Furthermore, as used herein, describing an object as being outside another object in the axial direction 16 means that it is positioned in the axial direction 16 further away from the radial direction line 14, as... Figure 3As shown or as will be positioned in other figures. As another example, the bead layer 42 is located outside the bead core 28 in the axial direction 16. Relative positioning in the radial direction 14 can be described with respect to the central axis 12, where an object may be closer to or further away from the central axis 12 in the radial direction 14 than other objects. Although the central axis 12 is not shown in every figure due to size limitations, it should be understood that when describing something as being closer to or further away in the radial direction 14, the position of the central axis 12, as will be seen, should be referenced to determine the relative positioning.

[0020] The bead core 28 is composed of one or more steel bars 72. The bead core 28, with its bars 72, serves to hold the tire 10 to the rim and maintain strength to withstand the internal stresses from inflation on the rim to prevent slippage. The bead core 28 is surrounded by filler rubber 30, and in some cases, may be completely surrounded by filler rubber 30 in all directions. In some embodiments, the bead core 28 is surrounded by a winding structure 44, which may be made of nylon. The bars 72 constituting the bead core 28 are shown as a single piece with a rectangular cross-sectional shape. This single piece may actually be a plurality of bars arranged together in a rectangular shape. In other embodiments, the bead core 28 may be composed of multiple components, and these components may have any cross-sectional shape. The winding structure 44 is wound around the filler rubber 30 to isolate the bars 72 and the filler rubber 30 from other elements of the tire 10, such as the reinforcing ply 32 and the filler. The winding structure 44 may have a stiffness of 14 MPa and may be made of a compound and fabric (in some cases, it may be a nylon cord layer), the filler 30 may be a compound and may have a stiffness of 28 MPa, and the strut 72 may be made of steel or aluminum and may have a stiffness of 30,000,000 MPa in some embodiments. The bead core 28 may be lightweight, allowing for the use of smaller struts to improve the performance characteristics of the tire 10.

[0021] The bead 24 has a bead filler 76, sometimes referred to as rubber filler, which is located between the main portion of the reinforcing ply 32 and its reverse carcass ply 34, and joins both the main portion of the reinforcing ply and its reverse carcass ply. A winding structure 44 joins the bead filler 76, the main portion of the reinforcing ply 32, and the reverse carcass ply 34. The winding structure 44 serves to stabilize the geometry of the filler rubber 30 and the strut 72. Without the winding structure 44, the filler rubber 30 would be formed in a more square shape and, when the tire 10 is used, would be formed in a more elliptical shape. Therefore, the winding structure 44 shapes the organization of the bead 24 in a desired manner, enabling these organizations to function in the intended way. It should be understood that other truck tires 10 can be manufactured without the winding structure 44 and function perfectly normally and safely. Adding the winding structure 44 provides even higher bead 24 durability compared to those cases where the winding structure 44 is absent. However, there are various fully functional and safe truck tire 10 designs based on this design, including designs that include the winding mechanism 44 and designs that do not include the winding mechanism.

[0022] The bead filler 76 is located between the reinforcing layer 38 and the reverse carcass ply 34 and bonds both the reinforcing layer and the reverse carcass ply. The bead filler 76 also bonds the reverse carcass ply 34, the strip 48, and the bead layer 42. The bead filler 76 consists of a first layer 78 and a second layer 80, which may be made of the same material. The reason the bead filler 76 consists of two layers 78 and 80 is that this may be easier during manufacturing. The first layer 78 bonds the bead layer 42, the strip 48, the reinforcing layer 38, the reverse carcass ply 34, the reinforcing ply 32, and the second layer 80, and may not be bonded to any other components of the tire 10. The second layer 80 bonds the winding structure 44, the reinforcing ply 32, the first layer 78, and the reverse carcass ply 34, and may not be bonded to any other components of the tire 10. The first layer 78 and the second layer 80 may consist only of virgin rubber and may not include recycled rubber. In other embodiments, portions of the first and second layers may include both virgin rubber and recycled rubber. The material constituting the bead filler 76 may be more flexible than the material constituting the filler 30. The bead filler 76 may have a stiffness in the range of 3.6 MPa to 5.6 MPa. The bead filler 76 terminates in the bead 24, or in some cases may extend into the sidewall 36 of the tire 10. However, the bead filler 76 does not extend below the belt layer 98 to the other sidewall 36 of the tire 10.

[0023] The strip 48 surrounds the outward radial ends of the reinforcing layer 38 such that it does not engage with the bead filler 76. The strip 48 may be present at the ends of the reinforcing layer 38 when the reinforcing layer 38 is assembled into the green tire 10 before curing. In this respect, the strip 48 may be wrapped around the outward radial ends before and after the reinforcing layer 38 is assembled into the tire 10. Although the strip 48 is shown to be present, it should be understood that in other exemplary embodiments of the tire 10, the strip 48 is not present in the tire 10. The provided configuration of the bead 24 allows for the elimination of the strip 48 at the ends of all products, thereby reducing the cost and complexity of the tire 10.

[0024] The reinforcing layer 38 may be made of a combination of steel and rubber, and the rubber may have a stiffness of 10 MPa. The bead 24 includes a wear strip 46 located on the outside of the bead 24 and designed to engage with the rim. The wear strip 46 engages with the reinforcing layer 38, but no other arrangement is required. Figure 3 The reinforcing layer 38 extends outward in the radial direction 14 to have a portion in the radial direction 14 outside the bead core 28 and the reverse body ply 34.

[0025] The bead layer 42 is a rubber product of the tire 10, having bonded reinforcing layer 38 and located between reinforcing layer 38 and wear strip 46. The bead layer 42 extends outward in the radial direction 14 to an outward radial end, bonding strip 48, first bead filler layer 78, and sidewall 54, the outward radial end being the furthest outward position of the bead layer 42 from the central axis 12 in the radial direction 14. The bead layer 42 may extend to the sidewall 36 of the tire 10 and, in some cases, may be located within the sidewall 36. The bead layer 42 does not form any part of the outer surface of the tire 10, does not extend to the crown 26 below the belt layer 98, and does not extend to the right sidewall or right bead.

[0026] This application describes the stiffness of a product or material. The stiffness referred to is Young's modulus, which is the stiffness of an elastic material or the modulus of elasticity. The stiffness provided is measured in megapascals (MPa). The stiffness material property referred to in this discussion is MA10. This stiffness property can be calculated using the French standard NF T 46-002 of September 1988.

[0027] The sidewall 36 includes a sidewall 54 made of a virgin portion 56 and a recycled portion 58. The virgin portion 56 and the recycled portion 58 are made of rubber such that the virgin portion 56 contains no recycled rubber, and the recycled portion 58 contains no virgin rubber and only recycled rubber. The virgin portion 56 forms at least a portion of the outwardly projecting surface 50 of the sidewall 36. The sidewall 54 may be located solely in the sidewall 36, or it may be located in both the sidewall 36 and the bead 24, or it may be located in both the sidewall 36 and the crown 26. In some embodiments, the sidewall 54 may be located in the crown 26, the sidewall 36, and the bead 24. The sidewall 54 does not extend through the crown 26 to another sidewall. The recycled portion 58 does not form any portion of the outwardly projecting surface 50 and is part of the sidewall 54 that is entirely contained within the interior of the tire 10, not forming any portion of any outer surface of the tire 10.

[0028] The virgin portion 56 engages with the wear strip 46, the recycled portion 58, and the tread wall 82, and does not engage with any of the other described portions of the tire 10. The recycled portion 58 engages with the virgin portion 56, the wear strip 46, the bead layer 42, the reinforcing ply 32, the buffer layer 92 (in some cases, the buffer layer 92 is made of recycled rubber 94), the belt edge layer 90, the bottom tread layer 84 (in some cases, the bottom tread layer 84 is made of recycled rubber 86), and the tread wall 82, and does not engage with any of the other described portions of the tire 10. While various portions of the tire 10 have been described as being made of recycled rubber, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the only recycled rubber present in the tire 10 is located in the recycled portion 58. In these cases, such rubber in all other portions of the tire 10 that have rubber is virgin rubber. In some embodiments, the recycled rubber is present in the recycled portion 58, i.e., in the portion of the crown 26, but not in the portion of the bead 24. In other embodiments, the recycled rubber is present only in the bead 24 and the recycled portion 58, and not in the crown 26. In other embodiments, recycled rubber is present in the recycled portion 58, the bead 24, and the crown 26.

[0029] In various embodiments of tire 10, the volume of the material constituting the virgin portion 56 is equal to, greater than, or less than the volume of the material constituting the recycled portion 58. In this respect, when taking the cross-section of the side 54 (such as...) Figures 2 to 4When considering the cross-section shown, the volume can be determined as a comparison of the area of ​​the original portion 56 of the sidewall 54 with the area of ​​the recycled portion 58 of the sidewall 54. The volume of the sidewall 54 can be larger than the combined volume of all other components in the other components of the sidewall 36, such as the combined volume of the reinforcing ply 32 and the inner liner 68 of the sidewall 36. The sidewall 54 can form the entire outward outer surface 50 and may not form the inward and outward surfaces 52. The original portion 56 is continuous within the sidewall 36, and the recycled portion 58 is also continuous within the sidewall 36, such that they are not broken down into smaller segments, but rather each portion is a single discrete segment of material. In the radial direction 14, the recycled portion 58 extends a greater distance than the original portion 56 and is closer to the tread 20 in the radial direction 14 than the original portion 56 is closer to the tread 20 in the radial direction 14. On the other side of side 54, the original portion 56 extends further in the radial direction 14 than the recovery portion 58 extends into the bar 72, so that the original portion 56 is closer to the bar 72 in the radial direction 14 than the recovery portion 58 is closer to the bar 72 in the radial direction 14.

[0030] Figure 4 An alternative exemplary embodiment of tire 10 is shown, which also includes a sidewall 54 having a virgin portion 56 and a recycled portion 58. Figure 4 Implementation plan and Figure 2 The only difference between the implementation schemes of / 3 is the different configuration of the undercarriage tread layer 84 and the buffer layer 92. Apart from these differences, which will be discussed shortly, the remaining configurations of tire 10 are the same as described above. Figure 2 The implementation of / 3 is the same, and this information need not be repeated. The difference is that the bottom tread layer 84 has virgin rubber extending in the axial direction 16, so that it is longer than the recycled rubber 86 in the axial direction 16. The virgin rubber 88 engages the belt layer 98, the belt edge layer 90, the recycled portion 58, the tread wall 82, and the recycled rubber 86, and does not engage with any other part of the tire 10, including the virgin portion 56. The recycled rubber 86 engages the tread 20, the virgin rubber 88, the tread wall 82, and does not engage with any other part of the tire 10, including the sidewall 54. In this respect, in this embodiment, the recycled rubber 86 does not engage the recycled portion 58.

[0031] The different configurations of buffer layer 92 also lie in that, with Figure 2Compared to embodiment 3, the virgin rubber 96 extends a longer distance in the axial direction 16. In addition to contacting the belt edge layer 90, the virgin rubber 96 also engages the belt layer 98, recycled rubber 94, reinforcing ply 32, and recycled portion 58. The virgin rubber 96 does not contact any other parts of the tire 10, including the virgin portion 56. In this embodiment, the recycled rubber 94 engages the reinforcing ply 32, virgin rubber 96, and belt layer 98, and does not contact the recycled portion 58, belt edge layer 90, or other parts of the tire 10.

[0032] In various disclosed embodiments, it can be seen that the outer surface 50 is made of virgin portion 56 rather than recycled portion 58. This arrangement protects the exterior of the sidewall 36 to maintain the intended durability of the cured tire 10. Therefore, neither the outer surface 50 nor the inner / outer surface 52 is made of any recycled portion of the recycled portion 58, and both are made of a material comprising only virgin rubber and excluding recycled rubber. As disclosed in the various embodiments herein, the tire 10 is made of multiple layers, and these products can be layered into the tire 10 using a co-extrusion process. Other combinations of layers can be produced by mixing and matching the disclosed arrangements.

[0033] The various embodiments disclosed herein may incorporate any type of recycled rubber into the recycling section 58 (or other components as disclosed herein that include recycled rubber), such that the recycling section 58 can incorporate any type of recycled rubber. The recycled rubber may be included only in the sidewall 36 and need not be included in other parts of the tire 10 (such as the crown 26 or bead 24). The volume of the sidewall 36 may include 1% to 10%, 10% to 30%, 12% to 15%, 5% to 15%, 15% to 25%, 20% to 30%, 25% to 35%, 12%, 15%, 20%, 10%, or 12% to 20%, or up to 15% of the recycled rubber. In other embodiments, the volume of the sidewall 36 may include 15% to 20%, 15% to 25%, 20% to 30%, 25% to 35%, 30% to 40%, 40% to 50%, or 45% to 50% of the recycled rubber. Thus, in other arrangements, recycled rubber may constitute different amounts of the volume of the sidewall 36. The volume can be determined by taking a cross-section of the sidewall 36 and measuring the area of ​​the recycled rubber compared to the total area of ​​the cross-section of the sidewall 36. If there is some confusion regarding which parts constitute the sidewall and which constitute the crown or bead because the sidewall 36 and the crown 26 or bead 24 are continuous, the sidewall 36 can therefore be defined as the portion of the tire 10 that forms the sidewall 36, as measured from the radially outward end of the bead filler 76 to the radially inward end of the tread layer 84. This length in the radial direction 14 will be the height of the sidewall 36, and the full width of one sidewall of the tire 10 in the axial direction 16 will be its width. This area can be measured to determine the volume of recycled rubber therein. In other embodiments, when calculating the percentage of recycled rubber, the various percentages listed may be in one tissue (56, 58, 74, 92, 68, 32) rather than in the total volume of recycled rubber in the sidewall 36.

[0034] In some embodiments, a new tire 10 for light vehicles may include 12% recycled rubber in the sidewall 36, and a new tire 10 for commercial vehicles may include 15% recycled rubber in the sidewall 36. The recycled rubber can be incorporated into the sidewall 36 in the geometry described herein without reducing the performance of the tire 10 or increasing manufacturing costs. By using a multi-layer strategy, with the sidewall 54 formed by two layers 56, 58, the existing durability and longevity of the sidewall 36 can be maintained while incorporating the recycled rubber. The multi-layer arrangement and placement of the recycled portions 58 allows the sidewall 36 of the tire 10 to maintain product performance even when it includes recycled materials.

[0035] The recycled portion 58 and any other portion of the tire 10 described herein as having recycled rubber can be any type of recycled rubber, which is a rubber product that has been cured and previously used in products such as tires or rubber hoses. The rubber in the recycled portion 58 is always vulcanized rubber and can be reprocessed vulcanized rubber from a tire incorporated into the current tire 10. In some embodiments, the recycled rubber is micronized rubber powder (MRP) obtained from a used tire. In some embodiments, the micronized rubber powder is a micronized rubber composition with a particle size ranging from 40 mesh to 200 mesh, wherein the micronized rubber composition contains at least 10 weight percent of solution styrene-butadiene rubber. In some arrangements, the sidewall 36 is 10% to 30% MRP by volume. The micronized rubber powder can be the micronized rubber powder provided in U.S. Patent No. 9,815,974 entitled “recycled micronized rubber formulation having improved abrasion resistance,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0036] Although the subject matter of the invention has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments and methods, it should be understood that modifications, variations, and equivalents of such embodiments can be readily conceived by those skilled in the art upon understanding the foregoing. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure is by way of example rather than limitation, and this disclosure does not exclude obvious such modifications, variations, and / or additions to the subject matter.

Claims

1. A tire having a central axis, a radial direction, and an axial direction, the tire comprising: Tire crown, the tire crown having a tread configured for engaging the road; Sidewall, which extends from the crown; and A tire bead, which extends from the tire sidewall; The sidewall has an outward surface and an inward surface, the sidewall has a side surface forming at least a portion of the outward surface, the side surface having a virgin portion and a recycled portion, the virgin portion forming at least a portion of the outward surface and the recycled portion not forming any portion of the outward surface, the virgin portion comprising virgin rubber, and the recycled portion comprising recycled rubber.

2. The tire of claim 1, wherein the sidewall has a reinforcing ply layer that engages the recycle portion, wherein the reinforcing ply layer extends into the bead and into the crown, wherein the reinforcing ply layer is wrapped around a portion of the bead core of the bead; The sidewall has an inner liner forming the inner and outer surfaces, wherein the inner liner extends into the bead and into the crown.

3. The tire of claim 2, wherein the inner liner is bonded to the reinforcing ply, and wherein the reinforcing ply and the sidewalls do not form any portion of the inner and outer surfaces, wherein the reinforcing ply and the inner liner comprise virgin rubber and do not include any recycled rubber.

4. The tire according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the inner liner is composed of two layers such that both layers of the inner liner are located in the sidewall, the bead, and the crown.

5. The tire according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bead has interlocking bead layers and bead filler, wherein the bead layers are located outside the bead filler in the axial direction. The bead has a wear-resistant strip that engages with the bead layer and is located outside the bead filler in the axial direction. Both the original portion and the recycled portion are joined to the wear-resistant strip.

6. The tire of claim 5, wherein the recycled portion engages with the bead layer, wherein the virgin portion does not engage with the bead layer, and wherein neither the virgin portion nor the recycled portion engages with the bead filler.

7. The tire according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the tread has a tread wall located on the outer surface of the tread and engaging the tread, wherein the tread wall engages both the virgin portion and the recycled portion.

8. The tire of claim 7, wherein the tread has a base tread layer that engages the tread sidewall and the tread, wherein the base tread layer engages the recycled portion and does not engage the original portion.

9. The tire of claim 8, wherein the undercarriage tread layer comprises recycled rubber.

10. The tire according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the tread has a belt edge layer that engages the recycled portion and does not engage with the original portion; and The tire crown has a buffer layer that engages the belt edge layer and the recycled portion, wherein the buffer layer does not engage the original portion.

11. The tire of claim 10, wherein the buffer layer comprises recycled rubber that joins the recycled portion to the belt edge layer.

12. The tire according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein 10% to 30% of the volume of the sidewall is made of micronized rubber powder present in the recycled portion.

13. The tire of claim 12, wherein 12% to 15% of the volume of the sidewall is made of micronized rubber powder present in the recycled portion.

14. The tire according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the recycled portion comprises a micronized rubber composition with a particle size in the range of 40 mesh to 200 mesh, wherein the micronized rubber composition comprises at least 10% by weight of solution styrene-butadiene rubber.

15. The tire according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tire is a heavy-duty truck tire.

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