Tire with recycled rubber in sidewall

Abstract

A tire is provided that has a sidewall that extends from a crown with an outward exterior surface and an inward exterior surface. The sidewall has a flank that forms at least part of the outward exterior surface. The flank has a virgin portion and a recycled portion, in which the virgin portion forms at least part of the outward exterior surface. The recycled portion forms no part of the outward exterior surface. The virgin portion includes virgin rubber, and the recycled portion includes recycled rubber.

Description

TIRE WITH RECYCLED RUBBER IN SIDEWALLSTATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0001] This invention was made with government support under the Advanced Manufacturing Office Award Number DE-EE0007897 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The Government has certain rights in the invention.FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The subject matter of the present invention relates to a tire that includes recycled rubber. More particularly, the present application involves a sidewall design that features both virgin bead filler and recycled bead filler strategically placed to maintain tire performance.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Once tires have gone through their useful life, they are removed from service and enter their after service life. Around 50% of tires upon entering their after service life are burned to create tire-derived fuel. Of the remaining after service life tires, some are repurposed into crumb rubber products, others are used for civil engineering applications, and the remaining after service life tires are ground and placed into landfills. In order to reduce the environmental impact of after service life tires, it may be desirable to repurpose rubber from after service tires into new tires that are being manufactured. However, only smaller amounts of recycled rubber are used in new tires because adding larger amounts of recycled rubber into new tires has been shown to lower functional properties such as strain modulus and tensile strength. It is therefore the case that using recycled rubber instead of new, virgin rubber in newly manufactured tires can degrade the tire’s performance. This downside thus limits the applicability of recycled rubber into newly manufactured tires. It would therefore be desirable to design a tire that allows for the incorporation of recy cled rubber into a newly manufactured tire without degrading the performance of the newly manufactured tire due to the incorporation of this recycled rubber.1INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:

[0005] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a heavy truck tire.

[0006] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a radial cut of a truck tire with all items in cross-section as the tire would look when mounted to a rim in accordance with one exemplary embodiment.

[0007] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a bead, sidewall and some of the crown portion of the Fig. 2 embodiment to show in close-up.

[0008] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a bead, sidewall, and some of the crown in accordance with another exemplary embodiment.

[0009] The use of identical or similar reference numerals in different figures denotes identical or similar features.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield still a third embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations.

[0011] The present invention provides for a tire 10 with recycled rubber incorporated into the sidewall 36 in such a manner that endurance and durability is not compromised. In this regard, the sidewall 36 has a flank 54 that has a virgin portion 56 and a recycled portion 58. The recycled portion 58 includes within it recycled rubber, and the virgin portion 56 does not include any recycled rubber but instead any rubber within the virgin portion 56 is virgin rubber and not recycled rubber. The flank 54 is arranged in the sidewall 36 so that the virgin portion 56 forms at least part of the outward exterior surface 50 of the sidewall 36, and so that the recycled portion 58 forms no part of the outward exterior surface 50. This arrangement allows for recycled rubber to be put into a newly manufactured tire 10 without degrading the performance of the tire 10.2INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)

[0012] Fig. 1 shows atire lO that is aheavy duty truck tire 10. The tire lO may be a steer tire, a drive tire, a trailer tire, or an all position tire. The tire 10 includes a casing 22 onto which a tread 20 is disposed thereon. The casing 22 may include the sidewall 36, beads 24, and a portion of the crown 26. The bead 24 is a part of the casing 22 that is at the inner radial end of the casing 22 closest to the central axis 12. The central axis 12 of the tire 10 extends through the center of the casing 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 the tread 20 is located farther from the central axis 12 in the radial direction 14 than the casing 22. The tread 20 extends all the way around the casing 22 in the circumferential direction 18 of the tire 10 and circles the central axis 12 360 degrees. Although described as being in use with heavy duty truck tires 10, the tire 10 as provided in accordance with the present invention may be any type of tire 10 such as a light duty vehicle tire, a light truck tire, a passenger car tire, or any other type of tire 10. However, certain embodiments exist in which the tire 10 is a heavy duty truck tire 10. As used herein, the directions described as being outward or inward in the radial direction 14 mean farther or closer to something relative to the central axis 12 in the radial direction 14. The directions described as being inboard or outboard in the axial direction 16 mean closer to or farther from the center line of the tire 10 in the axial direction 16 that is designated as the radial direction 14 line in Fig. 2.

[0013] Fig. 2 is a radial cut of a tire 10 in accordance with one exemplary' embodiment. Various tissues, sometimes called products, composed of different materials can be present throughout the tire 10. The tread 20 of the tire 10 is shown as being located farthest from the axial center of the tire 10 in the radial direction 14. The crown 26 of the tire 10 is the portion of the tire 10 that engages the road surface, and in particular the tread 20 is designed for engaging the ground. The crown 26 is 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. Beads 24 are located at the ends of the sidewalls 36 in the radial direction 14 and are closest to the central axis 12 in the radial direction 14. The crown 26 includes a plurality of belt layers 98 which are located below' the tread 20 in the radial direction 14 and comprise belts for use in strengthening and holding the form of the tire 10. The reinforcement belts of the belt layers 98 may be crossed relative to one another, and in some instances they can be arranged at an angle of 20 degrees to one another. Any number of belt layers 98 can be present, and they may include reinforcement belts made of steel. The casing 22, or carcass,3INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)extends from the tread 20 and includes sidewalls 36 of the tire 10 terminating in a pair of beads 24 that are arranged for mounting onto the rim of the wheel of the vehicle.

[0014] Fig. 3 shows the left side of the tire of Fig. 2 so that the various tissues can be seen with greater detail. The crown 26 includes an undertread layer 84 that is located below the tread 20 in the radial direction 14 and is in engagement with both the tread 20 and the belt layers 98. The undertread layer 84 is made of a different type of rubber than that making up the tread 20. In the disclosed embodiment, the undertread layer 84 has a section made of virgin rubber 88 and a section made of recycled rubber 86. The recycled rubber 86 engages the tread 20 and the virgin rubber 88 does not engage the tread 20. The virgin rubber 88 surrounds and engages the edges of the belt layers 98.

[0015] Also included within the crown 26 is a cushion layer 92 that is located on top of the reinforcement ply 32 in the crown 26 and provides a flat surface onto which the belt layers 98 can be disposed. The majority of the cushion layer 92 can be made of recycled rubber 94, and a smaller portion of the cushion layer 92 can be made of virgin rubber 96. The virgin rubber 96 is not in contact with the reinforcement ply 32, but is in contact with the belt layer 98 at the outboard edge of the belt layer 98 in the axial direction 16. The virgin rubber 96 also engages a belt edge layer 90 that is made of virgin rubber. The belt edge layer 90 acts as a wedge between the belt layers 92 and the undertread layer 84 to dampen stresses and is present for endurance performance of the tire 10. Another component of the tire 10 shown in Fig. 3 is a tread wall 82 that is located at the axial end of the tread 20 and extends from it to the flank 54. The tread wall 82 is made of a different rubber composition than the tread 20 and engages both the tread 20, the undertread layer 84, the virgin portion 56 of the flank 54, and the recycled portion 58 of the flank 54. The tread wall 82 forms part of an exterior surface of the tire 10 and covers the recycled portion 58 along a small portion thereof.

[0016] A bead core 28 is located in each one of the beads 24 and is present to provide strength and a gripping force in the bead 24 for retention onto the rim. The left hand side bead 24 can be a minor image of the right hand side bead 24 and both beads 24 can have products that are made of the same material. Some of the tissues / products are located only in the bead 24, while others are located in the bead 24 and extend therefrom. For instance, an inner liner 68 is inside of the bead 24 and extends to an inner, exterior side of the bead 24 before extending up the sidewall 36. The inner liner 68 then extends across the entire inner side of the crown in the axial direction 16 before extending into and forming the inner4INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)side of the right hand side wall of the casing 22. The inner liner 68 then terminates inside of the right hand side bead 24 and is arranged in a similar mirror-image manner to its presence in the left hand side bead 24. The inner liner 68 is a product of the tire 10 that extends all the way from one bead 24 to the other bead 24 and is made of a material that is fluid tight so that fluid between the tire 10 and rim is maintained therein for purposes of maintaining inflation pressure of the tire 10. The inner liner 68 controls air retention, has low temperature cracking resistance, and has good flex fatigue resistance. The inner liner 68 can be made of a single layer or may be multi-layered. In the disclosed embodiment, the inner liner 68 is made of two layers which are a first layer 70 and a second layer 74. The first layer 70 is the interior of the two in the axial direction 16 and forms the inward exterior surface 52 of the sidewall 36. The second layer 74 is located outboard from the first layer 70 in the axial direction 16 and engages the reinforcement ply 32 such that in the sidewall 36 the reinforcement ply 32 engages the second layer 74 and is free from engagement with the first layer 70.

[0017] The tire 10 includes a tissue designated as a reinforcement ply 32 that is located within one of the beads 28 and extends through the sidewall 36 and crown 26 to the other bead 28. The reinforcement ply 32 wraps around the bead core 28 and is designated as a return casing ply 34 in the location outward in the axial direction 16 from the bead core 28. The reinforcement ply 32 has a main portion that is in the bead 24 and is inboard from the return casing ply 34 in the axial direction 16. The main portion extends to the bead core 28 to a location of the reinforcement ply 32 that is 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 reinforcement ply 32 is then designated as a return casing ply 34 which extends from this point to an outward radial terminal end of the return casing ply 34 which is the part of the return casing ply 34 farthest from the central axis 12 in the radial direction 14. It is thus the case that both the main portion and the return casing ply 34 are wrapped around the bead core 28 and both may engage the bead core 28 in some embodiments. In the bead 24, the return casing play 34 may be completely located outboard of the main portion in the axial direction 16, although this arrangement need not always be the case. The main portion of the reinforcement ply 32 and its return casing ply 34 can be continuous with one another with no interruption in the reinforcement ply 32 from one to the other. The reinforcement ply 32 provides strength and flexibility to the tire 10, and it is the supporting structure for the inflation pressure which carries the load of the tire 10. The reinforcement ply 32 is a5INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)composite material that includes metal cords and a rubber mix. The reinforcement ply 32 in the direction of its cords is stiffer than the wrapping tissue 44, the bead filler 76 and the padding gum 30. The reinforcement ply 32 extends from the bead 24, through the sidewall 36, under the belt layers 98, and then into the opposite sidewall 36 and down into the bead 24 on the right hand side of the tire 10.

[0018] Relative positions in the axial direction 16 can be described with respect to inboard and outboard positions. The most inboard point of the tire 10 may be the radial direction line 14 shown in Fig. 3 in its location in Fig. 3 as it is located at the center of the tire 10 in the axial direction 16. The center of the tire 10 is inboard of both of the beads 24 in the axial direction 16. It is therefore the case as used herein, an object described as inboard in the axial direction 16 to another object means that it is located closer to the radial direction line 14 as shown in Fig. 3 or as would be located in the other figures. Further, as used herein an object described as being located outboard from another object in the axial direction 16 means that it is located farther from the radial direction line 14 in the axial direction 16 as shown in Fig. 3 or as would be located in the other figures. As another example, the bead layer 42 is outboard of the bead core 28 in the axial direction 16. Relative positioning in the radial direction 14 may be described in relation to the central axis 12 in which objects may be closer to or farther 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 sizing constraints, it is to be understood that when describing something as closer or farther in the radial direction 14, the position of the central axis 12 as would be seen should be referenced in order determine the relative positioning.

[0019] The bead core 28 is made up of one or more steel rods 72. The bead core 28 with the rod 72 function to hold the tire 10 onto the nm and to maintain the strength to withstand internal stresses from inflation on the rim to prevent slipping. The bead core 28 is surrounded by padding gum 30 and in some instances may be completely surrounded on all sides by the padding gum 30. Surrounding the bead core 28 is a wrapping tissue 44 that can be made of nylon in some embodiments. The rod 72 making up the bead core 28 is shown as a single piece and has a rectangular cross-sectional shape. This single piece can actually be many rods arranged together in the shape of a rectangle. In other embodiments the bead core 28 can be made of multiple components and these components could have any cross-sectional shape. The wrapping tissue 44 wraps around the padding gum 30 to isolate the rod 72 and padding gum 30 from other elements of the tire 10 such as the6INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)reinforcement ply 32 and fillers. The wrapping tissue 44 may have a stiffness of 14 MPa and can be made of a rubber mix and textile which in some instances can be a nylon ply, the padding gum 30 can be a rubber mix and may have a stiffness of 28 MPa, and the rod 72 can be made of steel or aluminum and can have a stiffness of 30,000,000 MPa in some embodiments. The bead core 28 can be lightened so that a smaller rod can be used to improve performance properties of the tire 10.

[0020] The bead 24 has bead filler 76, sometimes referred to as gum stuffing, that is between and engages both the main portion of the reinforcement ply 32 and its return casing ply 34. The wrapping tissue 44 engages the bead filler 76, the main portion of the reinforcement ply 32, and the return casing ply 34. The wrapping tissue 44 functions to stabilize the geometry of the padding gum 30 and the rod 72. If the wrapping tissue 44 were not present, the padding gum 30 would assume a more square shape upon formation, and would assume a more oval shape when the tire 10 is used. The wrapping tissue 44 thus causes the tissues of the bead 24 to be desirably shaped so that they can function in an intended manner. It is to be understood that other truck tires 10 can be made without a wrapping tissue 44 and can function in a completely normal and safe manner. The addition of a wrapping tissue 44 may provide an even higher bead 24 endurance performance than in those instances in which a wrapping tissue 44 is absent in the bead 24. However, various truck tire 10 designs in accordance with the present design exist that are fully functional and safe that both include and do not include a wrapping tissue 44.

[0021] The bead filler 76 is located between and engages both the stiffener layer 38 and the return casing ply 34. The bead filler 76 also engages the return casing ply 34, tape 48, and the bead layer 42. The bead filler 76 is made of a first layer 78 and a second layer 80 which may be made of the same material. The reason the bead filler 76 is made of two layers 78, 80 is because this may be easier in the manufacturing process. The first layer 78 engages the bead layer 42, tape 48, stiffener layer 38, return casing ply 34, reinforcement ply 32, and second layer 80, and can be free from engagement with all other components of the tire 10. The second layer 80 engages the wrapping tissue 44, reinforcement ply 32, first layer 78, and return casing ply 34, and can be free from engagement with all other components of the tire 10. The first and second layers 78, 80 may include only virgin rubber with no recycled rubber. In other embodiments, portions of the first and second layers may include both virgin and recycled rubber. The materials making up the bead filler 76 can be more flexible than the material making up the padding gum 30. The bead7INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)filler 76 can have stiffnesses in the range from 3.6 MPa to 5.6MPa. The bead filler 76 ends in the bead 24 or in some instances may extend into the sidewall 36 of the tire 10. However, the bead filler 76 does not extend all the way under the belt layers 98 to the other sidewall 36 of the tire 10.

[0022] Tape 48 surrounds the outward radial terminal end of the stiffener layer 38 so that it does not engage the bead filler 76. The tape 48 may be present on the end of the stiffener layer 38 when the stiffener layer 38 is assembled into the green tire 10 before curing. The tape 48 could be wrapped around the outward radial terminal end in this regard before and after assembly of the stiffener layer 38 into the tire 10. Although the tape 48 is shown as being present, it is to be understood that the tape 48 is not present in the tire 10 in other exemplary embodiments of the tire 10. The provided configuration of the bead 24 allows the elimination of tape 48 at the ends of all products thus decreasing cost of the tire 10 and reducing complexity of the tire 10.

[0023] The stiffener layer 38 can be made of a combination of steel and rubber, and this rubber may have a stiffness of 10 MPa. The bead 24 includes an anti-abrasive strip 46 that is on the outside of the bead 24 and is designed to engage the rim. The anti-abrasive strip 46 engages the stiffener layer 38, but need not in other arrangements. The stiffener layer 38 in Fig. 3 extends outward in the radial direction 14 to have a portion outward of the bead core 28, and the return casing ply 34 in the radial direction 14.

[0024] The bead lay er 42 is a product of the tire 10 made of rubber that has a portion that engages the stiffener layer 38 and is located between the stiffener layer 38 and the anti- abrasive strip 46. The bead layer 42 extends outward in the radial direction 14 to an outward radial terminal end that is the farthest outward position of the bead layer 42 from the central axis 12 in the radial direction 14 and engages the tape 48, the bead filler first layer 78, and the flank 54. The bead layer 42 may extend to the sidewall 36 of the tire 10, and in some instances may be located within the sidewall 36. The bead layer 42 does not form any part of the exterior surface of the tire 10, and does not extend to the crown 26 to be under the belt layers 98, and does not extend to the right hand side sidewall or right hand side bead.

[0025] The present application describes the stiffness of a product or material. The stiffness that is being referred to is the Y oung’s modulus which is the stiffness of an elastic material, or elastic modulus. The stiffness is provided in measurements of mega pascals8INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)(MPa). The stiffness material property in question that is being referred to is MAIO. This stiffness property can be calculated using French standard NF T 46-002, September 1988.

[0026] The sidewall 36 includes a flank 54 that is made of a virgin portion 56 and a recycled portion 58. The virgin portion 56 and recycled portion 58 are made include rubber such that the virgin portion 56 has no recycled rubber in it, and such that the recycled portion 58 lacks any virgin rubber and has in it only recycled rubber. The virgin portion 56 forms at least a portion of the outward exterior surface 50 of the sidewall 36. The flank 54 may be located only in the sidewall 36, or may be in both the sidewall 36 and the bead 24, or may be in both the sidewall 36 and the crown 26. In some embodiments, the flank 54 may be in the crown 26, sidewall 36, and also the bead 24. The flank 54 does not extend across the crown 26 to the other sidewall. The recycled portion 58 forms no part of the outward exterior surface 50 and is a portion of the flank 54 completely contained within the interior of the tire 10 forming no part of any exterior surface of the tire 10.

[0027] The virgin portion 56 engages the anti-abrasive strip 46, the recycled portion 58, and the tread wall 82, and is free from engagement with all other described portions of the tire 10. The recycled portion 58 engages the virgin portion 56, the anti-abrasive strip 46, the bead layer 42, the reinforcement ply 32, the cushion layer 92 (in some instances the recycle drubber 94 of the cushion layer 92), the belt edge layer 90, the undertread layer 84 (in some instances the recycled rubber 86 of the undertread layer 84), and the tread wall 82, and is free from engagement with all other described portions of the tire 10. Various parts of the tire 10 have been descried as being made of recycled rubber, but is to be understood that in some embodiments the only recycled rubber present in the tire 10 is in the recycled portion 58. In these instances, all other parts of the tire 10 that have rubber have such rubber being virgin rubber. In some embodiments, recycled rubber is present in the recycled portion 58, parts of the crown 26, but in no parts of the bead 24. In other embodiments, recycled rubber is present in only the bead 24 and the recycled portion 58 but not in the crown 26. Yet further, in other embodiments recycled rubber is present in the recycled portion 58, the bead 24, and the crown 26.

[0028] In the various embodiments of the tire 10, the volume of material making up the virgin portion 56 is the same as, greater than, or less than the volume of material making up the recycled portion 58. In this regard, the volume can be determined as a size comparison of the area of the virgin portion 56 of the flank to the size area of the recycled portion 58 of the flank 54 when taking a cross-section of the flank 54 such as the ones9INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)shown in Figs. 2-4. The volume of the flank 54 may be greater than the volume of all of the other components of the sidewall 36 combined such as the combined volume of the reinforcement ply 32 and inner liner 68 of the sidewall 36. The flank 54 can form the entire outward exterior surface 50 and can form none of the inward exterior surface 52. The virgin portion 56 is continuous within the sidewall 36, and the recycled portion 58 is likewise continuous within the sidewall 36 so that they are not broken up into smaller sections but are instead each a single, discrete section of material. In the radial direction 14, the recycled portion 58 extends a farther distance than the virgin portion 56 and is closer to the tread 20 in the radial direction 14 than is the virgin portion 56 to the tread 20 in the radial direction 14. At the other side of the flank 54, the virgin portion 56 extends a farther distance in the radial direction 14 than does the recycled portion 58 to the rod 72 such that the virgin portion 56 is closer to the rod 72 in the radial direction 14 than is the recycled portion 58 to the rod 72 in the radial direction 14.

[0029] Fig. 4 shows an alternate exemplary embodiment of the tire 10 that likewise includes the flank 54 having the virgin portion 56 and the recycled portion 58. The differences between the Fig. 4 embodiment and the Figs. 2 / 3 embodiment he in only the provision of a different configuration of the undertread layer 84 and the cushion layer 92. Aside from these difference that will be momentarily discussed, the rest of the configuration of the tire 10 is the same as the Figs. 2 / 3 embodiment described above and a repeat of this information is not necessary. The differences lie in the undertread layer 84 having virgin rubber that extends in the axial direction 16 so as to be longer than the recycled rubber 86 in the axial direction 16. The virgin rubber 88 engages the belt layers 98, the belt edge layer 90, the recycled portion 58, the tread wall 82, and the recycled rubber 86, and is free from engagement with all other portions 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 is free from engagement with all other portions of the tire 10 including the flank 54. In this regard, in this embodiment the recycled rubber 86 does not engage the recycled portion 58.

[0030] The cushion layer 92 is also differently configured in that virgin rubber 96 extends for a longer distance in the axial direction 16 than in the Figs. 2 / 3 embodiment. In addition to contacting the belt edge layer 90, the virgin rubber 96 engages the belt layers 98, recycled rubber 94, reinforcement ply 32, and recycled portion 58. The virgin rubber 96 is free from contact with all other portions of the tire 10, including the virgin portion 56. The recycled10INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)rubber 94 in this embodiment engages the reinforcement ply 32, virgin rubber 96, and belt layers 98 and is free from contact with the recycled portion 58, belt edge layer 90, and other portions of the tire 10.

[0031] In the variously disclosed embodiments, it can be seen that the outward exterior surface 50 is made with the virgin portion 56 and not the recycled portion 58. This arrangement protects the outside of the sidewall 36 to maintain the expected cured tire 10 endurance performance. The outward and inward exterior surfaces 50, 52 are thus not made of any of the recycled portion 58 and are made of material that only includes virgin rubber and no 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 coextrusion process. Other combinations of layering could be created by mixing and matching the disclosed arrangements.

[0032] The various embodiments disclosed herein can incorporate any type of recycled rubber into the recycled portion 58 (or other parts that include recycled rubber as disclosed herein) such that the recycled portion 58 can incorporate any type of recycled rubber. The recycled rubber can be included only in the sidewall 36, and need not be in other portions of the tire 10 such as the crown 26 or bead 24. The volume of the sidewall 36 can be from 1% to 10%, from 10%-30%, from 12%-15%, from 5%-15%, from 15%-25%, from 20%- 30%, from 25%-35%, 12%, 15%, 20%, 10%, or from 12%-20%, or up to 15% of recycled rubber. In yet other embodiments, the volume of the sidewall 36 could be from 15%-20%, from 15%-25%, from 20%-30%, from 25%-35%, from 30%-40%, from 40%-50%, or from 45%-50% recycled rubber. As such, recycled rubber could make up various amounts of the volume of the sidewall 36 in other arrangements. The volume can be determined by taking a cross-section of the sidewall 36 and measuring the area of the recycled rubber in comparison to the total area of the cross-section of the sidewall 36. If there is some confusion as to what constitutes the sidewall 36 versus what constitutes the crown 26 or the bead 24 as these parts are contiguous, the sidewall 36 could thus 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 undertread layer 84. This length in the radial direction 14 will be the height of the sidewall 36, and the full width in the axial direction 16 of one of the sidewalls 36 of the tire 10 will be its width. This area can be measured to ascertain the volume of recycled rubber within. In other embodiments, the various percentages listed may be the volume of recycled rubber in one of the tissues (56,11INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)58, 74, 92, 68, 32) instead of in the sidewall 36 in total when calculating the percentage of recycled rubber.

[0033] In some embodiments, new tires 10 for light duty vehicles can include 12% recycled rubber in the sidewall 36, and new tires 10 for commercial vehicles can include 15% recycled rubber in the sidewall 36. The incorporation of recycled rubber in the geometry introduced herein in the sidewall 36 may be done so without degrading tire 10 performance or increasing manufacturing cost. Existing sidewall 36 endurance and durability performance may be maintained with the incorporation of recycled rubber though the use of the multi-layer strategy by making the flank 54 out of two layers 56, 58. The multi-layer arrangements and placement of the recycled portion 58 allows the sidewall 36 of the tire 10 to maintain product performance even though recycled materials are included therein.

[0034] The recycled portion 58, and any other part of the tire 10 described herein as having recycled rubber, can be any type of recycled rubber, which is rubber product that has been cured and previously used in a product such as a tire or rubber hose. The rubber in the recycled portion 58 is always vulcanized rubber, and may be reprocessed vulcanized rubber from a tire that is put into the current tire 10. In some embodiments, the recycled rubber is micronized rubber powder (MRP) that is obtained from used tires. In some embodiments, the micronized rubber powder is a micronized rubber composition having a particle size which is within a range of 40 mesh to 200 mesh, wherein the micronized rubber composition is comprised of at least 10 weight percent solution styrene-butadiene rubber. In some arrangements the sidewall 36 is from 10%-30% MRP by volume. The micronized rubber powder may be as that provided in United States Patent No. 9,815,974 entitled “recycled micronized rubber formulation having improved abrasion resistance”, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

[0035] While the present subject matter has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments and methods thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing may readily produce alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is by way of example rather than by way of limitation, and the subject disclosure does not preclude inclusion of such modifications, variations and / or additions to the present subject matter as would be apparent.12INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A tire that has a central axis, a radial direction, and an axial direction, comprising: a crown that has tread that is configured for engaging a road; a sidewall that extends from the crown; and a bead that extends from the sidewall; wherein the sidewall has an outward exterior surface and an inward exterior surface, wherein the sidewall has a flank that forms at least part of the outward exterior surface, wherein the flank has a virgin portion and a recycled portion, wherein the virgin portion forms at least part of the outward exterior surface and wherein the recycled portion forms no part of the outward exterior surface, wherein the virgin portion includes virgin rubber, and wherein the recycled portion includes recycled rubber.

2. The tire as set forth in claim 1, wherein the sidewall has a reinforcement ply that engages the recycled portion, wherein the reinforcement ply extends into the bead and extends into the crown, wherein the reinforcement ply wraps around a portion of a bead core of the bead; wherein the sidewall has an inner liner that forms the inward exterior surface, wherein the inner liner extends into the bead and extends into the crown.

3. The tire as set forth in claim 2, wherein the inner liner engages the reinforcement ply, and wherein the reinforcement ply and flank form no part of the inward exterior surface, wherein the reinforcement ply and the inner liner include virgin rubber and do not include any recycled rubber.

4. The tire as set forth in claim 2 or 3, wherein the inner liner is made of two layers such that both of the two layers of the inner liner are located in the sidewall, the bead, and the crown.

5. The tire as set forth in any one of claims 1-4, wherein the bead has a bead layer and a bead filler that engage one another, wherein the bead layer is outboard from the bead filler in the axial direction,13INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)wherein the bead has an anti-abrasive strip that is in engagement with the bead layer and is outboard from the bead filler in the axial direction, wherein both the virgin portion and the recycled portion engage the anti-abrasive strip.

6. The tire as set forth in claim 5, wherein the recycled portion engages the bead layer, wherein the virgin portion is free from engagement with the bead layer, and wherein both the virgin portion and the recycled portion are free from engagement with the bead filler.

7. The tire as set forth in any one of claim 1-6, wherein the crown has a tread wall that is on an exterior surface of the crown and engages the tread, wherein the tread wall engages both the virgin portion and the recycled portion.

8. The tire as set forth in claim 7, wherein the crown has an undertread layer that engages the tread sidewall and the tread, wherein the undertread layer engages the recycled portion and is free from engagement with the virgin portion.

9. The tire as set forth in claim 8, wherein the undertread layer includes recycled rubber.

10. The tire as set forth in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the crown has a belt edge layer that engages the recycled portion and is free from engagement with the virgin portion; and wherein the crown has a cushion layer that engages the belt edge layer and the recycled portion, wherein the cushion layer does not engage the virgin portion.

11. The tire as set forth in claim 10, wherein the cushion layer includes recycled rubber that engages the recycled portion and the belt edge layer.14INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)12. The tire as set forth in any one of claims 1-11, wherein from 10%-30% of the volume of the sidewall is made of micronized rubber powder that is present in the recycled portion.

13. The tire as set forth in claim 12, wherein from 12%-15% of the volume of the sidewall is made of micronized rubber powder that is present in the recycled portion.

14. The tire as set forth in any one of claims 1-13, wherein the recycled portion includes a micronized rubber composition having a particle size which is within a range of 40 mesh to 200 mesh, wherein the micronized rubber composition is comprised of at least 10 weight percent solution styrene-butadiene rubber.

15. The tire as set forth in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tire is a heavy duty truck tire.15INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (RULE 20.6)

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