Pneumatic Tire Conductive Linear Member for Electrostatic Discharge

The tire structure is segmented into multiple functional layers with distinct electrical conductivity characteristics. The tread rubber contains electrically conductive filler particles forming a conductive network, while the undertread provides an additional conductive path. This segmentation allows the tread to maintain low rolling resistance with silica while still achieving electrostatic suppression through the conductive network in the tread and undertread layers.

The tread rubber and undertread are formulated as composite materials containing multiple fillers including silica and electrically conductive filler particles. This composite structure combines the rolling resistance benefits of silica with the electrostatic suppression capabilities of conductive fillers, resolving the contradiction between fuel economy and electrostatic suppression performance.

The electrically conductive portion is designed with excessive action by providing both a tread rubber with conductive filler network and an undertread with conductive filler particles. This redundant conductive path structure ensures that if one path breaks during manufacturing or service, alternative paths remain available to maintain electrostatic suppression performance.

Different regions of the tire are assigned different electrical conductivity properties. The tread rubber contains conductive filler particles concentrated in specific areas to form localized conductive networks, while the undertread provides additional localized conductive paths. This local quality approach creates multiple redundant conductive pathways that enhance the durability and reliability of the electrostatic suppression function.