Patent ID: 7122090
Filing Date: 2006-10-17
Classification: B29C,B29D,B29K,B29L,B60C,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A process for preparing a studless tire having a tread comprising a rubber sheet having a thickness of at most 20 mm, which comprises: extruding a rubber composition containing 2 to 50 parts by weight of short fiber or plate-like material having a Moh's hardness of 3–7 based on 100 parts by weight of diene rubber in a tube shape, thereby orienting said short fiber or plate-like material in the circumferential direction of said tube shaped rubber composition; cutting said tube shaped rubber composition at one point in a sidewall thereof in the extrusion direction to obtain a rubber sheet having a complex elastic modulus Ea in the extrusion direction and complex elastic modulus Eb in the 90° direction from the extrusion direction measured at 25° C. which fulfill the following equation: cutting said rubber sheet parallel to the extrusion direction to obtain pieces; rotating each piece 90° and laminating the rotated pieces together to form a tread having a thickness of at most 20 mm; and forming a studless tire having said tread.