Patent ID: 6220319
Filing Date: 2001-04-24
Classification: B29D,B60C

Abstract:
A pneumatic tire composed of a carbon black reinforced rubber carcass having two individual sidewalls, and two spaced apart bead portions and a circumferential rubber tread juxtapositioned to said carcass of (a) a unitary rubber composition containing less than 20 phr of carbon black or of (b) a cap/base construction; wherein said tread cap and/or tread base includes a rubber composition containing less than 20 phr of carbon black; wherein the outer surface of the unitary tread, or tread cap, is designed to be ground-contacting, and wherein said rubber composition(s) have a high electrical resistivity as evidenced by the tire having an electrical resistivity of at least 20,000 mega-ohms according to Test WDK 110 in the absence of hereinafter provided stapled filaments; characterized in that said tread has a plurality of unconnected, individual, electrically conductive, spaced apart, open loops of stapled filaments through said tread, and extending around the periphery of said tire, said loops of filaments having a segment extending over a portion of the inner surface of the tread and having their ends terminating at the outer surface of said tread to form an electrically conductive path from the inner surface of the tire and the tire carcass to the outer surface of the tread intended to ground-contacting; wherein said tire having the stapled tread has an electrical resistivity in a range of about one ohm to about 10,000 mega-ohms according to Test WDK 110; wherein said stapled filaments consist essentially of carbon fibers and are exclusive of metal wires.