STEEL CORDS FOR THE REINFORCEMENT OF RUBBER ARTICLES

Abstract: A steel cord for the reinforcement of rubber articles com­ prises a central base structure (1) composed of 1 to 4 steel filaments, and at least one coaxial layer (2,3,4) composed of a plurality of steel filaments arranged around the central base structure, these steel filaments being twisted in the same direc­ tion at the same pitch. In the steel cord of this type, the steel filaments constituting the central base structure have the same diameter (dc), while at least one steel filament of the coaxial layer has a diameter (dso) les than the diameter (dc) of the steel filament in the central base structure. The ratio dc/dso is from 1.03 to 1.25.

Description: This invention relates to steel cords for the reinforcement of rubber articles such as pneumatic tires and industrial belts. More particularly, the invention relates to steel cord of so-called compact structure composed of steel filaments, for enhancing the durable life of a rubber article by improving its fatigue properties, particularly resistances to material fatigue and fretting wear, and strength retaining properties of the steel cord, and is particularly suitable as a reinforcement of pneumatic radial tires for trucks, buses and light trucks. In conventional pneumatic radial tires using steel cords as a reinforcement, the fatigue properties of the carcass ply and belt layer are degraded mainly by the following causes: (1) Material fatigue due to repeated strain This is a phenomenon that the material of steel cord is fatigued by subjecting the cord to repeated deformation during the running of the tire to thereby vary the strain of the steel filaments constituting the cord. This strain variation becomes conspicuous as the contact pressure (friction) between the filaments becomes large or the restraint on the movement of each filament becomes strong even if the deformation of the cord is the same, which brings about the promotion of material fatigue; and (2) Fretting wear in contact portions between mutual filaments This is due to the so-called fretting phenomenon. In addition, there is sometimes caused corrosion fatigue due to water penetrating from the outside of the tire. These fatigue factors considerably adversely affect the durable service life of the tire. Heretofore, it has been considered that the penetration of rubber into the inside of the cord is primarily effective for enhancing the corrosion fatigue properties of the cord, and consequently there have been proposed many twisting structures for providing sufficient rubber penetration (which are known as rubber penetration structures). In such a rubber penetration structure cord, the rubber layer is interposed between the steel filaments, so that rubbing between mutual steel filaments or so-called fretting wear hardly occurs. The penetration of rubber into the inside of the cord is easily achieved in a single twisting structure cord used in a belt layer of a radial tire for passenger cars, wherein each of the steel filaments can be completely covered with rubber. However, in case of multi-layer structure cords such as a two or three layer structure cord as used in the carcass ply or belt layer in tires for trucks, buses or light trucks, it is very difficult to completely penetrate rubber into the inner layer of the cord. When some of the steel filaments are not covered with rubber due to incomplete rubber penetration, the corrosion fatigue properties of the cord are not improved sufficiently even in the rubber penetration structure. In this case, it is necessary to make the helical radius of the steel filaments large to provide a sufficient space between the steel filaments for obtaining complete rubber penetration. If it is intended to apply such a twisting structure (loose twisting structure) to the multi-layer structure cord, when the cord is pulled under a tension, the setting of steel filaments becomes non-uniform and consequently premature breaking failure may be caused in certain portions of the filament due to the non-uniform tension. In the multi-layer structure cord, therefore, it is difficult to enhance the corrosion fatigue properties and strength retaining property (resistance to fretting) by rubber penetration into the inside of the cord. On the other hand, it is proposed in Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 55-30499 to obtain a so-called compact cord by twisting a plurality of steel filaments having the same diameter in the same twisting direction at the same pitch. However, the present inventor has made studies with respect to the fatigue properties and found that under the same filament diameter such a compact cord (hereinafter referred to as a normal compact cord) such as 1x12 structure has fairly inferior fatigue properties as compared with a conventional steel cord of 3+9 structure. As to repeated bending, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 44-18385 discloses a method wherein the steel filament for an outer layer is made thinner than the steel filament for an inner layer in order to equalize the fatigue strength of the steel filaments between the inner layer and the outer layer. The cord disclosed in this specification comprises a center core and an outer cover composed of at least one wire layer or layer of strands each containing a plurality of wires. In this type of multi-layer structure cord, the twisting pitch is generally different between the inner layer and the outer layer, so that the contacting between the mutual steel filaments approaches point contact and consequently the contact pressure between the inner layer and the outer layer increases, which is apt to increase the strain of the filament or produce fretting. Therefore, even if the filament diameter in the outer layer is made thin, a significant improving effect with respect to the above phenomenon cannot be expected. This is because the thinning of the outer diameter of the steel filament in the outer layer can reduce the strain in bending deformation as compared with the case of using a steel filament of the original diameter, but cannot control the phenomenon of increasing the strain due to the interaction between the steel filaments. Among the aforementioned multi-layer structure cords, the normal compact structure having the same twisting pitch in each layer forms a complete line contact in the steel filaments between the inner layer and the outer layer, so that the contact pressure between the inner and outer layers produced when pulling the cord is small. Thus, the friction between the steel filaments in the bending deformation of the cord under tension becomes small, so that it is anticipated that the strain produced in the filament and the fretting are small and the corrosion fatigue properties and strength retaining property are good. In the usual 3+9 cord, gaps occur in any portions between sheath filaments. On the contrary, in the normal compact structure, there is no gap between the mutual steel filaments in the outer layer or sheath, while a gap occurs between the sheath and the inner layer or core taking the ellipsoid section of the steel filament into consideration, so that the steel filaments are arranged so as to contact each other in the sheath. As a result, when a tension is applied to the normal compact cord, the contact pressure between the core and the sheath is certainly small, but a large contact pressure is produced between the adjoining steel filaments in the sheath and consequently cracks grow from the contact portion between the adjoining steel filaments as a fretting nucleus to lead to breakage of the steel filament. As a result, the corrosion fatigue properties of such a cord become inferior to those of the usual 3+9 structure cord. It is thus desirable to improve the corrosion fatigue properties and strength retaining property of the steel cord while maintaining the uniform tension burden of each filament. In order to provide the uniform tension burden, a closed twisting structure or a compact structure is adopted instead of a loose twisting structure. In this case, rubber hardly penetrates into the inside of the cord as previously mentioned. However, the twisting pitch is made constant as compared with the loose structure to increase the contact area between the steel filaments in the core and the sheath, whereby the contact pressure between the core and the sheath is reduced. This has the drawback that the contact pressure is conversely increased between the adjoining steel filaments in the sheath, as previously mentioned. The present inventor has found that the above drawback may be effectively overcome by applying at least one steel filament having a diameter different from that of the core to the sheath to thereby enhance the corrosion fatigue properties of the steel cord. GB-A-1247604 discloses a steel cord in accordance with the precharacterizing part of claim 1. According to the present invention, there is provided a steel cord for the reinforcement of rubber articles, comprising a central base structure (1) composed of 2 to 4 steel filaments, and at least one coaxial layer (2) composed of a plurality of steel filaments arranged around the central base structure, the steel filaments of the central base structure and coaxial layer being twisted in the same direction at the same pitch, the steel filaments constituting the central base structure having the same diameter (dc), characterized in that the steel filaments in the coaxial layer which contact two adjoining steel filaments of the central base structure have a diameter (dsi) equal to the diameter (dc) of the filaments of the central base structures and the remaining steel filaments in the coaxial layer have a diameter (dso) smaller than the diameter (dc) of the filaments of the central base structure, the ratio dc/dso being from 1.03 to 1.25. The invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figs. 1a to 1c, 2a to 2c, 3a to 3d and 4a to 4c are sectional views of embodiments of compact structure steel cords, respectively, only the embodiments of Figs. 4a to 4c being in accordance with the invention; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic sectional view illustrating the state of contact pressure between adjoining steel filaments of the outer layer in the conventional steel cord of normal compact structure; and Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a modified embodiment, in accordance with the invention, of the steel cord shown in Fig. 4b. In Figs. 1a to 4c are sectionally shown various embodiments of steel cords for the reinforcement of rubber articles, having a twisting structure of 1x12+1, 1x14+1, 1x27, 1x30, 1x19, 1x37, 1x10, 1x12 or 1x14, respectively. In these figures, 1 to 4 steel filaments represented by cross-hatched lines form a central base structure 1 (hereinafter referred to as a core). Nine steel filaments (Figs. 1a to 1c) or ten steel filaments (Figs. 2a to 2c) adjoiningly arranged around the core 1 form a single coaxial layer 2 (hereinafter referred to as a sheath). In each of Figs. 3a to 3c, the steel cord further comprises a second sheath 3 and in Fig. 3d further a third sheath 4, each sheath being composed of a plurality of steel filaments. Furthermore, eight to ten steel filaments form the single coaxial layer or the sheath 2 in Figs. 4a to 4c, respectively. In any case, the steel filaments constituting the core 1 have the same diameter (dc), while at least one steel filament represented by oblique lines in the sheath 2 has a diameter (dso) smaller than the diamter (dc) of the steel filament of the core 1, wherein the ratio dc/dso is within a range of 1.03-1.25. In particular, in the sheath 2 of Figs. 4a to 4c, the steel filaments each contacting both or two of the adjoining steel filaments of the core 1 are referred to as an inner sheath 6 and have a diameter (dsi) equal to the diameter (dc) of the steel filament of the core, while the remaining steel filaments in the sheath are referred to as an outer sheath 7 and have a diameter (dso) smaller than the diameter (dc). In general, when pulling a multi-layer structure cord, a force directing to the center of the cord acts on the helically formed steel filaments constituting the cord to produce a contact pressure between the mutual steel filaments in each layer. Such a contact pressure between the mutual steel filaments restrains the movement of the steel filaments by friction force when the cord is subjected to a bending deformation, resulting in an increase of strain in the steel filament and the occurrence of fretting wear at contact portions. In case that the twisting pitch of the core is Pc and of the sheath Ps in the two-layer structure cord or Pc, Ps₁ and Ps₂ in the three-layer structure cord, the conventional multi-layer structure cords are frequently used at a twisting pitch ratio of Pc:Ps=1:2 (two-layer structure) or Pc:Ps₁:Ps₂=1:2:3 (three-layer structure). If such a twisting pitch ratio comes near to 1:1 in the two-layer structure or 1:1:1 in the three-layer structure, the steel filaments between the layers approach line contact and consequently the contact length becomes long and the contact pressure is reduced. The contact length becomes longest when the twisting pitch in each layer is the same, i.e. in the case of a normal compact structure, and in this case the contact pressure is a minimum. In such a normal compact structure, the fretting wear is considerably reduced between the inner layer and the outer layer (i.e. between the core and the sheath in a two-layer structure, or between the core and the first sheath and between the first sheath and the second sheath in a three-layer structure), but there is still a serious drawback of degradation of the corrosion fatigue properties as previously mentioned. That is, in the normal compact cord, the contact pressure between the adjoining steel filaments in the outer layer (sheath) is large, and violent fretting occurs at the contact portion as a nucleus to lead to filament breakage, which causes the normal compact cord to have inferior corrosion fatigue properties as compared to the other conventional cords. Viewing the cross section of the normal compact cord, the sectional form of the steel filament is approximately an ellipse. The deviation from a true circle in the sectional form is larger in the steel filament for the sheath 2 having a larger twisting angle (i.e. an angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the cord) than in the steel filament for the core 1. That is, the section of the normal compact cord cannot adopt an ideal densely-packed structure, so that the adjoining steel filaments in the sheath 2 collide with each other as shown by an arrow α in Fig. 5. When pulling the normal compact cord, the force of the steel filaments directing to the center of the cord falls on the contact point between the adjoining steel filaments in the sheath, which produces a large contact pressure. In order to mitigate the contact pressure produced between the adjoining steel filaments in the sheath 2, therefore, it is effective that the diameter of at least one steel filament in the sheath 2 as well as the second sheath 3 and the third sheath 4, see figure 3d, is made slightly thinner than that of the core 1 to form a gap between the steel filaments in each sheath. The inventor has made various studies with respect to the corrosion fatigue properties of a compact structure cord composed of a combination of different diameter steel filaments when a tire having a carcass ply or a belt ply composed of such a compact structure cord is subjected to a drum test and confirmed that the fretting between the steel filaments in the sheath, which has been observed in the normal compact cord composed of the same diameter steel filaments, sharply decreases to largely enhance the corrosion fatigue properties in the compact structure cord composed of the combination of different diameter steel filaments. The inventor found that the contact pressure between the core and the sheath and the contact pressure between the adjoining steel filaments in the sheath can simultaneously be mitigated by making the diameter of at least one steel filament in the sheath thinner than that of the core, whereby the corrosion fatigue properties of the cord can be enhanced as compared with those of the conventional cords. It is essential that the ratio of dc/dso is within a range of 1.03-1.25, wherein dc is the diameter of the steel filament in the core 1 and dso is the diameter of at least one steel filament in the sheath 2 as well as the second and third sheaths 3, 4. When the ratio dc/dso is smaller than 1.03, the effect of reducing the contact pressure between the adjoining steel filaments in the sheath 2 is insufficient. When the ratio dc/dso exceeds 1.25, there are the following drawbacks: (1) If the diameter of the steel filament in the core 1 is too thick, the fatigue properties of the cord are unfavorably degraded, while if the diameter of the steel filament in the sheath 2 is made thinner without thickening the diameter of the steel filament in the core 1, the strength of the cord decreases so as not to hold the sufficient casing strength; (2) All steel filaments of the sheath 2 are difficult to arrange in place and poor twisting is apt to be caused; and (3) The fretting is apt to be locally caused and the corrosion fatigue properties are not enhanced sufficiently. The above facts are applicable to the cases of Figs. 3a to 3d and Fig. 6 comprising second and third sheaths in addition to the cases of Figs. 1a to 1c, 2a to 2c and 4a to 4c comprising the core 1 and the single coaxial layer or sheath 1. In Figs. 1, 2 and 6, numeral 5 is a spiral wrapping filament, which is of course applied to the cases of Figs. 3 and 4. The invention will be further described with reference to the following illustrative Examples. Only Examples 10, 11, 12, 15 and 18 are in accordance with the invention claimed. Example A A pneumatic radial tire for trucks and buses having a size of 1000R20 14PR was manufactured by using a steel cord as shown in the following Table 1 as a carcass ply at an end count of 17.5 cords/5 cm and then subjected to a drum test at a speed of 60 km/hr under an internal pressure of 8 kgf/cm² and a JIS 100% load. The corrosion fatigue properties and strength retaining property of the steel cord were measured by evaluation methods as mentioned later to obtain results as shown in Table 1, wherein Comparative Example 1 shows the case of conventional 3+9+1 twisting structure (control cord) and Comparative Examples 2 to 4 show normal compact cords of 1×12+1 structure, respectively. The measured values are represented by an index on a basis that the value of the control cord is 100. Example B A pneumatic radial tire for trucks and buses having a size of 1200R20 18PR was manufactured by using a steel cord as shown in the following Table 2 as a carcass ply at an end count of 12.4 cords/5 cm and then subjected to the same drum test as described in Example A. The thus obtained results are also shown in Table 2. Example C A pneumatic radial tire for trucks and buses having a size of 1000R20 14PR was manufactured by using a steel cord as shown in the following Tables 3 and 4 as a belt ply at an end count of 19.7 cords/5 cm and an inclination angle of 18° with respect to the mid-circumference of the tire and then subjected to the same drum test as described in Example A. The thus obtained results are also shown in Tables 3 and 4. Evaluation Method Corrosion fatigue properties (in case of applying to carcass ply): After 300 cc of water was sealed in a space between an inner liner and a tube in the mounting of the test tire onto a rim, a service life of the test tire till the occurrence of cord break failure (running distance) was measured by the drum test, from which the index of the corrosion fatigue properties was calculated according to the following equation: The larger the index value, the better the property. Corrosion fatigue properties (in case of applying to belt ply): When the tread of the tire is subjected to a cut failure during running on rough road, water penetrates from the cut portion into the inside of the tire to cause fracture of the cord in the outermost belt ply and the underlying belt ply due to the corrosion fatigue, finally resulting in a burst. Therefore, the cord for use in the belt is also required to have a high corrosion fatigue resistance or cord breaking property. In order to confirm the effect of the invention when applying the steel cord to the belt ply, the cord breaking property in the belt after the actual running on rough road was evaluated by manufacturing a test tire with a 3.5 belt structure wherein the steel cord to be tested was applied to the third belt ply. The evaluation was made after the tire was run on rough road over a distance of 30,000 km and then the recapped tire was again run thereon over a distance of 30,000 km (i.e. total running distance was 60,000 km). After the running, the tire was arbitrarily divided into six equal parts and the number of broken cords in the third belt ply was measured in anyone of the six equal parts, from which the index of the cord breaking property was calculated according to the following equation: The larger the index value, the better the property. Strength retaining property: The strength retaining property is represented by the following equation: In the above equation, the strength retention of cord was calculated according to the following equation: As mentioned above, according to the invention, the diameter of at least one steel filament in the sheath (or the coaxial layer) is made thinner than that of the core in the compact structure steel cord having the same twisting direction and pitch, whereby the contact pressure between the core and the sheath when pulling the steel cord can be reduced without producing a large contact pressure between the adjoining steel filaments in the sheath to thereby mitigate the strain of the steel filament and the fretting wear. Thus, the corrosion fatigue properties and the strength retaining property can considerably be improved.

Claims: A steel cord for the reinforcement of rubber articles, comprising a central base structure (1) composed of 2 to 4 steel filaments, and at least one coaxial layer (2) composed of a plurality of steel filaments arranged around the central base structure, the steel filaments of the central base structure and coaxial layer being twisted in the same direction at the same pitch, the steel filaments constituting the central base structure having the same diameter (dc), characterized in that the steel filaments in the coaxial layer which contact two adjoining steel filaments of the central base structure have a diameter (dsi) equal to the diameter (dc) of the filaments of the central base structure and the remaining steel filaments in the coaxial layer have a diameter (dso) smaller than the diameter (dc) of the filaments of the central base structure, the ratio dc/dso being from 1.03 to 1.25. A steel cord as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said central base structure is composed of 2 steel filaments and said cord has 10 steel filaments. A steel cord as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said central base structure is composed of 3 steel filaments and said cord has 12 steel filaments. A steel cord as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said central base structure is composed of 3 steel filaments and said cord has 27 steel filaments. A steel cord as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said central base structure is composed of 4 steel filaments and said cord has 14 steel filaments. A steel cord as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5, characterized by further including a spiral wrapping filament. A pneumatic radial tire having a steel cord as a reinforcement of a carcass ply, characterized in that said steel cord is as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6. A pneumatic radial tire having a steel cord as a reinforcement of a belt ply, characterized in that said steel cord is as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6.

Inventors: UMEZAWA, YUJIRO
Applicants: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
Application year: 1986
Main classification: D07B1
IPC codes: D07B1