Tire and tire manufacturing method

Abstract

A tire configured from joining together plural tire frame members formed from a thermoplastic material in which sufficient strength of the joint portion is secured. Two tire halves 17 A formed from a first thermoplastic material are supported by a tire supporting section 40 so as to be aligned with each other and abutting, while rotating this configuration melted welding thermoplastic material 43 is extruded from a nozzle 46 towards the joining location, and the welding thermoplastic material 43 is pressed by a flattening roller 48. The one tire half 17 A and the other tire half 17 A are thereby welded together with the welding thermoplastic material 43. Since the tire halves 17 A themselves are not melted, deterioration of the thermoplastic material forming the tire halves 17 A is suppressed, and sufficient strength of the joint portion is secured.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A tire manufacturing method for manufacturing a tire configured by a plurality of joined together tire frame members disposed along a tire axial direction and formed from a thermoplastic material, the manufacturing method comprising processes of:
 joining together one of the tire frame members and another of the tire frame members by applying a melted thermoplastic material to both the one tire frame member and the other tire frame member, and letting the melted thermoplastic material applied to the one tire frame member and the other tire frame member cool and harden.   
     
     
         2 . The tire manufacturing method of  claim 1 , wherein the melted thermoplastic material is supplied sequentially along the joint portions of the one tire frame member and the other tire frame member, and the melted thermoplastic material applied to the tire frame members is sequentially pressed by a roller. 
     
     
         3 . A tire manufacturing method comprising:
 sequentially supplying a strip shaped welding sheet formed from a thermoplastic material so as to face a joint portion between one tire frame member and another tire frame member; and   softening or melting respective surfaces of a surface of a portion of the welding sheet that will contact the tire frame member and a surface of portions of the tire frame members that will contact the welding sheet, and then pressing the welding sheet against the tire frame member by successive rolling.   
     
     
         4 . A tire manufacturing method of  claim 3 , wherein the welding sheet has a width of 5 mm or greater.