Tire having angled grooves with support block and sipe

Abstract

A heavy truck tire tread (12) is provided that has a tread groove (14) that is not oriented completely in the longitudinal direction so as to extend in both the longitudinal direction (26) and the lateral direction (28). The tread groove (14) is at least partially defined by a leading edge wall (18), a trailing edge wall (20), and a bottom surface (22). The tread includes a support block (24) that extends in the thickness direction from the bottom surface. (22). The support block (24) has an upper surface, a front surface, and a back surface. A support block sipe (40) is present that extends from the front surface to the back surface, and the support block sipe (40) extends from the upper surface.

Description

Patent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No . : 2024PAT00293USTIRE HAVING ANGLED GROOVES WITH SUPPORT BLOCK AND SIPEFIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The subject matter of the present invention relates to a truck tire that has angled grooves with a support block that functions to reduce irregular wear and / or aggression. More particularly, the present application involves a truck tire tread that features a support block with a sipe located within an angled groove of the tread.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Manufacturers of heavy commercial vehicle tires have made huge progress in developing tire architectures and tire materials that allow them to increase the wear resistance of tire treads and reduce the rolling resistance of tires while at the same time improving their level of grip and resistance to road hazard. Tread patterns may include a series of circumferential grooves between which a series of circumferential ribs are positioned. The circumferential direction, which can also be described as the longitudinal direction, extends around the central axis of the tire and is oriented at a ninety degree angle to the lateral direction of the tire. The circumferential grooves and ribs extend 360 degrees around the tire and are oriented so that they have a component of extension in the longitudinal / circumferential direction but no component of extension in the lateral direction. A variation of tread patterns involves orienting the ribs and grooves so that they are not circumferential ribs and grooves, but rather include a component of extension in the lateral direction. In this regard, the tread grooves and ribs can extend in the lateral direction while at the same time extending some amount in the longitudinal direction to result in an “angled” orientation of these tread features.

[0003] The use of angled ribs and grooves achieves some advantages over tread designs that include only circumferential grooves and ribs. Designs with angled grooves and ribs introduce directionality into the tire. Water can be evacuated from the tread via the angled grooves and can be expelled through the outer edges if the angled grooves extend to are in communication with these outboard edges. The use of angled ribs and grooves has been shown to prevent the retention of stones within the tread grooves and to subsequently reduce stone drilling, which is the pushing of the stone into the rubber of the tread. However, the use of angled grooves and ribs may result in kick-out stresses that could wear down the tread. The angled grooves may not be completely linear and may have sensitivityPatent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No . : 2024PAT00293US to irregular wear and aggression on a trailing edge. It may be desirable to reduce or eliminate irregular wear and / or aggression while maintaining wet traction and rolling resistance performance. As such, there remains room for variation and improvement within the art.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:

[0005] Fig. l is a perspective view of a heavy truck tire.

[0006] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a heavy truck tire in accordance with another exemplary embodiment.

[0007] Fig. 3 is front view of a portion of the tread of Fig. 2.

[0008] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in Fig. 3.

[0009] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in Fig. 3.

[0010] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a front surface of a support block in accordance with another exemplary embodiment.

[0011] Fig. 7 is a front view of a portion of the tread that shows a support block in accordance with another exemplary embodiment.

[0012] Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 in Fig. 7.

[0013] Fig. 9 is a front view of a portion of the tread that shows a support block in accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment.

[0014] Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 in Fig. 9.

[0015] Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of the tread of Fig. 9 looking into an edge groove of the tread.

[0016] The use of identical or similar reference numerals in different figures denotes identical or similar features.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used withPatent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No . : 2024PAT00293US another embodiment to yield still a third embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations.

[0018] The present invention provides for a tread 12 for a heavy duty truck tire 10 that has a tread groove 14 that is not oriented completely in a longitudinal direction 26 or a lateral direction 28. The tread 12 design features a support block 24 that is present to reduce or eliminate irregular wear and / or aggression that could occur in treads 12 that feature these types of tread grooves 14. The support block 24 extends upwards from a bottom surface 22 of the tread groove 14 and has an upper surface 34, a front surface 36, and a back surface 38. A support block sipe 40 extends through the support block 24 from the front surface 36 to the back surface 38. The support block sipe 40 is also present on the upper surface 34 and extends into the support block 24 from the upper surface 34. The support block 24 reduces or eliminates irregular wear and / or aggression in the tread 12 without degradation of other performance parameters such as wet traction. The support block sipe 40 may reduce hysteretic losses in the tread 12 under compression to improve the rolling resistance of the tire 10.

[0019] Fig. 1 shows a tire 10 that is a heavy duty truck tire 10. In this regard, the tire 10 is not designed for nor used with a car, motorcycle, or light truck (payload capacity less than 4,000 pounds), but is instead designed for and used with heavy duty trucks such as 18 wheelers, garbage trucks, or box trucks. The tire 10 may be a steer tire, a drive tire, a trailer tire, or an all position tire. The tire 10 includes a casing 92 onto which a tread 12 is disposed thereon. The tread 12 can be manufactured with the casing 92 and formed as a new tire 10, or the tread 12 can be a retread band that is attached to the casing 92 at some point after the casing 92 has already been used to form a retreaded tire 10. This is the case with all of the designs shown and described herein. They may all be tread designs of a brand new tire 10, or may be tread designs of a tread 12 for use in a retread tire 10. The central axis 48 of the tire 10 extends through the center of the casing 92, and the lateral direction 28 of the tire 10 is parallel to the central axis 48. The radial direction 30, referred to also as the thickness direction 30, of the tire 10 is perpendicular to the central axis 48 and the tread 12 is located farther from the central axis 48 in the thickness direction 30 than the casing 92. The tread 12 extends all the way around the casing 92 in the circumferential direction 26, also referred to as the longitudinal direction 26, of the tire 10 and circles the central axis 360 degrees. The tread 12 includes a series of grooves and ribs that form a tread pattern. A rolling tread width 42 extends in the lateral direction 28 from one outer edge 74 of the tread 12 to anPatent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No . : 2024PAT00293US oppositely disposed outer edge 72 of the tread 12. The rolling tread width 42 represents that portion of the tread 12 that engages the ground through normal operation of the tire 10, and the outer edges 72, 74 may engage the ground as well as the area between these locations in the lateral direction 28.

[0020] The tread 12 has a tread groove 14 and additional tread grooves that are in sequence next to one another in the longitudinal direction 26. The tread grooves 14 can be variously shaped and have widths that can be greater than 2 millimeters. The shape of the tread grooves 14 are the same along their entire lengths and each one of the tread grooves 14 opens into one of outer edges 72 or 74. The opposite ends of the tread grooves 14 terminate blind within the outer surface 16 of the tread 14 and do not extend to the opposite outer edge 72 or 74. A rib is defined between the tread grooves 14 in the longitudinal direction 26. The rib is not a circumferential rib in that it does not extend all the way around the tread 12 in the longitudinal direction 26. Instead, the rib extends from one of the outer edges 72 or 74 to the center of the tread 12. The rib is angled relative to the longitudinal direction 26 so that the rib extends to have a component of extension in both the longitudinal direction 26 and in the lateral direction 28. In contrast, a circumferential rib would have a component of extension in the longitudinal direction 26 and no component of extension in the lateral direction 28.

[0021] The tread grooves 14 are likewise not circumferential grooves in that they extend so as to have a component of extension in both the longitudinal direction 26 and the lateral direction 28. The tread grooves 14 extend from the outer edge 72 or 74 and terminate at some point at or near the center of the tread 12. In other embodiments, the tread grooves 14 and ribs do not start at the outer edges 72, 74 and / or do not extend to the center. The tread grooves 14 may engage other grooves of the tread 12, and the ribs between the tread grooves 14 may engage other ribs of the tread 12 in other arrangements. The tread grooves 14 have different components of extension in the longitudinal and lateral directions 26, 28 along their lengths and as shown in Fig. 1 change angles once. In other embodiments, the tread grooves 14 and rib therebetween can have the same components of lateral and longitudinal extensions along their entire lengths. This would result in the tread grooves 14 and ribs being straight in shape although angled relative to the longitudinal direction 26. In other arrangements, the tread grooves 14 and rib may curve or have two, three, four, or more angular changes along their lengths.Patent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No . : 2024PAT00293US

[0022] The rolling tread width 42 extends from the outer edge 72 to outer edge 74 in the lateral direction 28 and is the portion of the tread 12 that engages the ground during operations of the tire 10. The tread groove 14 extends a large amount in the lateral direction 28. With respect to the rolling tread width 42, the tread groove extends at least 30% of the length of the rolling tread width 42 in the lateral direction 28. This tread groove 14 design thus distinguishes it from a block or other smaller feature proximate to the outer edge 72, 74.

[0023] The tread 12 is directional in that it is designed for forward rotation of the tire 10, but the tread 12 need not be directional in other exemplary embodiments. The rolling direction 32 of the tread 12 is shown as extending in the longitudinal direction 26 and is the direction the tread 12 is designed to rotate. The tread groove 14 extends into the tread 12 from an outer surface 16 of the tread 12 and includes a bottom surface 22 bounded on opposite sides by a leading edge wall 18 and a trailing edge wall 20. The leading edge wall 18 enters the contact patch of the tire 10 second as the tire 10 rotates in the rolling direction 32. The trailing edge wall 20 enters the contact patch of the tire 10 first before the leading edge wall 18. The bottom surface 22 may extend from the leading edge wall 18 to the trailing edge wall 20 and can open into the outer edge 72 and can terminate on its opposite end into the rubber of the tread 12. The tread 12 includes a support block 24 that is used to reduce irregular wear and / or aggression in the tread 12. Each one of the tread grooves 14 has a single support block 24. In other embodiments, any number of support blocks 24 could be present in each one of the tread grooves 14.

[0024] Another embodiment of the tire 10 is shown with reference to both Figs 2 and 3 that again show the tread grooves 14 as having components of extension in both the longitudinal direction 26 and the lateral direction 28 and not completely oriented in the longitudinal direction 26 or lateral direction 28. The tread 12 pattern is different from the tread 12 of Fig. 1 in that sipes 44 in the outer surface 16 extend between and engage the various tread grooves 14, and engage other features of the tread 12. The sipes 44 have a width that are 2 millimeters or less and are castle shaped. The tread 12 includes a plurality of lateral grooves 80 that have widths greater than 2 millimeters and that engage one of the outer edges 72 or 74 on one end, and terminate blind within the tread 12 on their opposite end. The lateral grooves 80 extend primarily in the lateral direction 28, but do have some slight component of extension in the longitudinal direction 26. The lateral grooves 80 arePatent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No . : 2024PAT00293US positioned between successive tread grooves 14 in the longitudinal direction 26, and none of the support blocks 24 are located within the lateral grooves 80.

[0025] The tread groove 14 has an inboard end 76 that terminates blind within the outer surface 16. The inboard end 76 is the end of the tread groove 14 that is closest to the lateral centerline of the tread 12 in the lateral direction 28. The opposite end of the tread groove 14 is the outboard end 78 that is the farthest portion of the tread groove 14 from the inboard end 76 in the lateral direction 28. The outboard end 78 is the portion of the tread groove 14 that is farthest from the centerline in the lateral direction 28, and is the portion of the tread groove 14 that is closest to the outer edge 72, or the outer edge 74, in the lateral direction 28. The tread groove 14 does not extend in a straight line from the inboard end 76 to the outboard end 78 but rather angles one time. In this regard, the portion of the tread groove 14 that extends outboard from the inboard end 76 is referred to as the first section 52. The first section 52 extends in a linear manner to the second section 54 of the tread groove 14, and the second section 54 is angled relative to the first section 52. The second section 54 extends from the first section 52 to the outboard end 78. The first section 52 extends for a greater length than does the second section 54. The first section 52 is oriented so that it extends for a distance longer in the longitudinal direction 26 than it extends in the lateral direction 28. By contrast, the second section 54 is oriented so that it extends more in the lateral direction 28 than in the longitudinal direction 26. The second section 54 is located closer to the outer edge 72 than the first section 52 is located to the outer edge 72. The tread groove 14 has a single support block 24 and it is located completely in the second section 54 and no portion of it is located within the first section 52.

[0026] The tread 12 includes an edge groove 60 that engages and opens into the outer edge 72 or 74. The edge groove 60 extends inboard in the lateral direction 28 and engages the second section 54 at an intersection 64. The tread 12 has a compliance groove 62 that extends primarily in the longitudinal direction 26, and is located at the intersection 64. The compliance groove 62 does not extend completely in the longitudinal direction 26, but instead wavers back and forth some amount in the lateral direction 28 as the compliance groove 62 extends around the tread 12. The compliance groove 62 has a width that is smaller than that of the tread groove 14, the edge groove 60, and the lateral groove 80. The intersection 64 thus identifies a location on the tread 12 where the compliance groove 62, tread groove 14, and edge groove 60 all converge and engage one another. The arrangement of these features results in a tread 12 that has tread blocks on the lateral endsPatent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No . : 2024PAT00293US of the tread 12 proximate to the outer edges 72, 74 defined by the grooves 60, 62 and 80. The edge groove 60 is defined as a groove separate from that of the second section 54 due to the presence of the compliance groove 62 at this intersection 64. If the compliance groove 62 were missing, the edge groove 60 in turn would be missing and instead the second section 54 could extend from the first section 52 to the outer edge 72, 74 and it would not be completely in a straight line.

[0027] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3 that shows the front surface 36 of the support block 24. The support block 24 extends from the bottom surface 22 in the thickness direction 30 and terminates at an upper surface 34 that is at a height below the height of the outer surface 16 that is adjacent the tread groove 14. In this regard, the upper surface 34 is located closer to the central axis 48 in the thickness direction 30 than the outer surface 16 is located to the central axis 48 in the thickness direction 30. The height of the support block 24 may be from 50%-75% of the height of the tread groove 14 in the thickness direction 30. In other embodiments, the height of the support block 24 is from 75%-90% of the height of the tread groove 14 in the thickness direction 30. The engagement of the upper surface 34 and the outer surface 16 may be indistinguishable in that they may be molded together with no parting line or other visible indicator of differentiation. The bottom surface 22 is flat but could be concave, convex, or have any other shape in other embodiments. The upper surface 34 is a flat surface along its entire width between the edge walls 18 and 20.

[0028] The front surface 36 extends upwards so as to be oriented at a 90 degree angle to the bottom surface 22. The front surface 36 could alternatively be at an angle to the bottom surface 22 that is not 90 degrees. The front surface 36 engages both the trailing edge wall 20 and the leading edge wall 18 and extends completely from the trailing edge wall 20 to the leading edge wall 18. The support block 24 engages both the trailing edge wall 20 and the leading edge wall 18 along the entire length of the support block 24 along the tread groove 14. The support block sipe 40 has a rectangular cross-sectional shape along a majority of its height and extends from the upper surface 34 into the support block 24 in the thickness direction 30. The support block sipe 40 has a support block sipe teardrop 46 that is not rectangular in cross-sectional shape but is instead round. The support block sipe teardrop 46 is longer than the rest of the support block sipe 40 in the longitudinal direction 26, but is not as long as the rest of the support block sipe 40 in the thickness direction 30. The bottom of the support block sipe teardrop 46 does not engage the bottom surface 22Patent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No . : 2024PAT00293US but is instead spaced from the bottom surface 22 in the thickness direction 30. In this regard, the entire support block sipe 40 is not as tall as the support block 24 in the thickness direction 34. The support block sipe 40 including its support block sipe teardrop 46 extends completely through the support block 24 from the front surface 36 to the back surface 38 and maintains the same shape at all points in the support block 24.

[0029] The support block 24 may support the tread 12 at the trailing edge of the tread groove 14 and provide support in this area of the tread 12. The presence of the support block 24 in the disclosed location may reduce the initiation of irregular wear and / or aggression in the shoulder region without compromising other performance parameters of the tread 12 such as wet traction. The size of the support block sipe teardrop 46 may be large enough that it does not close completely upon compression of portions of the tread 12 during rolling, thus allowing water to be evacuated through the support block 24 and out of the tread groove 14. The tread groove 14 may open into the outer edge 72, 74 or may be in communication with an edge groove 60 that is in turn open into the outer edge 72, 74 so that water can be eliminated from the tread 12. The presence of the support block sipe 40 may reduce hysteretic losses in the tread 12 under compression to help maintain rolling resistance performance of the tread 12. In some instances, the presence of the support block sipe 40 may reduce the tire 10 rolling resistance.

[0030] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 3 and shows the back surface 38 of the support block 24 which engages the bottom surface 22 and extends outward from it in the thickness direction 30. The support block sipe 40 and its associated support block sipe teardrop 46 maintain the same height, size and shape throughout the entire support block 24 from the front surface 36 to the back surface 38, but this need not be the case in other exemplary embodiments. In a similar manner, the entire upper surface 34 maintains the same height in the thickness direction 30 from the front surface 36 to the back surface 38. The upper surface 34 has a flat portion 66 that extends across the entire upper surface 34 and is flat. In other embodiments, the flat portion 66 is not present and the entire upper surface has a convex shape. Again, the support block sipe 40 including its support block sipe teardrop 46 are spaced from and free from engagement with the bottom surface 22 so that it is not as tall as the support block 24 in the thickness direction 30.

[0031] An alternative arrangement of the support block 24 is shown with reference to the cross-sectional view of Fig. 6 which is taken through a portion of the tread 12 and shows the front surface 36. The support block 24 does not engage either the leading edge wall 18Patent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No . : 2024PAT00293US or the trailing edge wall 20 and is spaced from and free from contact with both of these walls 18, 20. In other embodiments, the support block 24 is free from engagement with one of the walls 18 or 20, but is in fact in contact with the other one of the walls 18 or 20. The support block sipe 40 extends into the support block 24 from the upper surface 34 and has a height that equals the entire height of the support block 24 in the thickness direction 30. The support block sipe teardrop 46 engages the bottom surface 22 along the entire length of the support block 24 in the tread groove 14. The shape of the support block sipe teardrop 46 may be described as being a half-oval, and is wider than the remaining portion of the support block sipe 40 which is again rectangular in cross-sectional shape and straight in extension. The support block sipe teardrop 46 makes up 40% or less of the overall height of the support block sipe 40 in the thickness direction 30, but in other arrangements, the support block sipe teardrop 46 is from 50% or less of the overall height of the support block sipe 40 in the thickness direction 30. The support block 24 extends from the bottom surface 22 to the height of the outer surface 16 in the thickness direction 30 such that the upper surface 34 and the outer surface 16 are located at the same position in the thickness direction 30. The upper surface 34 is the same distance in the thickness direction 30 from the central axis 48 as is the distance from the upper surface 34 to the central axis 48 in the thickness direction 30.

[0032] Another embodiment of the tire 10 is shown in Fig. 7 in which the tread 12 again has angled tread grooves 14 that feature a first section 52 and a second section 54 that extends therefrom in which the first section 52 extends more in the longitudinal direction 26 than does the second section 54. The support block 24 is located completely within the second section 54 and no portion of the support block 24 is within the first section 52. The second section 54 extends completely in the lateral direction 28 and has no component of extension in the longitudinal direction 26. The second section 54 engages the outer edge 72 and opens at the outer edge 72 so that the outboard end 78 of the tread groove 14 is located at the outer edge 72. The support block 24 fills the entire width of the second section 54 along a portion of the length of the second section 54 and thus engages both the leading edge wall 18 and the trailing edge wall 20. The support block 24 does not fill the entire length of the second section 54 so that there are some portions of the second section 54 that do not include the support block 24. However, other embodiments exist in which the support block 24 fills the entire second section 54 such that there are no portions of the second section 54 that do not include the support block 24.Patent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No . : 2024PAT00293US

[0033] With reference now both to Fig. 7 and the cross-sectional view of Fig. 8, the upper surface 34 is not located at the same location in the thickness direction 30 as the outer surface 16, but is instead spaced therefrom closer to the central axis 48 in the thickness direction 30. The upper surface 34 is shaped so as to have a flat portion 66 in its center in the longitudinal direction 26, and the support block sipe 40 extends through the flat portion 66 into the support block 24. The upper surface 34 has a concave portion 68 that extends from the flat portion 66 and engages the trailing edge wall 20. The concave portion 68 extends along the entire length of the support block 24 in the lateral direction 28 and engages the flat portion 66 along its entire lateral length. The opposite longitudinal end of the flat portion 66 is engaged by a concave portion 70 that extends therefrom and engages the leading edge wall 18. The concave portion 70 extends along the entire lateral length of the flat portion 66 and extends in the thickness direction 30 to a height that is the same as that of the other concave portion 68. The radii of the concave portions 68, 70 can be from 0.3 millimeters to 1 millimeter in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the radii, may be from 1 millimeter to 2 millimeters, from 2 millimeters to 3 millimeters, from 3 millimeters to 4 millimeters, or up to 5 millimeters.

[0034] The support block sipe 40 extends into the support block 24 from the flat portion 66 and is free from engagement with the concave portions 68, 70. The support block sipe 40 including its support block sipe teardrop 46 do not extend into the support block 24 to such a degree that they extend the entire thickness 30 height of the support block 24, but instead terminate some distance from the bottom surface 22 in the thickness direction 30. The support block sipe teardrop 46 is thus free from engagement with the bottom surface 22. However, the support block sipe teardrop 46 has a shape that is large enough to extend to and engage both the leading edge wall 18 and the trailing edge wall 20. The support block sipe teardrop 46 engages both of the walls 18, 20 along the entire length of the support block 24 in the lateral direction 28. The portions of the support block sipe 40 that are not the support block sipe teardrop 46 do not engage either one of the walls 18 or 20.

[0035] Another embodiment of the tread 12 is illustrated in Fig. 9 that has a design similar to that previously discussed with respect to the tread 12 of Fig. 3. Here, the tread groove 14 is again disposed at an angle to the longitudinal direction 26 so that it is not completely oriented in the longitudinal direction 26, and features a first section 52 and second section 54 that terminates at an outboard end 78. An intersection 64 is present at the outboard end 78, and the edge groove 60 extends therefrom to the outer edge 72. ThePatent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No . : 2024PAT00293US compliance groove 62 is likewise present at the intersection 64 and extends primarily in the longitudinal direction 26 although it does waver somewhat in the lateral direction 28 upon its overall longitudinal extension. The support block 24 is located only in the second section 54 and in no other groove, or portion of groove, in the tread 12, however support blocks 24 could be present in the other grooves or portions of grooves such as in the first section 52. All of the second sections 54 of the tread 12 have a support block 24.

[0036] With reference to Fig. 10, it may be seen that the support block 24 does not extend the entire height of the tread groove 14 in the thickness direction 30 so that the upper surface 34 is spaced from and below the outer surface 16 in the thickness direction 30. The support block sipe 40 has a wavy shape upon extension in the thickness direction 30 and extends completely through the support block 24 opening at the upper surface 34, front surface 36, and back surface 38. The support block sipe teardrop 46 at the bottom of the support block sipe 40 has an oval shape. The tread 12 has multiple sipes 44 therein that engage the lateral grooves 80, compliance grooves 62, and the tread grooves 14. These sipes 44 may be free from engagement with the second sections 54 in some embodiments. These sipes 44 extend into the outer surface 16 and are castle shaped in the Fig. 9 front view. The sipes 44 have a cross-sectional shape that is rectangular for their majority of extension into the tread 12 in the thickness direction 30. The bottoms of the sipes 44 feature teardrops 50 that are circular in cross-sectional shape and have a size in the longitudinal direction 26 that is greater than that of the cross-sectional size of the rectangular portions of the sipes 44 in the longitudinal direction 26.

[0037] The size of the support block sipe teardrops 46 are greater than the size of the teardrops 50. In this regard, to measure the size a cross-section is taken of the support block sipe teardrop 46 and it is greater in area than that of the cross-sectional area of the teardrop 50. The support block sipe teardrop 46 may have a cross-sectional area that is greater than any other teardrop at the bottom of any other sipe in the entire tread 12. As the tire 10 rotates on the road and enters a contact patch, various forces act on the tread 12 to cause it to deform. The support block sipe teardrop 46 can be designed and made of a size big enough to cause it to remain open, and not fully close, at any point during the tire 10 rotation on the road. In contrast, the teardrops 50 may or may not fully close at one or more points when the tire 10 rotates due to forces applied onto the teardrops 50 at certain locations.

[0038] Fig. 11 is a view looking into the tread 12 from the outer edge 72 as taken from viewpoint line 82 in Fig. 9. This view is of a portion of the tread 12 that shows the interiorPatent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No . : 2024PAT00293US of the edge groove 60 and through the support block sipe teardrop 46. It may be seen that the teardrop 50 is of a size significantly smaller than the size of the support block sipe teardrop 46.

[0039] While the present subject matter has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments and methods thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing may readily produce alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is by way of example rather than by way of limitation, and the subject disclosure does not preclude inclusion of such modifications, variations and / or additions to the present subject matter as would be apparent.

Claims

Patent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No.: 2024PAT00293USCLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A heavy truck tire tread, comprising: a longitudinal direction, a lateral direction, and a thickness direction, wherein the tread has a rolling direction that is in the longitudinal direction; a tread groove that is not oriented completely in the longitudinal direction so as to extend in both the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, wherein the tread groove extends in the thickness direction from an outer surface of the tread, wherein the tread groove is at least partially defined by a leading edge wall and a trailing edge wall and a bottom surface; a support block that extends in the thickness direction from the bottom surface, wherein the support block has an upper surface, a front surface, and a back surface; and a support block sipe that extends from the front surface to the back surface, wherein the support block sipe extends from the upper surface.

2. The tread as set forth in claim 1, wherein the support block engages the leading edge wall and the trailing edge wall, and wherein the support block sipe is free from engagement with the leading edge wall and the trailing edge wall.

3. The tread as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein the support block sipe has a support block sipe teardrop located at a bottom of the support block sipe.

4. The tread as set forth in claim 3, wherein the support block sipe teardrop remains open and does not close at any point upon rotation of the tread 360 degrees about a central axis of the tread in the longitudinal direction.

5. The tread as set forth in claim 3 or 4, further comprising a plurality of sipes with teardrops that extend in the thickness direction from the outer surface of the tread, wherein the support block sipe teardrop is greater in size than all of the teardrops of the plurality of sipes.

6. The tread as set forth in any one of claims 3-5 wherein the support block sipe teardrop engages the leading edge wall and the trailing edge wall.Patent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No.: 2024PAT00293US7. The tread as set forth in any one of claims 3-6, wherein the support block sipe teardrop engages the bottom surface.

8. The tread as set forth in any one of claims 1-7, wherein the upper surface of the support block is lower than the outer surface of the tread in the thickness direction such that the upper surface of the support block is located closer to a central axis of the tread in the thickness direction than the outer surface of the tread is to the central axis in the thickness direction.

9. The tread as set forth in any one of claims 1-8, wherein the tread groove has a first section and a second section, wherein the first section is oriented so as to extend more in the longitudinal direction than in the lateral direction, wherein the second section is oriented so as to extend more in the lateral direction than in the longitudinal direction, wherein the second section is located closer to an outer edge of the tread in the lateral direction than the first section is located to the outer edge in the lateral direction, wherein the support block is located in the second section and is not located in the first section.

10. The tread as set forth in claim 9, further comprising an edge groove that extends from the outer edge to the second section.

11. The tread as set forth in claim 10, further comprising a compliance groove that engages an intersection of the edge groove and the second section, wherein the compliance groove is oriented so as to extend more in the longitudinal direction than in the lateral direction.

12. The tread as set forth in any one of claims 1-11, wherein the upper surface of the support block has a flat portion and two concave portions.

13. The tread as set forth in any one of claims 1-12, wherein the tread groove has an inboard end and an outboard end, wherein the inboard end is inboard from the outboard end in the lateral direction, and wherein the inboard end is blind.Patent ApplicationInventor: Tyler SitesAttorney Docket No.: 2024PAT00293US14. A heavy truck tire that has the tread of any one of claims 1-13.

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