Branched Tire Sipe Structure for Wear-Stable Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pneumatic tires with sipes or grooves experience changes in performance as they wear, affecting drainage efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The tire design features circumferential main grooves with land portions that include widthwise sipes or grooves, which have branched portions extending inward in the tire radial direction, maintaining the aspect ratio and drainage performance even as wear progresses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sipes or grooves are branched on the inner side in the tire radial direction to improve drainage performance when wear progresses, then drainage performance is improved, but tire performance changes after the sipes or grooves branch when wear progresses
Solution Approach 1:
The sipes are divided into multiple segmented portions: a first sipe portion extending radially inward from the tread surface, a second sipe portion branching from the first sipe portion, and a third sipe portion branching from the second sipe portion. This segmentation allows each portion to maintain its functional integrity while collectively providing consistent drainage performance as the tire wears.
Solution Approach 2:
The sipe configuration transitions from simple radial extensions to a multi-dimensional branched structure extending in both the tire radial direction and the tread width direction. This dimensional complexity ensures that drainage pathways remain effective even as the tire tread thickness decreases during wear.
2Reliability
If widthwise sipes with branched portions extending inward in the tire radial direction are introduced, then drainage efficiency is improved, but the complexity of the sipe structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex drainage function is achieved through segmentation of the sipe into three distinct portions (first, second, and third sipe portions) with different orientations and functions. This segmentation allows the complex drainage capability to be built from simpler individual components, making the overall structure more manageable and manufacturable.
Solution Approach 2:
The sipe structure employs a nested configuration where the second sipe portion branches from the first sipe portion, and the third sipe portion branches from the second sipe portion. This nested arrangement creates a hierarchical drainage system that achieves high functionality while maintaining structural efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic tire includes, on a tread surface, circumferential main grooves extending in the tread circumferential direction, and land portions defined between circumferential main grooves adjacent in a tread width direction among the circumferential main grooves or by the circumferential main grooves and tread edges. The land portions include widthwise sipes (or grooves) extending in the tread width direction, and each widthwise sipe (or groove) includes a tread surface side sipe (or groove) portion extending from the tread surface inward in a tire radial direction, a first branched sipe (or groove) portion branching and extending from the tread surface side sipe (or groove) portion inward in the tire radial direction, and second branched sipe (or groove) portions branching and extending from respective tire radial inner ends of the first branched sipe (or groove) portion inward in the tire radial direction.