Diagonal Rib Tread with Trailing Edge Siping for Wear Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tires with continuous ribs oriented parallel to the longitudinal direction offer poor traction and are prone to irregular wear, which limits their use on drive tires and affects rolling resistance performance.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring continuous ribs that extend diagonally across the transverse direction with partial sipes at the trailing edges, which improves traction and controls irregular wear while maintaining desirable rolling resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If continuous ribs are oriented parallel to the longitudinal direction, then rolling resistance performance is improved, but traction performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The rib orientation is changed from the longitudinal direction to a diagonal direction that extends across the transverse direction of the tread. This dimensional change allows the ribs to provide both longitudinal continuity for low rolling resistance and transverse edges for improved traction, effectively resolving the contradiction by operating in multiple directional dimensions simultaneously
2Loss of energy
If continuous ribs are oriented parallel to the longitudinal direction, then rolling resistance performance is improved, but wear uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By extending ribs diagonally across the transverse direction rather than parallel to the longitudinal direction, the wear distribution is redistributed across multiple ribs during rotation. This dimensional change promotes more uniform wear patterns while preserving the continuous rib structure needed for low rolling resistance
3Stability of the object's composition
If sipes are added to reduce irregular wear, then wear uniformity is improved, but rolling resistance performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous rib structure is segmented by introducing sipes that extend partially across the rib width. This segmentation creates multiple wear paths that distribute wear more uniformly across the tread, while the partial depth of sipes maintains sufficient rubber material to preserve rolling resistance performance
4Force
If ribs extend diagonally across the transverse direction, then traction performance is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tread pattern employs asymmetric diagonal rib orientations with different angles on left and right sides of the tread centerline. This asymmetric design provides improved traction through transverse edges while the systematic variation in angles simplifies manufacturing compared to more complex symmetric patterns
Data Source
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AI summary
A tire is provided having a tread region that includes continuous ribs which extend diagonally across the transverse direction of the tire. Partial sipes are provided at the trailing edges of the ribs. Full sipes can also be provided with the partial sipes. The ribs may form various patterns such as e.g., an S-shaped pattern, chevron pattern, and others. The tire provides improved traction performance over non-diagonal ribs while still providing desirable rolling resistance performance and control of irregular wear.