Heavy Duty Tire Tread Pattern Wear Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy duty tires experience excessive tread center wear due to increased drive power and convex tread contour, which cannot be adequately addressed without compromising wet performance by increasing ground contacting area in the crown region.
Innovation Solution
A heavy duty tire design featuring a tread pattern with a center circumferential groove, middle and shoulder circumferential grooves, and specific groove widths and sipes that enhance tread pattern rigidity in the crown region while maintaining drainage performance, including zigzag grooves and sipes for improved traction and water management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the tread portion contour is convexly curved to match the drive power distribution, then the tire can handle heavy duty vehicle drive power, but the crown region becomes more susceptible to wear due to larger diameter
Solution Approach 1:
The tread pattern parameters (rib continuity, groove presence, block configuration) are specifically changed in the crown region to compensate for the convex contour. By making ribs circumferentially continuous and increasing ground contacting area in the crown region, the design compensates for the larger diameter and higher wear susceptibility caused by the convex contour, while still maintaining the contour's advantage in handling drive power
Data Source
AI summary
A heavy duty tire comprises a tread portion 2 divided into two crown land regions 6, two middle land regions 7 and two shoulder land regions 8 by a center circumferential groove 3 having a width Wc, two middle circumferential grooves 4 having a width Wm and two shoulder circumferential grooves 5 having a width Ws. The distance LA from the shoulder circumferential groove 5 to the tire equator Co is more than the distance LB from the shoulder circumferential groove 5 to the tread edge TE. The width Wc and width Wm are more than 3.0 mm and less than 6.0 mm. The width Ws is more than 5.0 mm, and more than the width Wc and more than the width Wm. The crown and middle land regions 6 and 7 are each formed as a rib. The shoulder land regions 8 are each formed as a row of shoulder blocks 13.