Heavy Vehicle Tread Noise Reduction via Asymmetric Block Offsets
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy goods vehicle tires generate significant rolling noise due to the design of their tread patterns, which is a challenge for meeting noise reduction standards without compromising performance characteristics like traction and wear resistance.
Innovation Solution
A directional tread pattern design featuring circumferentially and obliquely oriented grooves that alternate the leading edges' entry into contact on either side of a separator plane, modulating acoustic harmonics and reducing overall noise emission by ensuring only one leading edge is in contact at a time, with angles up to 25 degrees relative to the transverse direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional tread patterns with transverse grooves are used, then water evacuation and traction are improved, but rolling noise increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The tread pattern employs periodic alternation of groove orientations (oblique, transverse, oblique) to create a rhythmic contact sequence that modulates noise frequencies. The grooves are arranged to enter and exit the contact zone in a periodic sequence, transforming continuous noise into pulsed acoustic emissions that are less perceptible and fall outside sensitive frequency ranges.
Solution Approach 2:
The tread pattern uses asymmetric groove orientations relative to the tire centerline, with oblique grooves angled differently on opposite sides. This asymmetry creates non-uniform contact sequences that disrupt the symmetry of noise generation, preventing reinforcement of specific noise frequencies and reducing overall acoustic output while maintaining directional traction.
2Reliability
If grooves are arranged to improve water evacuation, then wet road performance is enhanced, but noise generation from groove edges increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the tread pattern have locally optimized groove characteristics. Oblique grooves in shoulder areas provide structural support and reduced noise, while transverse grooves in central areas maximize water evacuation. Each local region's groove configuration is tailored to its specific functional requirements, balancing noise reduction with water management performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous tread structure is segmented into discrete groove zones with different orientations and depths. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each zone's function - some zones prioritize water evacuation while others prioritize noise reduction - and prevents the uniform noise generation that occurs with homogeneous groove patterns.
3Productivity
If tread pattern is made directional for better traction, then rolling resistance is reduced, but noise control becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The tread pattern is designed to dynamically adapt its contact characteristics during rotation. The alternating groove orientations create a time-varying contact stiffness and damping profile that optimizes both traction and noise reduction at different phases of the rotation cycle, allowing the pattern to maintain directional efficiency while controlling noise through dynamic mechanical response.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a tread for the assembly of a heavy vehicle, including: blocks (31, 32) and circumferential and transverse grooves forming a directional pattern; a separation plane separating a portion of the pattern left of the pattern and a portion of the pattern on the right; the circumferential grooves (11, 12) defining at least three intermediate rows of blocks and two side rows; the front surface and the rear surface of each block intersecting the contact surface along a leading edge Ai and a trailing edge Fi, respectively, said tread being such that the pattern is designed so that the leading edges Ai of each block are offset relative to one another in the circumferential direction in a suitable manner such that: said leading edges consecutively contact upon rolling; the contact of said leading edges is carried out alternatingly on one side of the separation plane then on the other side of the same separation plane in a reciprocally.