Hybrid Tire Sipe Pattern for Snow Grip and Block Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire designs face challenges in achieving a balance between stiffness and traction/friction performance on snow, as well as dry and wet road conditions, with three-dimensional sipes compromising snow performance when trying to improve wet and dry performance.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring a sipe pattern with straight sipes extending radially and inclined sipes, where positively and negatively inclined sipes are arranged in a specific configuration to optimize contact and reduce deformation, with varying depths and angles to enhance traction and braking performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If finely-sectioned blocks are used to improve snow performance, then snow performance is improved, but dry and wet performance deteriorates due to limited rigidity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates local quality variations within the tread blocks by having sipes of different depths and extensions. Some sipes go fully through the block providing flexibility, while others stop short, creating locally rigid zones. This allows the block to be finely-sectioned for snow performance while maintaining sufficient rigidity through the non-transverse sipe regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The tread block structure can be viewed as a composite of different sipe configurations embedded in the rubber matrix. The combination of transverse and non-transverse sipes creates a composite structure that exhibits both flexible and rigid characteristics in different locations, optimizing performance across multiple road conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
The subject invention discloses a tire (1) having at least one sipe pattern comprising, in the circumferential direction of the tire (1), one or more straight sipes (15) and two or more inclined sipes (17, 19, 37, 39); wherein at least one straight sipe (15) is arranged between two or more inclined sipes (17, 19, 37, 39).