Light Motorcycle Tire with Segmented Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current motorcycle tire designs are heavy and costly due to the complexity of their reinforcing structures, which affects their cornering rigidity and maximum speed performance.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring a carcass-type reinforcing structure with a single layer of parallel elements anchored to the bead, a crown reinforcing structure with elements making angles between 10° and 60° with the circumferential direction, and axially adjacent carcass reinforcing layers with elements crossing at a 5° angle, reducing the number of layers and simplifying manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional multiple plies with bead wires are used for tire reinforcement, then structural strength and reliability are improved, but tire weight and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tire reinforcement is divided into distinct functional zones: a carcass reinforcement zone with plies at 65-90° angles for structural strength, and a crown reinforcement zone with circumferential threads for tread stability. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized independently, reducing overall weight while maintaining necessary strength in specific areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from traditional radial ply construction to a hybrid architecture incorporating circumferential threads in the crown region. This dimensional change in reinforcement orientation (from purely radial to including circumferential elements) provides enhanced strength-to-weight ratio by distributing loads more efficiently across different directions.
2Strength
If conventional multiple plies with bead wires are used for tire reinforcement, then structural strength is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement structure is segmented into functionally distinct zones: carcass plies for structural integrity and crown threads for tread reinforcement. This segmentation simplifies the design by assigning specific functions to specific regions, reducing the complexity of coordinating multiple overlapping plies while maintaining overall strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The carcass plies serve multiple functions: providing structural strength, anchoring to beads, and forming the foundation for crown reinforcement. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components, thereby simplifying the overall structure while maintaining strength requirements.
3Shape
If conventional shaping process from flat plies to torroidal profile is used, then proper tire geometry is achieved, but manufacturing time and productivity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The carcass plies are pre-formed with the correct torroidal curvature and bead anchorage before crown threads are applied. This preliminary shaping action eliminates the need for time-consuming post-assembly forming operations, allowing the tire to maintain proper geometry while accelerating the manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process is segmented into independent stages: carcass ply formation and anchoring, followed by crown thread application. This segmentation allows parallel processing and eliminates sequential dependencies, thereby improving productivity while ensuring each component achieves its required geometric precision independently.
Data Source
AI summary
A tire comprising at least one carcass-type reinforcing structure anchored on each side of the tire to a bead, each bead extending radially outwards in the form of a sidewall, the sidewalls radially towards the outside meeting a tread, and comprising, under the tread, a crown reinforcing structure consisting of at least one layer of reinforcing elements making angles of between 10° and 60° with the circumferential direction and known as a working layer, radially on the outside of the carcass-type reinforcing structure. In the sidewalls, the tire comprises at least two axially adjacent carcass reinforcing layer portions, the reinforcing elements of the said carcass reinforcing layer portions crossing those of a next layer by an angle of 5° at most, at least in the equatorial plane, the reinforcing elements of the carcass reinforcement making an angle of less than 80° with the circumferential direction and the reinforcing elements of at least one working layer crossing the reinforcing elements of the carcass-type reinforcing structure at an angle greater than 40°.