Motorcycle Tire Tread Block Layout for Turning Agility and Traction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing motorcycle tire designs, such as JP 2019-111973 A, face limitations in transient characteristics and agility during turning motions on roads while maintaining off-road performance and uneven wear resistance.
Innovation Solution
A motorcycle tire design featuring first and second main oblique grooves inclined in opposite directions, connected and alternately arranged, with a tread portion divided into triangular regions by sub-grooves, where the largest block's ground-contacting surface area is maximized and the smallest block's area ranges from 40% to 80% of the maximum, enhancing rigidity and mud discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the tread portion is provided with first main oblique grooves and second main oblique grooves arranged alternately in the tire circumferential direction and inclined in opposite directions, then off-road performance and uneven wear resistance are enhanced, but transient characteristics and agility when making turning motion on the roads deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The tread portion is segmented into multiple regions (first regions surrounded by grooves and second regions between grooves and second tread edge) with different block configurations. Each region has blocks with specific area ratios (40-80% of maximum area) to balance off-road performance and on-road handling characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the tread portion are given different local qualities through varying block arrangements and sizes. The first regions have blocks optimized for off-road traction while the second regions have blocks configured for on-road stability and turning agility, allowing each zone to perform its specific function optimally
2Ease of operation
If blocks with small ground-contacting surface area are used, then agility and transient characteristics during turning are improved, but off-road performance and traction deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The tread is divided into multiple blocks within each region, with varying ground-contacting surface areas. The smallest block has an area of 40-80% of the largest block's area, creating a graduated size distribution that balances agility and traction across different operating conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The block ground-contacting surface area parameter is optimized within a specific range (40-80% of maximum area) to achieve the desired balance between turning agility and off-road traction performance
Data Source
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AI summary
A motorcycle tire comprises a tread portion comprising substantially triangular first regions each defined as being surrounded by a first main oblique groove, a second main oblique groove and a first tread edge. Each of the first regions is divided by sub grooves into blocks which include a largest block whose ground contacting surface has a maximum area, and a smallest block whose ground contacting surface has a minimum area in a range from 40% to 80% of the maximum area.