Motorcycle Tire Tread Composition for Straight-to-Corner Grip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Motorcycle tires face reduced cornering grip after running on a continuous straight road due to shoulder rubbers becoming hard as they are less warmed compared to center rubbers, leading to inadequate adhesion during turns.
Innovation Solution
A motorcycle tire design with tread rubber divided into center and shoulder rubbers, each with a silica content of 80 parts by mass or more, where the center rubber has a higher silica content and negative ratio than the shoulder rubbers, and reduced plasticizer content compared to shoulder rubbers, facilitating heat transfer and warming of shoulder rubbers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the shoulder rubbers are softened to increase adhesion to the road surface during cornering, then cornering grip is improved, but the shoulder rubbers become harder when running on a continuous straight road due to reduced warming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the shoulder rubber by increasing silica content to 80 parts by mass or more per 100 parts by mass of rubber components, and adjusting the plasticizer content to satisfy specific relationships with the center rubber. This compositional change enables the shoulder rubber to maintain appropriate hardness and adhesion properties across varying temperature conditions, resolving the contradiction between cornering grip and temperature stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite rubber material for the shoulder portion by combining silica with specific ratios of rubber components and plasticizers. This composite structure provides both the adhesion needed for cornering grip and the thermal stability required to prevent excessive hardening during straight road running, thus resolving the technical contradiction.
2Reliability
If the silica content of the tread rubber is increased to improve adhesion, then cornering performance is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the silica content and composition between the center rubber and shoulder rubbers. The shoulder rubber has silica content of 80 parts by mass or more per 100 parts by mass of rubber components, while the center rubber has different composition ratios. This localized optimization improves adhesion performance where needed without unnecessarily complicating the entire tread structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design improves cornering grip by ensuring shoulder rubbers are sufficiently warmed and adherent to the road surface even after continuous straight road use, enhancing overall cornering performance.
Implementation Method 1
facilitating heat transfer and warming of shoulder rubbers
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is a motorcycle tire with improved cornering grip after running on a continuous straight road. The present disclosure relates to a motorcycle tire having a tread portion including a tread rubber, the tread rubber being divided into at least three parts in the tire width direction, the tread rubber including a center rubber at its center, as viewed in the tire width direction, and shoulder rubbers respectively on opposite sides of the center rubber, as viewed in the tire width direction, the center and shoulder rubbers each having a silica content of 80 parts by mass or more per 100 parts by mass of the rubber components, the center and shoulder rubbers satisfying the following relationships (1), (2), and (3): (1) Sc > Ss; (2) Pc < Ps; (3) Nc > Ns wherein Sc represents the silica content of the center rubber, Ss represents the silica content of the shoulder rubbers, Pc represents the plasticizer content of the center rubber, Ps represents the plasticizer content of the shoulder rubbers, Nc represents the negative ratio of the center rubber, and Ns represents the negative ratio of the shoulder rubbers.