Motorcycle Tire Tread Segmented Blocks for Slippery Surface Grip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bicycle tires struggle to maintain grip on slippery surfaces, such as wet or icy pavements, due to the absence of effective contact between the tread and the ground, leading to potential accidents during turns.
Innovation Solution
A tread pattern featuring independent blocks with multiple branches forming recessed parts, each with slits that intersect at the geometric center, providing enhanced contact points and drainage, and oriented to optimize grip on slippery surfaces by angling blocks and slots relative to the tire's equatorial plane.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the tread uses a smooth contact surface, then the contact area with the roadway is maximized, but the grip on slippery surfaces is lost due to intermediate elements (water, ice, debris) forming between the tread and ground
Solution Approach 1:
The tread contact surface is segmented into multiple independent blocks separated by grooves. This segmentation allows the blocks to independently interact with the roadway, with some blocks maintaining contact while others evacuate intermediate elements like water and ice, thereby preserving grip on slippery surfaces while maintaining adequate contact area
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the tread are given different functions: blocks provide contact and grip points, while grooves provide evacuation channels for intermediate elements. This local differentiation allows the tread to simultaneously maximize contact area where needed and eliminate slippery intermediates where needed
2Reliability
If the tread uses a pattern with many blocks and grooves, then the grip on slippery surfaces is improved by eliminating intermediate elements, but the contact surface area is reduced leading to loss of adhesion
Solution Approach 1:
The tread pattern uses a sufficient number of blocks and grooves to effectively evacuate intermediate elements, but not so many that contact area is excessively reduced. The design finds the optimal balance where enough segmentation occurs to eliminate water and ice, yet enough contact area remains to maintain adhesion
Solution Approach 2:
The groove depth and block size parameters are optimized to achieve effective intermediate element evacuation while maintaining adequate contact area. The groove depth is sufficient to evacuate water and ice but not so deep as to excessively reduce contact area
3Reliability
If the blocks have points with small angles, then the ability to cut through water film and grip the ground is improved, but the structural integrity of the blocks may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The blocks have localized sharp points with small angles for cutting through water film and gripping the ground, while the overall block structure maintains sufficient thickness and connectivity to blocks for structural integrity. The sharp features are localized to specific points rather than compromising the entire block 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 tread pattern significantly improves grip on slippery surfaces by increasing the number of contact points and enhancing drainage, allowing for better adhesion and water film disruption, thereby reducing the risk of accidents.
Implementation Method 1
the active blocks of the tread become the blocks which are located on the same side with respect to the equatorial median plane, these blocks being more away from the equatorial median plane. Thus, thanks to the arrangement according to the invention, the tips of the active blocks are oriented substantially perpendicular to the limit curve of the contact footprint, which is particularly favorable both for forming a kind of stem cutting a possible film of water
Implementation Method 2
it is essential that the material making up the tread comes into contact with the roadway by eliminating the presence of any intermediate element between said material and the roadway. A reduction in the contact surface linked to the presence of an intermediate element causes a loss of grip
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a tire tread for a two-wheel vehicle, which improves the rolling grip on an operating surface capable of becoming slippery, said tread including units (1, 2, 3) separated from each other by grooves (4), each unit including a contact surface (10, 20, 30) intended to come into contact with the operating surface when the tire is rolling, and side surfaces intersecting the contact surface in order to form edges defining a contour of the contact surface having a geometric shape with at least three branches, each branch (11, 21, 31) ending in a point (110, 210, 310) the angle of which is equal to at least 20 degrees and, at most, equal to 90 degrees, the branches (11, 21, 31) of each unit (1, 2, 3), taken in twos, defining recessed portions (1, 2, 3) therebetween, each unit (1, 2, 3) being provided with slots (111, 112, 113; 211, 212, 213; 311, 312, 313) terminating, at one of the ends thereof, in one of the recesses formed on the surface of the unit, and at a single point at the other end thereof, so as to create basic patterns including at least two points of the contact surface, said basic patterns of a single unit making contact with each other as the contact surface passes over the operating surface. Furthermore, in at least one portion of the tread, the orientations of the units (1, 2, 3) are angularly offset relative to each other based on the axial position thereof relative to the equatorial mid-plane.