Pneumatic Tire Shoulder Protrusion Structure for Snow Grip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pneumatic tires lack sufficient traction on snow during straight travel, necessitating an improvement in tire design for enhanced snow driving performance.
Innovation Solution
The tire design incorporates a tread portion with shoulder land areas featuring shoulder lateral grooves and protrusions that extend radially and circumferentially, forming U-shaped structures to compress and shear snow effectively, thereby improving traction. The protrusions have specific dimensions and angles to optimize snow interaction without increasing tire mass excessively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional tread patterns with polygonal blocks are used, then the tire structure is simple, but traction on snow during straight traveling is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The shoulder land portion is segmented into multiple shoulder block elements by shoulder lateral grooves, and each block element is further segmented into first portions and second portions. This segmentation creates a complex three-dimensional protrusion structure that improves snow traction by compressing and shearing snow blocks, while maintaining manageable manufacturing complexity through systematic groove and protrusion arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional tread surface pattern to a three-dimensional structure by adding protrusions that extend in the tire radial direction. The first portions extend radially outward from the tread surface, while second portions connect these radially extending elements, creating vertical dimensionality that enhances snow interaction and traction without excessively complicating the manufacturing process.
2Reliability
If protrusions extend deeply in the radial direction to improve snow compression, then snow traction improves, but tire mass increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusions are strategically positioned only in the shoulder land portions where snow traction is most needed, rather than uniformly across the entire tread. The first portions extend radially to compress snow, while second portions connect these elements, creating localized snow-compression zones that improve traction without adding excessive mass to the entire tire structure.
3Reliability
If wider first portions are used to increase contact area with snow, then traction improves, but the tire width in circumferential direction increases
Solution Approach 1:
The first portions are designed with curved outer surfaces that extend radially outward, creating a rounded, snow-compressing profile. This curvature allows the protrusions to effectively compress and shear snow blocks while maintaining a compact circumferential width, as the rounded surfaces concentrate force on smaller contact areas rather than requiring wide flat surfaces.
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 tire design significantly enhances traction on snow by compressing and shearing snow blocks, resulting in improved driving performance while maintaining a balanced tire mass and suppressing excessive wear and noise.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one protrusion including first portions provided on the respective shoulder block elements and extending in a tyre radial direction, and a second portion located inwardly in the tyre radial direction of one of the shoulder lateral grooves and extending in a tyre circumferential direction to connect inner portions of at least two first portions
Implementation Method 2
capable of improving traction on snow by compressing and shearing snow blocks
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic tyre includes a tread portion including a shoulder land portion having a tread edge. The shoulder land portion is provided with shoulder lateral grooves extending inwardly in a tyre axial direction from the tread edge so as to define shoulder block elements therebetween, and at least one protrusion protruding from an outer surface in the tyre axial direction of the respective shoulder land portion. The protrusion includes first portions provided on the respective shoulder block elements and extending in a tyre radial direction, and a second portion located inwardly in the tyre radial direction of one of the shoulder lateral grooves and extending in a tyre circumferential direction to connect inner portions of at least two first portions.