Profile-Based Tyre Tread Cutting to Reduce Scorching and Cracking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing tire manufacturing methods often result in defects due to using a constant cutting speed, leading to issues like scorching in thick areas and cracking in thin areas of the tire tread, affecting the quality and homogeneity of the cut.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a multi-speed cutting process with varying cutting speeds tailored to the tire profile, using a heating device to adjust the cutting element's temperature and speed based on the tread's thickness variations, ensuring a smooth and homogeneous cut.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a constant cutting speed is used throughout the tread, then the cutting process is simple and fast, but defects occur in thick areas (scorching) and thin areas (cracking)

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecutting speedVSAvoidcut quality
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting device transitions from constant speed to variable speed operation, dynamically adjusting the cutting speed based on the local thickness of the tread. The control unit modifies the cutting speed profile in real-time as the cutting element moves across different regions of the tread, enabling both high productivity and defect-free cutting quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The cutting speed parameter is changed according to the tread thickness. The system implements a speed profile where the cutting speed varies as a function of position across the tread width, with lower speeds in thick areas and higher speeds in thin areas, thereby preventing scorching and cracking while maintaining efficient cutting.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If a lower cutting speed is used to prevent scorching in thick areas, then cutting quality improves in thick regions, but productivity decreases overall

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecut quality in thick areasVSAvoidcutting efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting process applies different quality standards locally: lower cutting speeds are applied specifically in thick areas where scorching risk exists, while higher speeds are used in thin areas where cracking is not a concern. This localized approach ensures high cutting quality in critical regions without compromising overall productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The cutting speed is dynamically adjusted based on the local tread thickness encountered during cutting. The control system continuously modifies the speed parameter to match the local requirements, maintaining optimal cutting quality across all regions while maximizing overall cutting efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If a higher cutting speed is used to maintain productivity, then cutting efficiency improves, but defects occur in thin areas (cracking)

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecutting speedVSAvoidcut quality in thin areas
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different cutting speed regimes to different local regions: high speeds are used in thin areas where cracking risk is low, while lower speeds are applied in thick areas. This spatially differentiated approach maintains high productivity overall while preventing defects in vulnerable regions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The cutting speed parameter is continuously adjusted based on the local tread thickness profile. The control unit implements a speed profile that increases speed in thin areas to maintain productivity while decreasing speed in thick areas to prevent scorching, thereby achieving both high efficiency and defect-free cutting.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Manufacturing precision

If the cutting device operates at variable speeds, then cutting quality improves across all tread regions, but process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoverall cut qualityVSAvoidcutting process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses feedback from the tread thickness profile to automatically adjust the cutting speed. The control unit receives information about the tread geometry and dynamically modifies the cutting speed parameter in response, achieving high cutting quality across all regions through automated closed-loop control rather than manual intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The cutting device is equipped with automated speed control that self-adjusts based on the tread profile being cut. The system monitors its own operating conditions and automatically modifies the cutting speed parameter to maintain optimal cutting quality, reducing the need for operator intervention and simplifying the overall process despite the variable speed requirement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

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 method reduces defects such as unwanted holes and improves tire roundness by adapting cutting speeds and temperatures to the tread's profile, enhancing cutting quality and reducing operator corrections.

Implementation Method 1

using a heating device to adjust the cutting element's temperature and speed based on the tread's thickness variations

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeating: Heating

Data Source

PatentEP4360866B1Method for producing a tyre for a motor vehicle
Publication Date: 2025.08.27 CONTINENTAL REIFEN DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
  • EP4360866B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4360866B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4360866B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method for manufacturing a tire for a motor vehicle comprises providing a tread (L) that establishes a material web along a longitudinal axis (A) for forming the tire, and providing data that includes information about a profile cross-section (P) of the tread (L). The method further comprises determining a profile (V1) for a cutting speed (v) of a cutting device (SV) as a function of the provided data, wherein the profile includes at least a first cutting speed and a second cutting speed that differs from the first cutting speed. The method further comprises activating the cutting device (SV) and setting the first cutting speed of the cutting device (SV) as a function of the determined profile (V1), and cutting the tread (L) using the cutting device (SV).The procedure further includes adjusting the second cutting speed of the cutting device (SV) depending on the determined course (V1) and cutting the running strip (L) using the cutting device (SV).