Profiled Skim Layer Tire Tread for Grip-Wear Trade-off
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tire designs face a trade-off between grip and wear, particularly in ultra-high performance (UHP) tires, where softer rubber compositions provide better grip but wear quickly, and harder compositions improve wear but reduce grip, leading to performance issues such as blistering and reduced traction as the tire heats up.
Innovation Solution
A tire tread design featuring a skim layer of softer, higher grip rubber material at the contact surface that wears away to reveal a harder, more wear-resistant layer as the tire heats up, optimizing grip and wear performance by positioning and profiling different rubber compositions based on the tire's orientation and application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If softer rubber compositions are used in the tread, then grip performance is improved, but wear resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using a dual-layer tread construction where the first layer (contact layer) is made of softer rubber composition for high grip, and the second layer (base layer) is made of harder rubber composition for wear resistance. This allows different regions of the tread to have different material properties optimized for their specific functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining two different rubber compositions in a layered structure. The first rubber composition (softer, higher grip) is applied as the contact layer, while the second rubber composition (harder, more wear-resistant) forms the base layer, creating a composite tread structure that leverages the advantages of both materials.
2Duration of action of moving object
If harder rubber compositions are used in the tread, then wear resistance is improved, but grip performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The harder rubber composition is strategically placed in the second layer (base layer) where it provides structural support and wear resistance, while the softer first layer (contact layer) directly contacts the road to provide grip. This spatial differentiation resolves the contradiction by assigning each material property to the region where it is most needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite tread structure combines harder rubber in the base layer for durability with softer rubber in the contact layer for traction, allowing the tire to simultaneously achieve both wear resistance and grip performance through material composition optimization.
3Reliability
If softer rubber compositions are used at deeper tread depth, then wet traction is improved as the tread wears, but blistering and performance degradation occur at higher temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses temperature-related issues by placing the softer, higher-grip rubber composition specifically in the first contact layer where it can provide wet traction, while the harder second layer provides thermal stability and prevents blistering. The local quality principle ensures that the softer material is positioned where it provides benefit without being exposed to the thermal stresses that cause degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The dual-layer composite structure protects the softer first layer from excessive heat by placing it above the harder, more thermally stable second layer. This configuration allows the softer rubber to provide wet traction while the harder base layer prevents the blistering and performance degradation that would occur if softer rubber were exposed to high temperatures at deeper tread depths.
Data Source
AI summary
A tire tread is provided that in an unworn state includes one or more tread features having a layer of a relatively softer, higher grip rubber material. This layer is formed from a first rubber composition that is provided as a skim or relatively thin layer at the contact surface of the tread feature. This skim provides the grip needed as the tire starts to warm up but can then wear away after an initial period of use so that the contact surface is eventually formed from a second rubber composition. This second rubber composition, in turn, provides the desired level of grip and acceptable wear at the higher temperatures that occur as the tire heats up from use. The layer of skim can be profiled depending upon the application and performance characteristics needed.