Passenger Radial Tire Structure for Thin Tread Fuel Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thin-gauging the tread rubber in pneumatic radial tires for passenger vehicles reduces tire life while aiming to improve fuel efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic radial tire design with a narrow-width and large-diameter shape, optimized cross-sectional dimensions, and specific structural components to enhance fuel efficiency while maintaining tire life, including a carcass, belt layers, and tread grooves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the tread rubber is made thinner to reduce tire weight and improve fuel efficiency, then fuel efficiency is improved, but tire life is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The tread rubber is designed with non-uniform thickness distribution, featuring thicker portions at the shoulder regions and thinner portions at the center region. This local quality variation allows the tire to achieve reduced overall weight while maintaining enhanced durability at critical wear zones, thus improving fuel efficiency without sacrificing tire life
Solution Approach 2:
The invention optimizes specific parameters including the tread rubber thickness ratio (ts/tb between 0.15-0.40), cross-sectional width (165-230mm), and outer diameter (600-800mm) to achieve the balance between weight reduction and durability maintenance, enabling thinner tread design that still ensures adequate service life
2Loss of energy
If the cross-sectional width is reduced to improve fuel efficiency, then air resistance is reduced, but the tire structure becomes more constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The tire employs an asymmetric cross-sectional design where the width-to-outer-diameter ratio is optimized at 0.27 or less, creating an asymmetric proportion that reduces air resistance while the internal structure uses symmetric belt and carcass ply arrangements to maintain structural integrity without excessive complexity
3Weight of moving object
If the tread rubber is thin-gauged to reduce weight, then tire weight is reduced, but the tire becomes more vulnerable to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The tire utilizes composite material construction with multiple layers including carcass plies, belt layers, and tread rubber with optimized thickness. This composite structure allows the thin-gauged tread to maintain adequate durability by relying on the reinforcing effect of the underlying belt and carcass structures
Solution Approach 2:
The thicker shoulder portions of the tread rubber serve as pre-positioned cushioning zones that protect the thinner center regions and internal structures from impact damage, providing beforehand protection against road hazards while maintaining overall lightweight design
Data Source
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AI summary
The pneumatic radial tire for passenger vehicles according to the present disclosure comprises a carcass consisting of plies of radially arranged cords, spanning toroidally between a pair of bead portions; the cross-sectional width SW and the outer diameter OD of the tire satisfy a given relationship; the tire has a tread portion with tread rubber; the rubber gauge of the tread rubber is 2 mm or more and less than 5 mm; and the negative ratio of the tread surface of the tread portion is 20% or less.