Sidewall Sound Damper Structure for Tire Bending Durability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sound dampers attached to the inner surfaces of tire sidewalls fail to fully follow the repeated bending deformation, leading to damage and deterioration.

Innovation Solution

A pneumatic tire design featuring sound dampers with a porous material, such as a sponge or non-woven fabric, that includes through holes and a specific arrangement of recesses to allow for deformation and attachment along the entire sidewall circumference, enabling the sound damper to follow bending deformation without damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If sound dampers are attached onto inner surfaces of sidewall portions, then cavity resonance is restrained, but the sound damper cannot fully follow repeated bending deformation, resulting in damage and deterioration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecavity resonanceVSAvoidsound damper durability

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The sound damper is designed as a thin film structure that can flexibly deform with the sidewall portion during tire operation. This flexible thin film configuration allows the sound damper to follow the repeated bending deformation of the sidewall without suffering damage or deterioration, while still maintaining its sound absorption functionality to restrain cavity resonance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Loss of energy

If sound dampers are made of sponge materials, then vibration energy is converted to thermal energy, but the material cannot accommodate repeated bending in sidewall regions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevibration energy conversionVSAvoiddeformation adaptability

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The sound damper material parameters are optimized to balance energy absorption and deformation adaptability. The material is designed with specific viscoelastic properties that enable it to convert vibration energy to thermal energy while simultaneously accommodating the repeated bending deformations occurring in the sidewall regions during tire operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Object-affected harmful factors

If sound dampers are attached on inner surface of tread portion, then cavity resonance is reduced, but extending to sidewall portions causes damage due to bending

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecavity resonanceVSAvoidsound damper structural integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

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 sound damper effectively reduces cavity resonance and road noise while maintaining durability and preventing damage from repeated bending, enhancing the tire's sound damping properties and structural integrity.

Implementation Method 1

The sound damper can convert the vibration energy of air or gas in a cavity of a tire into thermal energy, thereby restraining cavity resonance in the cavity of the tire

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVibration energy conversion to thermal energy: Viscous Heating

Implementation Method 2

it is known to dispose sound dampers made of sponge materials on inner surfaces of tires

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAcoustic absorption: Acoustic Absorption

Implementation Method 3

sound dampers made of sponge materials

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPorosity: Porosity

Data Source

PatentEP4074525B1Pneumatic tire

Publication Date: 2024.12.04 BRIDGESTONE CORP

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AI summary

A pneumatic tire according to the present disclosure includes a sound damper attached onto an inner surface of a sidewall portion. The sound damper is formed with a plurality of through holes penetrating in a tire width direction. The sound damper can be deformed in a tire radial direction by varying the lengths of the through holes in the tire radial direction by following the deformation of the sidewall portion in the tire radial direction.