Split Body Ply Tire Crown Cut-Out for Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tire designs are heavy, which hinders fuel efficiency and resource conservation, as they require excessive materials for reinforcement, particularly in the crown portion where reinforcement is unnecessary.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic tire design featuring a cut-out zone in the crown portion with no fiber-reinforced material, reducing the weight by eliminating unnecessary reinforcement in this area, utilizing fiber-reinforced half body plies that extend along the sidewalls and bead portions but not through the cut-out zone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If fiber-reinforced body ply material is used throughout the crown portion for reinforcement, then strength and air pressure containment are improved, but weight and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The body ply is segmented into two separate half body plies that terminate before the crown portion, dividing the reinforcement function into distinct zones. This segmentation allows the tire to have sufficient reinforcement in the sidewall and bead areas while eliminating unnecessary reinforcement in the crown portion, thereby reducing weight while maintaining structural integrity where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies reinforcement selectively to different zones of the tire. The half body plies provide reinforcement in the sidewall and bead portions where strength is critical, while the crown portion remains unreinforced since it requires less structural support. This local differentiation of reinforcement quality optimizes the weight-strength ratio by placing material only where it is functionally necessary.
2Reliability
If excessive fiber-reinforced material is used in tire construction, then strength and durability are improved, but resource consumption and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the body ply material from the crown portion of the tire, removing unnecessary reinforcement that does not contribute to tire functionality. By taking out the excess material from the cut-out zone while maintaining adequate reinforcement in the half body plies, the design reduces material consumption and resource waste while preserving the durability needed for reliable tire performance.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying full reinforcement throughout the entire tire structure, the invention uses partial action by limiting the body ply to half plies that terminate before the crown. This partial reinforcement approach provides sufficient strength and durability for the critical areas (sidewalls and beads) while avoiding excessive material usage in non-critical areas, thereby reducing resource consumption without compromising reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
Various embodiments of a tire having a split body ply construction are disclosed.