Studless Tire Tread Structure for ABS Braking and Low Rolling Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional studless tires for ice/snow surfaces face issues with uneven wear and increased rolling resistance due to complex block shapes, which affect on-snow performance, particularly braking performance, and compatibility with anti-lock braking systems (ABS).
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring a rib-like block configuration with inclined width direction grooves and zigzag sipes, where the sipes terminate within the block and have widened sections, enhancing block rigidity and contact area, thereby improving braking performance and compatibility with ABS without increasing rubber volume or rolling resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a bottom-up portion is provided in a groove portion between adjacent blocks to connect the adjacent blocks, then block rigidity is improved, but rolling resistance increases due to increased rubber volume
Solution Approach 1:
The groove portion between adjacent blocks is segmented into a first groove portion and a second groove portion that are separated by the bottom-up portion. This segmentation allows the groove to maintain structural connectivity while reducing continuous rubber volume, thereby improving block rigidity without proportionally increasing rolling resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom-up portion is strategically positioned only in specific groove portions where it is most needed for structural support, rather than uniformly across all grooves. This localized approach provides necessary block rigidity enhancement while minimizing the overall increase in rubber volume that would contribute to rolling resistance.
2Reliability
If complex block shapes with many fine grooves are used, then on-snow performance is improved, but uneven wear occurs particularly in the tread shoulder region
Solution Approach 1:
Different groove configurations are applied to different regions of the tread. The tread center region blocks have grooves optimized for their high contact pressure and firm grounding, while the tread shoulder region blocks have grooves designed to account for their lower contact pressure and susceptibility to heel-and-toe wear, thereby achieving region-specific optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove designs accommodate the dynamic loading conditions experienced by different tread regions during vehicle operation. The variable groove configurations allow blocks to adapt to changing contact pressures and stress distributions, preventing premature wear in the shoulder region while maintaining performance in the center region.
3Loss of energy
If simple block shapes are used, then rolling resistance is reduced, but block rigidity is insufficient to suppress uneven wear and demonstrate high on-snow performance
Solution Approach 1:
The groove portions are segmented to create a configuration that provides structural rigidity without requiring excessive rubber material. The separation of the first and second groove portions by the bottom-up portion creates a optimized structure that maintains block integrity while minimizing unnecessary rubber volume that would increase rolling resistance.
Data Source
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AI summary
On a tread of tire, an inclined width direction groove (120), a plurality of zigzag sipes (160), an inclined width direction groove (130) and a plurality of zigzag sipes (170) are repeatedly formed in the tire circumferential direction. The inclined width direction groove (120) communicates with the circumferential direction groove (32), one end of the sipe portion (122) communicates with the narrow groove portion (121), and the other end of the sipe portion (122) terminates in the rib-like block (100) without communicating with the circumferential direction groove (31). The inclined width direction groove (130) communicates with the circumferential direction groove (31), one end of the sipe portion (132) communicates with the narrow groove portion (131), and the other end of the sipe portion (132) terminates in the rib-like block (100) without communicating with the circumferential direction groove (32).