Studless Tire Tread Pattern Balancing Ice Braking and Load Durability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Studless tires with sipes separated in the tire width direction face challenges in achieving balanced braking performance on ice and running performance on snow, as the configuration leads to localized ground contact pressure increases, degrading load durability and requiring further improvements.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring circumferential main grooves, lug grooves, and land portions with sipes and narrow grooves, where the sipes and narrow grooves in the central region have opposite directions and in the edge regions have the same direction, enhancing block rigidity and improving ice braking and snow running performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sipes are separated in the tire width direction to improve braking performance on ice, then braking performance on ice is improved, but ground contact pressure locally increases degrading load durability performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing circumferential grooves specifically in the portions where sipes are separated in the tire width direction, while other portions maintain the conventional sipe configuration. This localized modification addresses the ground contact pressure issue only where it occurs, without changing the overall sipe separation design that provides ice braking performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The tire tread is segmented into multiple portions with different configurations: portions with separated sipes for ice braking, and portions with circumferential grooves to manage ground contact pressure. This segmentation allows each portion to optimize for its specific function while working together as a unified system.
2Reliability
If sipes are separated in the tire width direction to prevent clogging of snow or ice, then snow/ice clogging is prevented, but ground contact pressure locally increases degrading load durability performance
Solution Approach 1:
Circumferential grooves are provided locally in the portions where sipes are separated in the tire width direction, specifically targeting areas where ground contact pressure increases. This localized approach maintains the sipe separation configuration that prevents snow and ice clogging, while adding grooves only where needed to manage pressure distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The tread pattern is divided into segments with separated sipes for preventing clogging, and segments with circumferential grooves for pressure management. This segmentation allows the tire to simultaneously achieve clogging prevention through sipe separation and load durability through strategic groove placement.
3Strength
If circumferential groove is provided in the portion where sipes are separated to reduce ground contact pressure, then load durability performance is improved, but braking performance on ice and running performance on snow have room for further improvement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains sipe separation in specific portions of the tread to preserve ice braking and snow running performance, while adding circumferential grooves only in the portions where sipes are separated in the tire width direction. This localized groove placement minimizes the impact on braking and running performance while still improving load durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The tread is segmented to preserve sipe separation configurations in areas critical for ice braking and snow running, while introducing circumferential grooves in specific portions to improve load durability. This segmentation allows optimization of different functions in different areas of the tread.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided in a tread portion of a tire are main grooves, lug grooves intersecting the main grooves, and land portions defined by the main grooves. A specific one of the land portions includes, in a ground contact surface, sipes and narrow grooves intersecting the main grooves, the narrow grooves having a depth of 1.50 mm or less. When extending from one side toward another side in the width direction, the sipes and the narrow grooves have different directions extending in the circumferential direction in the central region and have the same direction extending in the circumferential direction in both edge regions on an outer side from the central region in the width direction. The specific one of the land portions includes at least one land portion on the outer side in the width direction.