Thermoplastic Tire Side Sections with Circumferential Curvature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tires made from thermoplastic polymer materials lack stress and internal pressure withstanding ability compared to conventional rubber tires, leading to safety concerns, and existing solutions complicate manufacturing or increase weight.
Innovation Solution
A tire design with side sections featuring plural curved portions in the circumferential direction, allowing for both radial and circumferential stress distribution, reducing radial stress, and incorporating a metal bead core and a reinforcement layer for enhanced strength and recyclability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a thermoplastic polymer material is employed and the tire frame body is formed from a uniform material without internal installation of reinforcement members, then manufacturing is easier and cost is lower, but stress withstanding ability and internal pressure withstanding ability are inferior
Solution Approach 1:
The side sections are designed with plural curved portions in the tire circumferential direction, creating a three-dimensional curved structure that distributes stress more effectively. This curvature allows the thermoplastic material to withstand higher internal pressures and stresses without requiring additional reinforcement members, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity while improving strength.
2Strength
If reinforcement members are embedded or material thickness is increased to improve stress withstanding ability, then pressure withstanding ability is enhanced, but manufacturing becomes more complicated and weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The curved portions in the side sections create a structurally efficient geometry that naturally distributes and withstands pressure loads. This eliminates the need for embedded reinforcement members and complex manufacturing processes, while also avoiding the weight increase that would result from thicker materials.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional side section profiles are used with thermoplastic materials, then manufacturing remains simple, but pressure withstanding ability reaches a performance limit
Solution Approach 1:
The introduction of plural curved portions in the circumferential direction transforms the side section profile from a conventional flat or simple curved shape to a multi-curved geometry. This structural modification significantly enhances pressure withstanding ability while maintaining compatibility with thermoplastic materials and their manufacturing processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A tire formed from a resin material is provided having a high stress withstanding ability and capable of maintaining a high internal pressure.By configuring the side sections 14 with plural circular arc curve faced portions 32 having curvature in the circumferential direction formed successively along the circumferential direction the stress acting on the side sections 14 can be distributed at a radial direction stress and a circumferential direction stress. Accordingly, the radial direction stress can be reduced further than in a conventional profile not provided with any circular arc curve faced portions along the circumferential direction, enabling sufficient pressure withstanding ability (internal pressure) to be secured for a pneumatic tire for use on a vehicle even though a thermoplastic material with weaker stress than that of rubber is employed for the side sections 14.