Taper Cut Tire Block Bridge Portion Wear Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pneumatic tires with block-type tread patterns face issues with deviated wear, particularly at the tip ends, where insufficient rigidity leads to excessive wear and drainage problems due to large spaces between slits, especially when the angle of the tip end is small.
Innovation Solution
The tire design incorporates a taper cut portion at the tip end of blocks with a bridge portion connected to the sidewall surface of adjacent blocks at a constant land portion height, enhancing rigidity and preventing deviated wear by compensating for wear differences and maintaining adequate drainage performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a taper cut portion is formed at the tip end of the block to compensate wear difference, then wear uniformity is improved, but the rigidity of the tip end becomes excessively small leading to insufficient deviated wear resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies different structural characteristics to different regions of the block tip end. The taper cut portion is provided only in the circumferential direction to compensate wear, while the bridge portion extends in the radial direction to maintain rigidity. This local differentiation allows each region to fulfill its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The tip end structure is segmented into two functional components: the taper cut portion for wear compensation and the bridge portion for rigidity maintenance. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component's geometry and function, resolving the contradiction between wear uniformity and structural strength.
2Ease of operation
If the angle of the tip end is made small to improve traction, then traction performance is improved, but the rigidity of the tip end becomes small making it prone to deviated wear
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge portion is strategically positioned to extend from the rear end of the taper cut portion toward the groove bottom, providing localized rigidity support exactly where the small tip end angle creates structural weakness. This allows the small angle geometry to be maintained for traction while the bridge portion compensates for rigidity loss.
3Manufacturing precision
If the tip end is formed with a taper cut portion, then wear compensation is achieved, but the space between slits becomes large causing deviated wear along the circumferential direction
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge portion acts as a structural separator that divides the tip end region into distinct segments while maintaining overall connectivity. It prevents the slits from merging into a single large space, thereby preserving the structural integrity needed to prevent deviated wear along the circumferential direction.
4Manufacturing precision
If a chamfered portion is formed at the tip end to improve wear resistance, then wear uniformity is improved, but the rigidity becomes excessively small when the inclined surface reaches the groove bottom
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge portion is positioned to extend from the rear end of the chamfered portion, providing localized structural reinforcement. This allows the chamfered geometry to achieve wear uniformity while the bridge portion prevents the rigidity from becoming excessively small by creating a structural bridge across the weakened region.
Data Source
AI summary
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic tire capable of securing rigidity of a tip end of a block, and effectively preventing deviated wear of a tread surface. In a tread surface of a pneumatic tire formed with a block 30 having a tip end 31 which is tapered as viewed from above, and a block 20 having a sidewall surface 25 opposed to a sidewall surface 32 of the block 30, the tip end 31 of the block 30 is provided with a taper cut portion 33 whose land portion height is gradually reduced toward its tip end side, and a bridge portion 34 which is connected to the sidewall surface 25 of the block 20 at a substantially constant land portion height from the tip end of the taper cut portion 33.