Tire Groove Protrusion Layout for Wet Drainage and Contrast
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tires with fine protrusions in the groove on the tread face experience suppressed water drainage due to the protrusions, which hinders the contrast enhancement between the tread face and the groove, particularly on wet road surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring a groove that opens radially outward with fine protrusions projecting 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm in height, spaced 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm apart, where the leading end of each protrusion is positioned further upstream in the tire rotation direction than the base end, allowing water to flow effectively through the groove without backing up.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If fine protrusions are formed in the groove on the tread face to increase contrast, then the contrast between the tread face and the groove is improved, but water drainage from the groove is suppressed
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusions are designed with asymmetric geometry where the leading end side is positioned further upstream than the base end side in the tire rotation direction. This asymmetric configuration allows water to flow along the inclined surface of the protrusion without backing up, thereby maintaining drainage efficiency while still providing contrast enhancement when the tire is stationary or rotating slowly.
Solution Approach 2:
The protrusions are specifically positioned and shaped within the groove to create local variations in surface topology. By placing the leading end upstream and creating an inclined surface, the design achieves contrast enhancement in specific regions while preserving water flow paths, thus improving contrast without uniformly compromising drainage across the entire groove.
2Illumination intensity
If fine protrusions are formed in the groove to enhance visual contrast, then the appearance contrast is improved, but water flow is suppressed due to contact with protrusions
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric positioning of the leading end upstream creates a streamlined configuration that reduces water flow resistance. Water can smoothly follow the contour of the protrusion along its inclined surface rather than being blocked, thus minimizing the harmful effect of water flow suppression while maintaining visual contrast.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of positioning the protrusion base upstream and leading end downstream (conventional approach), the design inverts this arrangement by placing the leading end upstream. This inversion allows water to flow over the protrusion rather than against it, converting the protrusion from a potential obstacle into a flow-guiding element that maintains drainage efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A tire includes a circumferential direction groove and plural protrusions. The circumferential direction groove is formed in a tread face so as to open toward an outer side in a tire radial direction. The plural protrusions are formed so as to project to a projection height of from 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm from a groove bottom face or a groove side face of the circumferential direction groove, and are spaced apart by a spacing of from 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm. A center line MA, MB linking a center point of a leading end side with a center point of a base end side of each of the plural protrusions leans with respect to a perpendicular line HA, HB such that the leading end side of the protrusion is positioned further toward a tire rotation direction upstream side than the base end side of the protrusion when viewed along a tire width direction or the tire radial direction.