Pneumatic Tire Groove Width Optimization for Noise and Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pneumatic tires face challenges in balancing steering stability and noise performance while maintaining effective drainage, as larger main groove widths improve drainage but deteriorate noise performance, and smaller land ratios decrease steering stability.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic tire design featuring specific groove widths and patterns, including circumferentially extending main grooves and lateral grooves and sipes, optimized to enhance steering stability and noise performance while maintaining drainage, with groove widths ranging from 10 to 20 mm for inboard and outboard center and shoulder main grooves, and smaller widths for outboard shoulder main grooves to prevent air tube resonance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the groove width of the main groove is increased to improve drainage performance, then the drainage performance is improved, but the noise performance deteriorates due to air tube resonance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the main groove into multiple segments by introducing lateral grooves that extend from the main groove toward the tread center. This segmentation breaks the continuous air tube structure into smaller segments, preventing air tube resonance while maintaining the overall drainage capability of the groove system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces lateral grooves that extend in the radial direction (from the circumferential main groove toward the tread center), adding a dimensional element to the groove structure. This creates a three-dimensional groove network that maintains drainage volume while disrupting the air tube resonance path.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the land ratio of the tread portion is decreased to improve noise performance, then the noise performance is improved, but the steering stability decreases due to reduced tread rigidity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different groove width specifications to different regions of the tread. The inboard center main groove, outboard center main groove, and inboard shoulder main groove have groove widths of 10 to 20 mm, while the outboard shoulder main groove has a narrower width of 2 to 5 mm. This local differentiation allows optimized noise and stability performance in different tread zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an asymmetric groove pattern where the outboard shoulder main groove is deliberately made narrower (2 to 5 mm) compared to other main grooves (10 to 20 mm). This asymmetric design compensates for the reduced land ratio by providing additional structural support in the outboard shoulder region, maintaining steering stability while allowing lower overall land ratios for noise reduction.
3Reliability
If the groove width is increased to enhance drainage capability, then water evacuation is improved, but the rigidity of the tread portion decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the main groove with lateral grooves extending toward the tread center, the patent creates multiple smaller drainage channels instead of one large continuous groove. This segmentation maintains water evacuation capability while preserving more rubber material between segments, thereby maintaining tread rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent concentrates the groove width optimization in specific regions (inboard center, outboard center, and inboard shoulder main grooves at 10-20 mm, and outboard shoulder main groove at 2-5 mm) rather than uniformly increasing groove width across the entire tread. This localized approach maintains drainage capability where most needed while preserving tread rigidity in other critical structural areas.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The tire design effectively improves steering stability and noise performance while maintaining drainage performance, as demonstrated by test results showing enhanced indices for noise, drainage, and steering stability compared to reference tires.
Implementation Method 1
A pneumatic tire having a tread portion provided with circumferentially extending main grooves is proposed. Such main grooves may drain the water between the tread portion and the road.
Implementation Method 2
when the groove width of the main groove is too large, the noise performance is liable to deteriorate due to the air tube resonance therein
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic tire with a designated installing direction to a vehicle, includes a tread portion with an inboard and an outboard tread edges, the tread portion provided with a pair of inboard and outboard center main grooves and a pair of inboard and outboard shoulder main grooves to form a center portion, a pair of middle portions, and a pair of shoulder portions, each of the inboard center main groove, the outboard center main groove and the inboard shoulder main groove having a groove width of from 10 to 20 mm, the outboard shoulder main groove having a groove width of from 2 to 5 mm, the outboard shoulder portion provided with outboard shoulder lateral grooves each extending from the outboard tread edge without reaching the outboard shoulder main groove, and the outboard middle portion provided with outboard middle lateral grooves.