Lightweight Tire Design for Heat Dissipation and Ride Comfort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lightweight tires with reduced rubber volume face challenges in achieving satisfactory ride comfort due to heat accumulation and inadequate heat dissipation, leading to impaired performance on uneven road surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A tire design with a tread rubber thickness of 8.5 mm or less, a sidewall rubber thickness ratio less than 0.50, and a weight-to-load capacity ratio of 0.012 or less, incorporating a rubber composition with less than 100 parts of thermoplastic elastomer, which includes a styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, to enhance heat dissipation and impact absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If rubber volume is reduced for weight reduction, then fuel efficiency is improved, but ride comfort deteriorates due to heat accumulation and inadequate heat dissipation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating asymmetric thickness distribution between tread rubber and sidewall rubber. The tread rubber thickness is controlled at 8.5mm or less while the sidewall rubber thickness is controlled to be less than 0.50 times the tread thickness, optimizing heat dissipation locally at the sidewall region where heat accumulation occurs most severely in lightweight tires.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes physical parameters by precisely controlling the thickness ratio between sidewall rubber and tread rubber (less than 0.50), and by controlling the tire weight to load capacity ratio (G/WL) to be 0.012 or less. These parameter changes optimize the balance between weight reduction and heat dissipation performance.
2Weight of moving object
If tread rubber thickness is reduced to 8.5 mm or less for weight reduction, then fuel efficiency is improved, but impact absorption capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating asymmetric thickness distribution where the sidewall rubber thickness is less than 0.50 times the tread rubber thickness. This localized thinning of sidewall rubber while maintaining tread thickness optimizes both weight reduction and impact absorption, as the tread region handles impact while the sidewall region focuses on heat dissipation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining rubber components with specific thermoplastic elastomer content (5-50 parts by mass per 100 parts rubber component) to enhance the performance of thin rubber layers, allowing them to provide both structural support and heat dissipation functionality despite reduced thickness.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If sidewall rubber thickness is reduced to improve heat dissipation, then heat dissipation performance is improved, but structural strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes physical parameters by precisely controlling the sidewall rubber thickness to be less than 0.50 times the tread rubber thickness, and controlling the tire weight to load capacity ratio (G/WL) to be 0.012 or less. These parameter changes optimize the balance between heat dissipation performance and structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by incorporating thermoplastic elastomers (5-50 parts by mass per 100 parts rubber component) into the rubber composition to enhance the mechanical properties of the thin sidewall rubber, allowing it to maintain structural strength despite reduced thickness for improved heat dissipation.
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 achieves improved ride comfort and wet grip performance while maintaining a lightweight structure by efficiently converting impact into heat and preventing heat accumulation, ensuring comfort on uneven surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
a rubber composition of the tread rubber comprises less than 100 parts by mass of a thermoplastic elastomer based on 100 parts by mass of a rubber component
Implementation Method 2
a tire weight is defined as G (kg), and the maximum load capacity of the tire is defined as WL (kg), T, S, G, and WL satisfy the following inequality (1) to (3)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tire that can improve in ride comfort while being lightweight. Provided is a tire comprising a tread part and a sidewall part, wherein, when a thickness of a tread rubber of the tread part at a tire equator is defined as T (mm), a thickness of a sidewall rubber of the sidewall part at a tire maximum width position is defined as S (mm), a tire weight is defined as G (kg), and the maximum load capacity of the tire is defined as WL (kg), T, S, G, and WL satisfy the following inequality (1) to (3), and wherein a rubber composition of the tread rubber comprises less than 100 parts by mass of a thermoplastic elastomer based on 100 parts by mass of a rubber component: Inequality (1): T≤8.5 Inequality (2): S/T<0.50 Inequality (3): G/WL≤0.012