Pneumatic Tire Inner Rubber Layout for Noise and Rolling Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pneumatic tires face a trade-off between improving noise performance, rolling resistance, and high-speed durability when increasing tread rubber thickness.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic tire design with a thicker inner rubber portion in the tread and thinner sidewall portions, maintaining a cross-sectional area between 1.5% to 10% of the tire's inner-cavity area, enhances noise absorption while optimizing rolling resistance and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the rubber thickness of the tread portion is increased to improve noise performance, then noise performance is improved, but rolling resistance performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The inner rubber is designed with non-uniform thickness distribution, having a first thickness in the tread portion and a second thickness in the sidewall portions, where the first thickness is greater than the second thickness. This local quality variation allows the tread area to provide noise attenuation while the thinner sidewall areas reduce the overall rubber volume, thereby improving noise performance without significantly increasing rolling resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from considering only tread rubber thickness to utilizing the inner rubber dimension inside the carcass. By controlling the cross-sectional area of the inner rubber relative to the inner-cavity cross-sectional area (1.5% to 10%), the patent adds a new dimensional parameter for noise control that does not directly increase rolling resistance, as the inner rubber is positioned inside the existing carcass structure rather than adding external volume.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the rubber thickness of the tread portion is increased to improve noise performance, then noise performance is improved, but high-speed durability performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The inner rubber exhibits local quality variation with different thicknesses in different regions. The greater first thickness in the tread portion provides noise attenuation, while the smaller second thickness in the sidewall portions reduces overall rubber volume and mass. This localized thickening only where needed for noise control prevents excessive mass increase that would negatively impact high-speed durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls the cross-sectional area parameter of the inner rubber to be within 1.5% to 10% of the inner-cavity cross-sectional area. This parameter optimization ensures sufficient noise attenuation while limiting the mass increase that would adversely affect high-speed durability performance.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the cross-sectional area of the inner rubber is increased beyond 10% of the inner-cavity cross-sectional area, then noise absorption is improved, but tire mass increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the cross-sectional area parameter of the inner rubber to fall within 1.5% to 10% of the inner-cavity cross-sectional area. This parameter range provides the optimal balance between noise absorption capability and mass control, ensuring that noise performance is improved without excessive tire mass increase that would affect fuel efficiency and handling.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than uniformly thickening the entire inner rubber, the patent applies partial action by concentrating the rubber thickness in specific regions (greater first thickness in tread, smaller second thickness in sidewalls). This partial thickening approach achieves sufficient noise absorption while minimizing the total rubber volume and resulting mass increase.
4Weight of moving object
If the cross-sectional area of the inner rubber is decreased below 1.5% of the inner-cavity cross-sectional area, then tire mass is reduced, but noise absorption performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes the minimum cross-sectional area parameter of the inner rubber at 1.5% of the inner-cavity cross-sectional area. This lower bound ensures that sufficient rubber volume is present to provide effective noise absorption, preventing the mass from being reduced too much while maintaining adequate noise attenuation performance.
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 design effectively reduces vehicle interior noise, maintains rolling resistance, and ensures high-speed durability by absorbing vibrations and minimizing tire mass increase.
Implementation Method 1
an inner rubber extending between the pair of bead portions on an inner side of the carcass. The inner rubber includes a first portion extending in the tread portion with a first thickness and a second portion extending in each of the pair of sidewall portions with a second thickness
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic tire includes a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions, a pair of bead portions, a carcass extending between the pair of bead portions, and an inner rubber extending between the pair of bead portions on an inner side of the carcass. The inner rubber includes a first portion extending in the tread portion with a first thickness and a second portion extending in each of or one of the pair of sidewall portions with a second thickness. The first thickness is greater than the second thickness. In a tire meridian cross-section, a cross-sectional area of the inner rubber is in a range from 1.5% to 10% of an inner-cavity cross-sectional area of the pneumatic tire.