Tire Intra-Groove Segmentation for Drainage and Stiffness
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tires with recessed portions in the groove walls of land portions suffer from reduced stiffness, which can negatively impact driving stability and braking performance, while also requiring improvements in drainage performance.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring rib-shaped land portions with a circumferential groove that includes an intra-groove groove recessed inwardly from the circumferential groove, with meandering paired wall surfaces forming wide and narrow groove portions that alternate in the tire's circumferential direction, enhancing water drainage and maintaining land portion stiffness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If recessed portions are formed in the groove walls of land portions to improve drainage performance, then water drainage is improved, but the stiffness of the land portions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the single circumferential groove into multiple sub-grooves (first circumferential groove and second circumferential groove) that extend in different directions. This segmentation allows water to be drained through multiple pathways without requiring deep recesses in the land portion groove walls, thereby maintaining land portion stiffness while improving drainage performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a second circumferential groove that extends in a direction different from the first circumferential groove, adding a dimensional aspect to the drainage structure. This multi-directional groove configuration enables effective water drainage without compromising the structural integrity and stiffness of the land portions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the groove volume is increased to improve water drainage, then drainage performance is improved, but the land portion structure becomes weaker
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the groove volume into multiple smaller sub-grooves distributed across different locations and orientations. This segmentation provides sufficient total groove volume for water drainage while distributing the structural impact, thereby maintaining land portion strength and driving stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different groove configurations to different regions of the tread pattern. The first circumferential groove and second circumferential groove are positioned and oriented to address local drainage needs in specific areas, optimizing water drainage performance without uniformly compromising land portion strength throughout the tire.
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 improves water drainage performance by pulsating water flow between the wide and narrow groove portions, while maintaining land portion stiffness, thus enhancing driving stability and braking performance without premature wear.
Implementation Method 1
the intra-groove groove includes a wide groove portion (wide groove portion 80A) in which a groove width of the intra-groove groove in the tread width direction is a predetermined width, and a narrow groove portion (narrow groove portion 80B) which is continuous with the wide groove portion and which has a narrower width than the predetermined width, and the wide groove portion and the narrow groove portion are alternately provided in the tire circumferential direction... the water flowing in the intra-groove groove pulsates in the circumferential groove after passing through the wide groove portion, due to a decrease in the groove width of the intra-groove groove
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic tire 1 which includes a plurality of rib-shaped land portions extending in a tire-circumferential-direction and in which a circumferential groove is formed extending in the tire-circumferential-direction between the land portions. The circumferential groove is provided with an intra-groove groove formed to recess inwardly in a tire-radial-direction from the circumferential groove while having its upper ends at a groove bottom of the circumferential groove. Paired inner wall surface and outer wall surface forming the intra-groove groove each continuously extend in tire-circumferential-direction while meandering in tread-width-direction. The intra-groove groove includes a wide groove portion in which a groove width of the intra-groove groove in tread-width-direction is a predetermined width; and a narrow groove portion which is continuous with the wide groove portion and which has a narrower width than the predetermined width. The wide groove portion and the narrow groove portion are alternately provided in tire-circumferential-direction.