Tire Sidewall Pattern with Protective Ribs for Kerbing Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire sidewall patterns are fragile and lose contrast over the tire's service life due to mechanical stress from kerbing, leading to detachment of strands or strips.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a pattern with ribs that protect strands or strips, where the ribs bear the majority of the contact pressure during kerbing, allowing the strands or strips to flex and reducing detachment, while maintaining high contrast through strategic orientation and attachment to the ribs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If strands are used to form the high-contrast pattern, then the pattern provides good visual contrast and velour feel, but the pattern becomes fragile and strands detach during kerbing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines strands (for visual contrast and velour feel) with strips (for mechanical strength) to form a composite pattern structure. The strips are arranged parallel to each other with spacing of 0.05-0.5mm, while strands are distributed between them. This composite structure allows the pattern to simultaneously achieve good visual contrast from the strands and enhanced durability from the strips that resist detachment during kerbing.
2Reliability
If strips are used instead of strands, then mechanical strength improves and kerbing resistance increases, but visual contrast fades rapidly over service life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite pattern where strips provide the mechanical strength and kerbing resistance, while strands distributed between the strips provide the visual contrast and velour feel. The strands are positioned in the spaces between parallel strips, allowing each component to fulfill its primary function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different structural qualities to different regions of the pattern. strips are positioned at specific intervals (0.05-0.5mm spacing) to provide localized mechanical reinforcement where kerbing forces are most likely to affect the pattern, while strands are distributed throughout to maintain visual contrast across the entire pattern area.
3Illumination intensity
If strand density is increased to improve contrast, then visual contrast improves, but mechanical fragility increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines strands and strips in a composite structure where strands are distributed between parallel strips. The strips are spaced 0.05-0.5mm apart and provide the mechanical strength backbone, while strands fill the spaces to provide visual contrast. This composite approach allows high strand density for contrast without the mechanical fragility that would result from strands alone.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a tire made of rubbery material comprising a sidewall on which there is formed at least one pattern that contrasts with this sidewall. The pattern comprises a plurality of strands distributed through the pattern with a density of at least five strands per square millimeter (mm2), each strand having a mean cross section of between 0.003 mm2 and 0.06 mm2. The tire also comprises on the said sidewall at least two ribs that pass through the pattern and between which strands of the pattern are present, the said ribs being distant from one another by at most 10 mm, each rib having a height of at least 0.25 mm and a mean width of at least 0.20 mm, the said pattern following the relief formed by the ribs.