Pneumatic Tire Tread Blocks with Segmented Sipes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pneumatic tires face challenges in maintaining traction performance on snowy and icy road surfaces while ensuring steering stability on dry surfaces, as increasing sipe density leads to reduced block rigidity and braking performance on ice.
Innovation Solution
The tire features a tread pattern with longitudinal and lateral grooves, elongated blocks in the tread center region, and sipes with protrusions and recesses that engage with each other, maintaining block rigidity and enhancing traction on snowy and icy surfaces while maintaining steering stability on dry surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the number of sipes is increased to improve traction on snowy and icy surfaces, then the number of edges increases, but the overall rigidity of the block declines and braking performance on ice deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sipes are divided into multiple segments by providing protrusions and recesses along their length. This segmentation allows each segment to independently engage with the road surface, maintaining effective edge contact for traction while the recesses prevent complete collapse of the block structure, thereby preserving block rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sipe structure combines rigid protrusions and recesses within the block material to create a composite effect. The protrusions maintain structural integrity and rigidity, while the recesses allow for deformation and engagement with the road surface, achieving both traction enhancement and rigidity maintenance.
2Reliability
If sipes are provided within blocks to improve traction on snowy and icy surfaces, then the number of edges increases, but it is not possible to maintain steering stability on dry road surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the sipes into multiple sections with protrusions and recesses, the structure maintains rigidity in the dry road condition (improving steering stability) while still providing sufficient edges for traction on snowy and icy surfaces. The segmented structure prevents excessive deformation that would compromise steering stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The protrusions and recesses are strategically positioned within the sipes to create local structural variations. This local quality enhancement maintains block rigidity in regions critical for steering stability while preserving edge effectiveness for traction on slippery surfaces.
3Strength
If recesses and protrusions are disposed within sipes to minimize collapse and reduce decline of block rigidity, then block rigidity is maintained, but traction performance on snowy and icy surfaces and wet road surfaces cannot be sufficiently improved while maintaining steering stability on dry road surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The sipes are divided into multiple segments by providing protrusions and recesses along their length. This segmentation allows each segment to independently engage with the road surface, maintaining effective edge contact for traction while the recesses prevent complete collapse of the block structure, thereby preserving block rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The protrusions and recesses add a third dimension to the sipe structure, creating a more complex three-dimensional geometry that enhances both rigidity and traction capability simultaneously, rather than relying solely on two-dimensional sipe patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic tire includes blocks arranged in the tread center region that is X % (30≦X≦70) of the tread contact width TW with the tire equator C as center are formed elongated in the tire circumferential direction so that the block ratio is not less than 1.5. At least one end in the longitudinal direction of the sipes provided in the blocks connects to a longitudinal groove. A protrusion and a recess that can engage with each other are provided on the sipe wall surfaces that face each other constituting the sipes, at the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the sipes that connect with the longitudinal groove.