Utility Vehicle Tire Shoulder Contour for Rolling Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pneumatic utility vehicle tires face challenges in reducing rolling resistance while maintaining wear characteristics and preventing crack formation, as existing designs either compromise on rubber material or result in abrupt material changes that lead to cracks.
Innovation Solution
The tire features a tread profile with a surface contour that transitions from a concave to a convex curvature at a point outside the tire belt, optimizing material distribution and reducing rolling resistance by smoothing contour changes, thereby minimizing crack formation and improving wear characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the profile depth is reduced over the entire extent of the tread profile, then rolling resistance is reduced, but wear characteristics deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different profile depths to different regions of the tread profile. The shoulder profile bands have a reduced profile depth compared to the central region, creating local quality variations. This allows the shoulder regions to have lower rolling resistance while the central region maintains sufficient profile depth for good wear characteristics and load bearing.
2Loss of energy
If the profile depth is completely reduced in the shoulder profile band region, then rolling resistance is reduced, but wear characteristics and crack resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a curved surface contour line in the shoulder profile bands that transitions smoothly from the central region to the tire side wall. This curvature eliminates abrupt steps and discontinuities in the profile depth, creating a continuous, smooth transition zone. The curved geometry prevents stress concentrations that would lead to crack formation while still achieving reduced rolling resistance in the shoulder regions.
3Loss of energy
If abrupt steps in surface contour are formed in the shoulder profile band, then rolling resistance is reduced, but crack formation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces abrupt angular transitions with smooth curved surfaces in the shoulder profile bands. The surface contour line is designed to curve continuously from the central tread region toward the tire side wall, eliminating sharp steps and discontinuities. This curvature ensures stress distribution without concentration points, preventing crack initiation while maintaining the reduced profile depth needed for lower rolling resistance.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to vehicle tires for utility vehicles, comprising a belt (9) and a tread profile that extends in the axial direction A of the vehicle tire between two tire shoulders, in each of which a profiled shoulder strip (19) is formed that extends over the circumference of the vehicle tire. The profiled shoulder strip is delimited in the axial direction A towards the equatorial plane Ä of the tire by a groove (20), which extends over the circumference of the vehicle tire, and on the profiled strip face facing away from the equatorial plane Ä by a respective surface of the tire lateral wall (2), which forms the profiled shoulder strip (19) flank facing away from the equatorial plane Ä. The tread profile is delimited by a surface which forms the road contact surface on the sectional planes containing the tire axis, said surface forming a surface contour line K which is curved towards the tire between the profiled shoulder strips (19). In at least one profiled shoulder strip (19), the surface which forms the road contact surface is formed as the extension of the curved surface contour line K into the profiled shoulder strip (19) in an axial first extension section (21) of the width a, said extension section adjoining the circumferential groove (20), and the radial position of the surface which forms the road contact surface constantly decreases outwards along the axial extension in a second extension section (22) of the width c, said extension section adjoining the first extension section (21) and extending to the surface of the tire lateral wall. The surface which forms the road contact surface is formed by a first sub-portion (23), which extends to a point P, and a second sub-portion (24), which extends from the point P to the surface of the tire lateral wall (2), in the second extension section (22) such that the surface which forms the road contact surface has a concave contour progression in the first sub-portion (23) and a convex contour progression in the second sub-portion (24) with a turning point of the contour progression in the point P, said point P being arranged outside of the belt (9) in the axial direction A.