Shoulder Sipe Layout in Tires for Steering Stability and Noise
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire designs that improve steering stability through inner shoulder sipes lead to deteriorating noise performance during running.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring a tread portion with sipe groups on the shoulder land portion, where each sipe group includes four sipes with specific land portions between them, and the center of the second land portion is positioned differently in the tire axial direction from the center of the first land portion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If inner shoulder sipes are provided with a region where no sipe is provided between second end sipes and third end sipes to increase stiffness of the inner shoulder land portion, then steering stability is improved, but noise performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different land portion configurations at different locations within the sipe groups. Specifically, the first land portion and second land portion have different characteristics (one connects sipes axially, the other connects sipes circumferentially), allowing different regions to serve different functions: maintaining steering stability while suppressing noise generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the sipe structure into four distinct sipes arranged in a specific pattern with two separate land portions. This segmentation allows the tire tread to have both stiff regions (for steering stability) and flexible regions (for noise suppression), resolving the contradiction between these two performance requirements.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If sipe groups with four sipes and land portions are arranged on the first shoulder land portion, then noise performance is improved, but steering stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetry by positioning the centers of the first land portion and second land portion at different locations, and by arranging the four sipes in an asymmetric pattern. This asymmetric configuration ensures that the tire maintains steering stability while the varied land portion structures effectively suppress noise generation during tire rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the contradiction by utilizing multiple dimensions in the sipe arrangement. The sipes are connected both in the tire axial direction (first land portion) and in the tire circumferential direction (second land portion), creating a three-dimensional structural network that simultaneously addresses steering stability and noise performance requirements.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3(A)~3(B)
AI summary
A tire 1 has sipe groups 6 provided on a first shoulder land portion 5. Each sipe group 6 includes a first sipe 7, a second sipe 9 adjacent to an outer side in a tire axial direction of the first sipe 7 via a first land portion 8 where no groove and no sipe are provided between the first sipe 7 and the second sipe 9, a third sipe 10 adjacent to the first sipe 7 in a tire circumferential direction, and a fourth sipe 12 adjacent to the outer side in the tire axial direction of the third sipe 10 via a second land portion 11 where no groove and no sipe are provided between the third sipe 10 and the fourth sipe 12. A center 11c in the tire axial direction of the second land portion 11 is located at a position different in the tire axial direction from a center 8c in the tire axial direction of the first land portion 8.