Pneumatic Tire Sidewall Mark Visibility and Air Pocket Molding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pneumatic tires face challenges in enhancing visibility of marks on the sidewall while preventing cure trouble due to air pockets formed during molding, as existing solutions fail to effectively balance visibility and rubber flow issues.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic tire design featuring circumferential and radial projections on the sidewall, with marks positioned on a depression surface, allowing trapped air to escape during molding and enhancing visibility by maintaining the mark height equal to or less than the projection heights, and optionally incorporating auxiliary projections for improved air escape.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the projection heights of the marks are increased to enhance visibility, then the visibility of the marks is improved, but air pockets are produced during molding causing cure trouble
Solution Approach 1:
The sidewall surface is segmented into multiple levels: the base surface, the depression surface below it, and the circumferential and radial projections rising from the base surface. This segmentation creates distinct zones that control rubber flow and air pocket formation while maintaining mark visibility. The marks are positioned on the depression surface, creating a multi-level structure that separates the marking function from the air escape function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a depth dimension by creating a depression surface below the sidewall surface level. This vertical dimensionality allows the marks to be positioned in a lower plane while circumferential and radial projections rise above the surface, creating a three-dimensional arrangement that enables both high visibility and effective air pocket management during molding.
2Illumination intensity
If the projection heights of the marks are increased to enhance visibility, then the visibility of the marks is improved, but bad rubber flow occurs during molding of the marks
Solution Approach 1:
The circumferential and radial projections are pre-formed on the sidewall surface before the marks are molded. These projections create predetermined pathways that guide rubber flow during the molding process, preventing bad rubber flow and air pocket formation. The depression surface is also pre-formed to position the marks at an appropriate level relative to the projections.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the sidewall are given different properties: the base surface provides a stable foundation, the depression surface creates a lower plane for mark positioning, and the circumferential and radial projections create elevated regions that guide rubber flow. This local differentiation of surface properties enables controlled rubber flow while maintaining mark visibility.
3Illumination intensity
If marks are formed with high projection heights, then visibility is enhanced, but air pockets are produced arising from bad rubber flow during molding
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful air pockets are extracted or removed from the molding process by providing escape pathways through the circumferential and radial projections. These projections create channels that allow air to be expelled from the mold cavity during rubber injection, preventing air pocket formation in the mark regions while maintaining high mark visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The circumferential and radial projections act as intermediary structures between the mold cavity and the mark regions. They serve as mediators that facilitate air escape and control rubber flow, preventing direct contact between trapped air and the mark formation areas, thereby eliminating air pockets while maintaining visibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic tire according to the present invention enhances visibility of a mark formed on a sidewall portion, and reduces cure trouble due to an air pocket produced during molding of the mark.Two circumferential projections 9 extending in the circumferential direction of the tire are disposed on the surface 2a of a sidewall portion 2 at a prescribed distance in the radial direction of the tire. At least two radial projections 10 extending in the radial direction of the tire and connected to the two circumferential projections 9 are disposed at a prescribed distance in the circumferential direction of the tire between the two circumferential projections 9. A region defined by the circumferential projections 9 and radial projections 10 is formed in a depression surface 11 depressed from the surface 2a of the sidewall portion 2. At least one mark 8 protruding beyond the surface 2a of the sidewall portion 2 is provided on the depression surface 11. The height H1 of the mark 8 from the surface 2a of the sidewall portion 2 is equal to or less than the heights H2 of the circumferential projections 9 from the surface 2a of the sidewall portion 2 and the heights H3 of the radial projections 10 from the surface 2a of the sidewall portion 2.