Pneumatic Tire Sipe Design for Snow and Dry Performance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pneumatic tires face a trade-off between snow performance, dry performance, and wet performance due to the limitations of two-dimensional and three-dimensional sipes, making it difficult to achieve all three at a high level simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
The tire features a land portion with sipes that have amplitude in the tire circumferential direction and extend in the tire width direction, with a surface-side part bent towards the tire circumferential direction and a bottom-side part bent differently or displaced differently, allowing for varying deformation patterns on snowy and normal roads to enhance traction and prevent collapse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the number of sipes in the land portion is increased to improve edge effect, then snow performance is improved, but the land portion is excessively subdivided resulting in decreased rigidity and decreased footprint area, which deteriorates dry performance and wet performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional two-dimensional sipes (extending only in width direction) to three-dimensional sipes that extend in multiple dimensions including depth direction. This dimensional expansion allows sipes to provide edge effect for snow performance while the depthward extension prevents excessive subdivision at the surface level, maintaining land portion rigidity and footprint area for dry and wet performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The sipes are configured to extend into the depth direction of the land portion, creating a nested structure where the sipe walls are positioned within the land portion volume. This nesting arrangement allows the sipes to function for snow traction while being embedded within the land portion structure, preventing surface subdivision from compromising overall rigidity.
2Stability of the object's composition
If three-dimensional sipe is used to prevent collapse of land portion, then dry performance and wet performance are ensured, but edge effect is deteriorated due to limited deformation of land portion, which deteriorates snow performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different sipe configurations to different regions of the land portion. The sipes extend to specific depths and have varying patterns in different zones, allowing the land portion to maintain rigidity in regions where collapse prevention is critical while permitting controlled deformation in regions where edge effect for snow performance is needed. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between stability and deformability.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a pneumatic tire including a land portion provided with a sipe, which is capable of simultaneously providing snow performance, dry performance, and wet performance all at high level in a single land portion. The pneumatic tire includes a land portion 2 on a tread portion. The land portion 2 is provided with a sipe 5 having amplitude in a tire circumferential direction and extending in a tire width direction. In a depth direction extending from a land portion surface S toward an inner side in a tire radial direction, sipe 5 includes: a land portion's surface-side part 5a1 bent toward tire circumferential direction from land portion surface S; and a land portion's bottom-side part 5a2 bent in a direction different from a direction of land portion's surface-side part 5a1 or bent toward tire circumferential direction by a displacement different from a displacement of land portion's surface-side part 5a1.