Tire Shoulder Sipe Chamfering for Noise and Wet Braking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tires face a challenge in enhancing noise performance and braking performance while maintaining wet performance, as reducing the volume of grooves in the tread portion can degrade wet performance.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring a tread portion with specific configurations, including circumferential grooves, land portions, inner and outer shoulder lateral grooves, and sipes with chamfered portions, which enhance noise and braking performance while maintaining wet performance by optimizing drainage and ground contact pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If the volume of grooves in the tread portion is reduced to enhance noise performance and braking performance, then exterior noise and braking performance are improved, but wet performance degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different groove configurations in different regions of the tread. The shoulder grooves have varying depths and patterns compared to central grooves, allowing each region to optimize for its specific function - noise reduction at shoulders while maintaining water evacuation in other areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The tread groove system is segmented into multiple circumferential grooves at different positions (shoulder grooves and central grooves) with different characteristics. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each groove's function, enabling noise reduction in shoulder areas while maintaining wet performance through central drainage pathways.
2Force
If the volume of grooves in the tread portion is reduced to enhance braking performance, then braking performance is improved, but wet performance degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates local quality differences in groove depth and configuration between shoulder regions and central regions. The shoulder grooves are optimized for braking contact and noise reduction, while central grooves maintain sufficient volume for water evacuation, allowing braking performance enhancement without sacrificing wet performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove system is segmented into functionally distinct zones - shoulder grooves optimized for braking and noise, and central grooves optimized for water drainage. This segmentation enables the tread to simultaneously achieve improved braking performance through optimized contact patches while maintaining wet performance through dedicated drainage pathways.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If circumferential grooves are configured to reduce exterior noise, then noise performance is improved, but wet performance degrades due to reduced drainage capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by varying groove depth and configuration based on position. Shoulder grooves are configured with specific depth ranges (0.3-0.6 times maximum groove depth) to optimize noise reduction, while central grooves maintain greater depth for effective water drainage, allowing each region to perform its primary function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove system is segmented into noise-optimized shoulder grooves and drainage-optimized central grooves. This segmentation allows the tread to simultaneously achieve noise reduction through controlled groove volumes at shoulders while maintaining wet performance through sufficient drainage capacity in central regions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The tire design effectively reduces exterior noise and enhances braking performance while maintaining wet performance through improved drainage and uniform ground contact pressure, as demonstrated by test results.
Implementation Method 1
Each outer shoulder sipe has a chamfered portion at each of sipe edges on both sides. The chamfered portion has a chamfered width increased from the terminating end side toward the outer shoulder circumferential groove.
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of circumferential grooves extending continuously in a tire circumferential direction between the inner tread end and the outer tread end
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A tread portion 2 includes an inner tread end Ti, an outer tread end To, circumferential grooves 3, and land portions 4. The circumferential grooves 3 include an inner shoulder circumferential groove 5 and an outer shoulder circumferential groove 6. The land portions 4 include an inner shoulder land portion 10 and an outer shoulder land portion 11. The inner shoulder land portion 10 includes inner shoulder lateral grooves 35 and inner shoulder sipes 36. The outer shoulder land portion 11 includes outer shoulder lateral grooves 41 and outer shoulder sipes 42. Each outer shoulder sipe 42 has a chamfered portion 43 at each of sipe edges on both sides. The chamfered portion 43 has a chamfered width increased from a terminating end 42a side toward the outer shoulder circumferential groove 6.