Pneumatic Tire Sipe Chamfering for Wet and Dry Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pneumatic tires face challenges in achieving simultaneous improvement in steering stability on dry and wet road surfaces due to the trade-off between sipe arrangement for drainage and rigidity, which affects snow performance and steering stability on wet surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic tire design featuring a sipe with chamfered portions on the leading and trailing edges, including a non-chamfered region and an outer edge profile line not parallel to the sipe ridge line, optimizing the projected area ratio to enhance drainage and edge effect for improved steering stability on wet surfaces while maintaining dry surface performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large number of sipes are arranged in the tread portion to improve steering stability on wet road surfaces, then drainage performance is improved, but the rigidity of the rib is reduced, deteriorating steering stability on dry road surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating chamfered portions only at specific locations (leading and trailing edges) of selected sipes rather than uniformly across all sipes. This localized chamfering provides drainage enhancement at critical water ejection points while preserving the rigidity of other rib portions, thus resolving the contradiction between wet surface steering stability and dry surface steering stability.
2Reliability
If the groove volume of the tread portion is increased to improve snow traction, then snow performance is improved, but the block rigidity is lowered, deteriorating steering stability on wet road surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing chamfered portions only at the leading and trailing edges of specific sipes rather than increasing the overall groove volume throughout the tread. This localized approach enhances snow evacuation capability at critical points while maintaining the overall block rigidity necessary for wet road steering stability.
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 design significantly enhances steering stability on both dry and wet surfaces, balancing performance by minimizing the chamfered area and maximizing the edge effect, thus achieving improved snow traction and stability in a compatible manner.
Implementation Method 1
improving the drainage effect based on the chamfered portion
Implementation Method 2
the non-chamfered region is capable of effectively removing the water film by the edge effect
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic tire includes chamfered portions respectively formed on a leading side edge and a trailing side edge of a sipe. The sipe includes a non-chamfered region in which other chamfered portions are not present, in a plan view of a tread portion. At least one of the chamfered portions includes an outer edge profile line not parallel to a ridge line of the sipe. When the chamfered portion including the outer edge profile line not parallel to the ridge line of the sipe is divided into an inner region and an outer region corresponding to half a chamfer length of the chamfered portion in a tire width direction, a projected area of the outer region positioned on a rib outer side is larger than a projected area of the inner region positioned on a rib inner side.