Asymmetric Tread Sipe Layout for Tire Noise and Steering Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tires face challenges in enhancing steering stability and noise performance, particularly under stringent European noise regulations, where existing designs fail to balance these factors effectively.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring a tread portion with specific land portions and sipes, including an outer shoulder land portion with wider sipes and an outer middle land portion with narrower sipes, arranged to optimize ground contact pressure and reduce noise, while maintaining steering stability through carefully angled and chamfered sipe configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the outer shoulder sipes have the same width as outer middle sipes, then manufacturing is simpler, but steering stability and noise performance are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the width of sipes based on their location: outer shoulder sipes have a first width while outer middle sipes have a second width. This localized variation optimizes both steering stability and noise performance in different regions of the tread without requiring complete redesign of all sipes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of sipe width specifically in the outer shoulder region compared to the outer middle region. By adjusting this geometric parameter locally, the invention achieves improved steering stability and noise performance while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through a limited number of width variations.
2Reliability
If circumferential grooves are reduced to improve land portion width, then steering stability improves, but noise performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by configuring sipes with different widths in different land portions: wider sipes in the outer shoulder land portion for noise reduction, and appropriately sized sipes in the outer middle land portion for maintaining steering stability. This localized differentiation allows both performance aspects to be optimized simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the tread into distinct land portions (outer shoulder land portion and outer middle land portion) with different sipe configurations. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized for its specific function: noise reduction at the shoulder and steering stability in the middle portion, while maintaining the required number of circumferential grooves.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If sipes are made wider to reduce noise, then impact sounds are reduced, but steering stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making outer shoulder sipes wider than outer middle sipes. The wider sipes at the outer shoulder effectively reduce impact sounds and noise, while the outer middle sipes maintain appropriate dimensions for steering stability. This localized width variation resolves the contradiction between noise reduction and steering stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A tire that includes a tread portion having a designated mounting direction to a vehicle can comprise: an outer shoulder land portion having a greatest width, in the tire axial direction, of a ground contact surface among five land portions. The outer shoulder land portion can include a plurality of outer shoulder sipes connected to an outer shoulder circumferential groove. An outer middle land portion can include a plurality of outer middle sipes extending completely across the outer middle land portion in the tire axial direction. The outer shoulder sipes and the outer middle sipes each can include a pair of sipe walls. The outer shoulder sipes and the outer middle sipes can each include a body portion in which the pair of sipe walls are disposed substantially parallel to each other. A width of a body portion of each outer shoulder sipe can be greater than a width of a body portion of each outer middle sipe.