Pneumatic Tire Sipe Protrusion Recess Icy Traction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pneumatic tires face challenges in maintaining steering stability on snow, as existing studless tire technologies do not effectively enhance water film removal on icy surfaces, impacting braking and steering performance.
Innovation Solution
The pneumatic tire design incorporates circumferential main grooves, lug grooves, and blocks with specific sipe configurations, including first and second sipes with protrusions and recesses, which alternately collapse and resist collapse to improve water discharge and traction on icy and snowy surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sipes are disposed on road contact surface of blocks, then water film removing action on icy surface is improved, but steering stability on snow deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sipe portions are designed with different depths locally - first sipe portions with greater depth for water removal, and second sipe portions with smaller depth for stability. This local differentiation allows the tire to achieve both effective water film removal on icy surfaces and maintain steering stability on snow by having different functional zones within the same sipe structure.
2Productivity
If sipe portions collapse easily, then water discharge properties are improved, but rigidity of edge portions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Different portions of the sipe structure are designed with different rigidity characteristics. The first sipe portions are designed to collapse easily for effective water discharge, while the second sipe portions maintain greater rigidity to preserve edge portion strength. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between water discharge efficiency and structural rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sipe structure is segmented into multiple portions with distinct functions - first sipe portions optimized for water removal and second sipe portions optimized for maintaining rigidity. This segmentation allows each portion to perform its specific function effectively without compromising the overall structure.
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
This configuration enhances water film removal, improves water discharge properties, and increases steering stability and braking ability on ice and snow by balancing the rigidity of the tire's edge components.
Implementation Method 1
a protrusion and a recess that mate with each other are disposed on sipe wall faces
Implementation Method 2
a first sipe portion having protrusions and recesses collapses easily, and a shallow-bottomed third sipe portion resists collapse
Data Source
AI summary
In a pneumatic tire, a single block includes a first sipe and a second sipe each extending in a tire width direction and disposed at a predetermined pitch in a tire circumferential direction. The first sipe and the second sipe include a first sipe portion that has a linear form when the block is viewed planarly, and a second sipe portion that has a zigzag shape when the block is viewed planarly and that connects to the first sipe portion. The first sipe portion includes a pair of sipe wall faces that face each other and have a linear form when viewed as a cross-section from a direction perpendicular to a sipe length direction, and includes a protrusion disposed on a first face of the sipe wall faces and a recess disposed on a second face of the sipe wall faces so as to mate with the protrusion.