Pneumatic Tire Sipes With Bent Angles For Wet Grip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pneumatic tire sipes improve block rigidity and grounding properties but compromise drainage performance, making it difficult to achieve a balance for effective wet road handling.
Innovation Solution
The tire features sipes extending in the tire width direction with specific bent portion angles and divisions, allowing for improved block rigidity and grounding while maintaining drainage performance by optimizing sipe volume and contact points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If sipes are designed with bent portions to improve block rigidity and grounding property, then the interlocking effect between opposing wall surfaces is enhanced, but the sipe volume is reduced, compromising the drainage effect
Solution Approach 1:
The sipe structure implements local quality by differentiating the bent portion angles at different locations. The first bent portion (closer to tread surface) has a larger angle to maintain sipe volume for drainage, while the second bent portion (deeper in the sipe) has a smaller angle to enhance interlocking and block rigidity. This spatial variation in geometric properties allows simultaneous optimization of both drainage and structural functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The sipe is segmented into multiple bent portions with different characteristics rather than using a uniform structure. By dividing the sipe into at least two bent portions with different angles, the design separates the drainage function (handled by the first bent portion with larger angle) from the interlocking function (handled by the second bent portion with smaller angle), allowing both functions to coexist effectively.
2Ease of operation
If numerous sipes are provided to improve biting and digging-up effect, then the grounding property is enhanced, but excessive block deformation occurs, reducing tire stability
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the sipe structure by introducing bent portions with specific angle ranges. The first bent portion has an angle of 30° to 90° and the second has 0° to 30°, which modifies the mechanical behavior of the sipe walls. This parameter optimization allows the sipes to provide biting effect while the bent portions prevent excessive wall deformation, maintaining block stability.
3Productivity
If the interval between sipes is reduced to increase sipe density for better drainage, then the drainage effect is improved, but the block rigidity and grounding property are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
By implementing different bent portion angles at different depths of the sipe, the structure creates local quality variations that allow dense sipe spacing for drainage while maintaining block rigidity through the interlocking effect at the second bent portion.
Data Source
AI summary
The interval along the tire circumferential direction between sipes adjacent in the tire circumferential direction is 2 to 10 times the depth of the sipes. In the depth direction of the sipes, the sipes each have at least three sipe portions divided by at least two bent portions, and a bent portion angle formed between adjacent sipe portions with one of the bent portions therebetween is greater at the tread surface side than at the sipe bottom side.