Commercial Vehicle Tire Tread Base Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial vehicle tires experience tearing, delamination, and chipping in the middle tread area due to uneven pressure distribution, and the carbon center beam, while providing electrostatic charge dissipation, has lower tear propagation resistance and is prone to damage under harsh conditions.
Innovation Solution
A tread base composed of two shoulder-side electrically conductive base parts and a central non-conductive silica-based base part with electrically conductive rubber strips connecting to the tread cap, ensuring optimal electrostatic charge dissipation and increased cut resistance to prevent damage to the belt bandage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If a carbon center beam is used to dissipate electrostatic charges, then electrostatic charge dissipation is improved, but tear propagation resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tread base is divided into multiple regions with different material compositions: a central region containing the carbon center beam for electrostatic dissipation, and lateral regions with higher tear propagation resistance. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized for its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the tread base are assigned different material properties: the central region uses carbon-black-filled rubber for electrical conductivity, while the lateral regions use silica-filled or hybrid rubber compounds for enhanced tear resistance. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by providing appropriate material properties in each specific location.
2Strength
If a silica-containing rubber mixture is used in the tread cap, then chipping and chunking resistance is improved, but electrical conductivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tread cap uses silica-containing rubber mixture for high chipping and chunking resistance, while the tread base uses carbon-black-filled rubber for electrical conductivity. This spatial separation of material functions allows both requirements to be satisfied simultaneously in different locations of the tire structure.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the carbon center beam is placed in the central area of the tread, then electrostatic charge dissipation is improved, but susceptibility to damage under harsh off-road conditions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective structure is segmented into a robust lateral region that shields the central carbon center beam from direct exposure to harsh off-road conditions. The lateral regions with higher tear propagation resistance act as a protective barrier, reducing the susceptibility of the carbon center beam to damage while maintaining its electrostatic dissipation function.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If the tread base is made from carbon black-filled rubber mixture for electrical conductivity, then electrostatic charge dissipation is improved, but tear propagation resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tread base is segmented into a central region using carbon black-filled rubber for electrical conductivity and lateral regions using silica-filled or hybrid rubber compounds for enhanced tear propagation resistance. This segmentation allows both electrical conductivity and tear resistance to be optimized in their respective regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The tread base employs composite material construction with different rubber compounds in different regions: carbon-black-filled rubber in the central area for conductivity and silica-filled rubber in lateral areas for tear resistance. This composite approach enables the tread base to simultaneously satisfy both electrical and mechanical performance requirements.
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 solution effectively dissipates electrostatic charges and enhances tear propagation resistance, preventing cuts from penetrating to the belt bandage, thus protecting it from damage and improving retreadability.
Implementation Method 1
the rubber mixture on which the rubber material of the shoulder-side base parts is based contains exclusively carbon black as a filler. This gives the shoulder-side base parts good electrical conductivity.
Implementation Method 2
a central base part made of an electrically non-conductive rubber material containing silica and having an electrical resistance > 1 x 10 8
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
Commercial vehicle tire of radial construction with a tread (1) having two straight circumferential grooves (7) extending in the circumferential direction on the shoulder side, each of which delimits a shoulder-extending profile rib on the inside of the tread, wherein the tread (1) is constructed in two layers in the radial direction and is composed of a tread cap (5) containing the profiling and a tread base (6) extending radially within the tread cap (5), wherein the tread cap (5) is made of an electrically non-conductive rubber material and the tread base (6) is composed of two shoulder-side arranged base parts (6b) made of an electrically conductive rubber material and a central base part (6a) made of an electrically non-conductive rubber material, wherein an electrically conductive rubber strip (9) forms an electrically conductive connection between each shoulder-side base part (6b) and the outer surface of the tread cap (5).