Tire Tread Block Protrusion for Dry Stability and Wet Grip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tires with increased groove volume for improved mud and wet performance often compromise steering stability on dry roads due to reduced pattern rigidity.
Innovation Solution
A tire tread design featuring blocks with protruding portions that include a first part with a continuous ground contacting surface and a second part positioned radially inward, closer to the main groove, which enhances ground contact area and rigidity while maintaining groove volume, thereby improving mud, wet, and dry road steering stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If groove volume is increased to improve mud performance and wet performance, then mud performance and wet performance are improved, but pattern rigidity of the tread portion is decreased, therefore steering stability on a dry road surface is deteriorated
Solution Approach 1:
The block is divided into multiple regions: a block body portion between lateral grooves and a protruding portion extending toward the main groove. The protruding portion is further divided into a first part with ground contacting surface and a second part closer to the main groove. This segmentation allows different parts to serve different functions: the block body maintains pattern rigidity while the protruding portion increases ground contact area for improved performance without compromising structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the block are designed with different characteristics. The block body portion maintains sufficient rigidity for steering stability, while the protruding portion (especially the first part) provides additional ground contact area. The second part near the main groove helps maintain groove volume for mud and wet performance. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by optimizing each region for its specific function.
2Reliability
If groove volume is increased, then mud performance and wet performance are improved, but ground contact area is reduced, therefore steering stability on a dry road surface is deteriorated
Solution Approach 1:
The protruding portion extends in the tire radial direction (perpendicular to the ground contact plane), utilizing the third dimension to increase ground contact area without reducing the footprint area. The first part of the protruding portion has a ground contacting surface that extends continuously from the block body, effectively adding contact area in the radial dimension while maintaining adequate groove volume for mud and wet performance.
Data Source
AI summary
A tire 1 comprises a tread portion 2 comprising a plurality of blocks 5. In a development view of the tread portion 2, the blocks 5 include at least one block 5 comprising a block body 6 arranged between lateral grooves 4 adjacent to each other in a tire circumferential direction and a protruding portion 7 protruding from the block body 6 toward a main groove 3. The protruding portion 7 comprises a first part 8 having a ground contacting surface (8a) extending continuously from the block body 6 and a second part 9 arranged closer to the main groove 3 than the first part 8 and on an inner side of the ground contacting surface (8a) in a tire radial direction.