Tire Tread Block Rigidity via Sipe and Inner Groove
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional winter tires with small block sizes suffer from low rigidity, leading to reduced ground contact performance, particularly in braking and acceleration on ice, due to block lifting off the road surface under force, resulting in inadequate on-ice, braking, and cornering performance.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring densely arranged blocks with a polygonal shape, including a sipe and inner side groove configuration that supports adjacent blocks, maintaining ground contact area and improving rigidity, while a hole groove aids in water removal and draining, enhancing traction and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If blocks with small ground contact area are densely arranged to improve ground contact performance and water screen removal, then on-ice performance and braking/driving performance are improved, but block rigidity becomes low causing blocks to fall and lift off the road surface under high force
Solution Approach 1:
The block is divided into multiple independent ridges separated by grooves. Each ridge acts as an independent load-bearing element that maintains rigidity while the overall block structure remains compact. This segmentation allows the block to distribute forces across multiple ridges, preventing block falling and lifting while maintaining small ground contact area for good on-ice performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove patterns are strategically designed to concentrate rigidity where needed. Grooves are positioned to create rigid ridge structures that resist deformation under braking and acceleration forces, while the spaces between ridges maintain the compact block size. This local quality enhancement ensures that critical load-bearing areas have high rigidity without increasing overall block size.
2Length of moving object
If blocks with small ground contact area are used to increase ground contact length, then braking and driving performance and cornering performance are improved, but substantial ground contact area is reduced when blocks fall under high longitudinal and lateral forces
Solution Approach 1:
The block structure is segmented into multiple ridges that can independently maintain contact with the road surface. When high forces are applied, individual ridges may deform or separate, but the segmented structure ensures that some ridges remain in contact, maintaining substantial ground contact area while still achieving long ground contact length through the extended ridge configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove patterns are designed to allow controlled deformation of the block structure under high forces. The grooves enable the ridges to flex and adapt to road conditions, maintaining contact area dynamically. This dynamic response allows the block to preserve substantial ground contact area even when subjected to high longitudinal and lateral forces during braking, acceleration, and cornering.
Data Source
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AI summary
A pneumatic tire (10) according to the present invention includes blocks (100) arranged adjacent to each other in a tread surface view, each of the blocks (100) having a wheel tread contacted with a road surface. A circumferential edge (100f) of the block (100) is defined against an adjacent block (100B) adjacent to the block (100A) by a sipe (200). An inner side groove (400) is formed at an inner side in a tire radial direction of the sipe (200). At least a part of the inner side groove (400) is communicated with the sipe (200). The circumferential edge (100f) of the block (100A) is defined against the adjacent block (100B) by the inner side groove (400).