Pneumatic Tire Tread Chamfered Corner for Ice Snow Traction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional winter pneumatic tires face limitations in driving performance on ice and snow, particularly when compared to block patterned tires, as they do not adequately enhance traction and steering stability in these conditions.
Innovation Solution
The tire features a tread portion with circumferentially extending main grooves and land portions, including chamfered and non-chamfered portions, with lug grooves that are inclined at specific angles to form acute and obtuse angled portions, which improve traction by compressing and shearing snow, and sipes that mitigate strain and prevent uneven wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional winter tire pattern with main groove and lug grooves is used, then snow-shearing force is improved, but driving performance on ice and snow is still insufficient compared to block patterned tires
Solution Approach 1:
The corner portion of the land portion is segmented into a chamfered portion and a non-chamfered portion. The chamfered portion includes a first end and a second end, creating distinct functional zones. This segmentation allows the tire to achieve block-pattern-like traction improvement without adopting a full block pattern, thereby enhancing driving performance on ice and snow while maintaining a relatively simple overall tread structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing the chamfered portion specifically at the corner portion of the land portion adjacent to the main groove, while other areas of the tread maintain their conventional structure. The chamfered portion has a specific inclination angle (15° to 45°) that differs from other tread elements. This localized modification concentrates the performance enhancement where it is most needed for ice and snow traction without complicating the entire tread design.
2Reliability
If lug grooves extend from main groove to enhance snow shearing, then snow traction is improved, but steering stability and cornering performance on ice remain inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The chamfered portion is positioned at the corner portion of the land portion before the tire contacts the ice or snow surface. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that when the tire corner contacts the icy surface during steering or cornering, the chamfered geometry is already in place to provide immediate mechanical interlocking and bite. This preliminary configuration enables effective steering stability and cornering performance without requiring complex active adjustments during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The chamfered portion is asymmetrically positioned only at the corner portion of the land portion adjacent to the main groove, not uniformly across the entire tread. The inclination angle of the chamfered portion (15° to 45°) creates an asymmetric geometry that is optimized for cornering and steering applications where the tire corners contact the road surface. This asymmetric design improves steering stability without adding unnecessary complexity to areas of the tread that do not require such modification.
3Reliability
If the chamfered portion is provided on the acute angled side, then snow compression and shearing are enhanced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies a particular inclination angle range (15° to 45°) for the chamfered portion to optimize the balance between snow shearing performance and manufacturing feasibility. By defining this specific parameter range, the invention achieves effective snow traction enhancement while keeping the manufacturing precision requirements within practical limits. The angle is not so steep as to require extremely precise manufacturing, nor so shallow as to be ineffective for snow shearing.
Solution Approach 2:
The chamfered portion is positioned such that its first end communicates with the lug groove and its second end is located at a specific distance from the main groove. This positioning allows the chamfered geometry to rapidly transition from the lug groove area toward the main groove, achieving effective snow compression and shearing in a compact space. This approach enables effective snow traction without requiring excessively long or complex chamfered geometries that would increase manufacturing difficulty.
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 design enhances traction and steering stability on ice and snow while maintaining performance on dry roads, offering improved cornering and self-cleaning features, thereby improving overall winter driving conditions.
Implementation Method 1
the chamfered portion may compress snow against the ground so as to form a snow column
Implementation Method 2
the non-chamfered portion may shear the snow column, thereby improving driving performance on snow
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic tire includes a tread portion being provided with at least one circumferentially and continuously extending main groove and at least one land portion adjacent to the main groove. The land portion includes a corner portion formed between a ground contact surface and a sidewall of the land portion on the side of the main groove. The land portion is provided with a lug groove extending from the main groove and terminating within the land portion. The corner portion includes a chamfered portion and a non-chamfered portion. The chamfered portion includes a first end in communication with the lug groove.