Tire Tread Chamfer Segmentation for Snow Traction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire designs struggle to enhance on-snow performance due to insufficient edge components and uneven ground contact distribution, leading to reduced traction and mobility on snowy surfaces.
Innovation Solution
The tire features a unique tread pattern with asymmetrical half-tread portions, strategically placed chamfer portions, and transverse grooves that compress and shear snow, combined with sipes and rug grooves to increase edge components and improve axial and circumferential traction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If chamfer portions are connected to rug grooves and transverse grooves, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the axial component of edges cannot be increased
Solution Approach 1:
The chamfer portions are segmented into multiple independent chamfer portions arranged in the tire circumferential direction, rather than being continuously connected to grooves. This segmentation allows each chamfer portion to independently increase the axial component of edges while maintaining structural integrity through the distributed arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The chamfer portions extend in the tire axial direction rather than being confined to the groove connections. This dimensional change from groove-aligned (circumferential) to axial extension creates the additional axial edge component needed for improved snow performance.
2Ease of operation
If chamfer portions are added to increase edge effect, then on-snow performance improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Chamfer portions are selectively placed only at specific locations where edge components are needed (at the corners of land regions adjacent to grooves), rather than uniformly across the entire tread. This localized application improves snow performance while minimizing the increase in overall tread pattern complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The chamfer portions are asymmetrically arranged with respect to the groove patterns, creating unequal edge distributions that are optimized for snow traction. This asymmetric design allows for targeted edge enhancement without requiring symmetric complexity throughout the tread.
3Productivity
If transverse grooves extend from main groove to tread edge, then the land region is divided into blocks, but the axial edge component is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Chamfer portions are pre-formed at the corners of land regions before the tire enters service, positioned to extend axially from the groove connections. This preliminary structural preparation ensures that axial edge components are immediately available when the tire contacts snow, enhancing snow compression and ejection capability from the outset.
Data Source
AI summary
A tire is provided in a first half-tread portion with a first shoulder main groove and a first shoulder land region 4D and a first middle land region 4B on the axially outside and axially inside thereof, respectively. The first shoulder land region 4D is divided into first shoulder blocks 7D each provided with a first shoulder chamfer portion 10 at the corner portion 10 between the ground contacting surface and the groove side wall of the first shoulder main groove 3C. Both ends of the first shoulder chamfer portion 10 terminate without being connected to the first shoulder transverse grooves 6D. The first middle land region 4B is provided at the corner 14 between its ground contacting surface and the groove side wall of the first shoulder main groove with first middle chamfer portions 15 each positioned in a part of the range between the adjacent first middle rug grooves 6B. The first middle chamfer portions 15 are disposed so as face the first shoulder chamfer portions 10.