Flexible Tire Tread Closing Devices for Noise and Water Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire tread designs with circumferential grooves generate resonance noise at certain speeds, and previous solutions to reduce noise, such as placing gates in the grooves, disrupt liquid flow on water-covered surfaces.
Innovation Solution
The tire tread features circumferential and transverse grooves with closing devices that flex under water pressure, creating quarter-wave or Helmholtz resonators to attenuate noise while maintaining liquid flow by adjusting the groove section dynamically.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If closing devices are placed in circumferential grooves to reduce resonance noise, then noise attenuation is improved, but liquid flow on water-covered surfaces is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The closing devices are designed to be flexible rather than rigid, allowing them to dynamically adapt their position based on the presence of water. When water flows over the tire, the closing devices flex outward to open the grooves for water evacuation. When dry, they flex inward to close the grooves and create resonators for noise attenuation.
Solution Approach 2:
The closing devices change their physical state or position based on environmental conditions. The flexibility allows the devices to change from a closed position (for noise reduction) to an open position (for water flow), with the transition triggered by water pressure and flow conditions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If closing devices occupy a large portion of the groove cross section to effectively reduce noise, then noise attenuation is improved, but water flow capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The closing devices are designed with sufficient flexibility to occupy a large portion of the groove cross-section when dry (effectively closing it for noise reduction) but to flex outward when water pressure applies, opening the groove for water flow. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between noise reduction effectiveness and water flow capability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the groove length is increased to create effective resonators for noise attenuation, then noise attenuation is improved, but the tire tread complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tire tread is divided into multiple circumferential grooves, each capable of functioning as an independent resonator. This segmentation allows noise attenuation across different frequency ranges, as each groove acts as a separate resonating element with its own characteristic frequency.
Solution Approach 2:
The circumferential grooves serve dual functions: they act as resonators for noise attenuation when closed, and as channels for water evacuation when open. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate structures, simplifying the overall tread design while achieving both noise reduction and water flow capabilities.
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
This design significantly reduces resonance noise without disrupting liquid flow on water-covered surfaces, maintaining performance by allowing water to flow through the grooves and regaining the groove section when needed.
Implementation Method 1
noise generated in a circumferential groove... resonators for attenuating the noise generated in a circumferential groove... quarter-wave resonators or of Helmholtz resonators... attenuate the resonance noise of the air moving in the said circumferential groove
Implementation Method 2
each closing device being appropriate for flexing and opening the section of the groove in which it is placed only under the action of a flow of liquid when running on a water-covered road surface
Data Source
AI summary
Tire having a tread comprising at least two grooves of generally circumferential orientation, a plurality of transverse grooves (6), each transverse groove culminating in openings into two circumferential grooves, the circumferential and transverse grooves having appropriate cross sections for allowing, when running, a flow of liquid present on the road surface, a plurality of closing devices located in these grooves, each closing device closing at least partly the cross section of a groove, each closing device delimiting, with one end of a transverse groove, a length of groove LR of between half and three-quarters of the length of circumferential groove in contact, the length measured under nominal conditions of load and pressure, this tire being characterized in that each closing device is designed to flex and open the section of groove in which it is placed, under the action of a flow of liquid so as to allow the said liquid to flow when running on a water-covered road surface.