Tire Tread Complex Grooves for Drainage and Stiffness Balance

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing tire treads face challenges in maintaining effective water drainage, grip, and reducing wear, rolling resistance, and noise, particularly in heavy-duty vehicles, due to the design of complex grooves and sipes that compromise stiffness and uneven wear.

Innovation Solution

A tire tread design featuring longitudinally oriented complex grooves with alternating external and internal cavities, combined with transverse sipes, optimizes void volume and spacing to enhance grip, reduce noise, and prevent uneven wear, while maintaining structural integrity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If grooves are made in the tread to drain water, then water drainage performance is improved, but the compression and shear stiffness of the tread decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewater drainage performanceVSAvoidcompression and shear stiffness

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The groove is divided into multiple segments (first groove portion, second groove portion, third groove portion) along the circumferential direction, with material portions retained between them. This segmentation maintains water drainage pathways while preserving stiffening material sections that reinforce compression and shear stiffness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the groove have different depths and configurations - the first groove portion has a first depth, the second has a second depth, and the third has a third depth. This local variation optimizes water evacuation in different zones while maintaining structural integrity where material is retained.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If grooves are made in the tread to drain water, then water drainage performance is improved, but the wearing performance of the tread decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewater drainage performanceVSAvoidservice life of the tread

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The groove is divided into multiple segments (first groove portion, second groove portion, third groove portion) along the circumferential direction, with material portions retained between them. This segmentation maintains water drainage pathways while preserving stiffening material sections that reinforce compression and shear stiffness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the groove have different depths and configurations - the first groove portion has a first depth, the second has a second depth, and the third has a third depth. This local variation optimizes water evacuation in different zones while maintaining structural integrity where material is retained.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If multiple grooves are made in the tread, then water drainage performance is improved, but rolling resistance and fuel consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewater drainage performanceVSAvoidrolling resistance

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The groove is divided into multiple segments (first groove portion, second groove portion, third groove portion) along the circumferential direction, with material portions retained between them. This segmentation maintains water drainage pathways while preserving stiffening material sections that reinforce compression and shear stiffness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the groove have different depths and configurations - the first groove portion has a first depth, the second has a second depth, and the third has a third depth. This local variation optimizes water evacuation in different zones while maintaining structural integrity where material is retained.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS12539719B2Tire tread comprising complex grooves and incisions

Publication Date: 2026.02.03 MICHELIN & CO (CIE GEN DES ESTAB MICHELIN)

AI summary

A tire tread (1) having a tread pattern depth Hm, with at least two longitudinally oriented grooves (31, 41, 42), at least one of them being a complex groove (31), that in the new state, is alternately external cavities (311) that open onto the tread surface and internal cavities (312) that are hidden within the thickness of the tread. The external cavities (311) have a mean longitudinal length Lm, a depth at least equal to 0.9 Hm, and are separated by internal cavities having a mean longitudinal length Li, Li being at least equal to 0.5*Lm and at most equal to 2*Lm. At least one rib (21) in the longitudinal direction and delimited by a complex groove with transverse sipes (5) made at a mean spacing Pm. The spacing Pm of the transverse sipes is at most equal to the mean longitudinal length Lm of the external cavities (311).