Pneumatic Tire Tread Gauge Gradient for Rolling Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tire designs face challenges in achieving low rolling resistance, good partial wear resistance, and reduced weight simultaneously, as they often require trade-offs between these performance metrics.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic tire design that meticulously regulates the shapes of reinforcing members and the tire's outer surface, including specific ratios for radius differences, tread gauges, and carcass dimensions, to suppress shear deformation and optimize rolling resistance and wear resistance while reducing weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If tread thickness is reduced to reduce rolling resistance, then rolling resistance is reduced, but wear resistance performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a tread gauge gradient where the tread thickness varies across the width of the tread. Specifically, the tread gauge is smaller in the shoulder portion compared to the center portion, with the ratio of shoulder tread gauge to center tread gauge being 0.5 to 0.9. This localized variation allows the center portion to maintain sufficient thickness for wear resistance while the shoulder portions are optimized for reduced rolling resistance and weight.
2Weight of moving object
If tread thickness is reduced to reduce weight, then weight is reduced, but wear resistance performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a tread gauge gradient where the tread thickness varies across the width of the tread. Specifically, the tread gauge is smaller in the shoulder portion compared to the center portion, with the ratio of shoulder tread gauge to center tread gauge being 0.5 to 0.9. This localized variation allows the center portion to maintain sufficient thickness for wear resistance while the shoulder portions are optimized for reduced rolling resistance and weight.
3Loss of energy
If tire shape is regulated to reduce rolling resistance, then rolling resistance is reduced, but design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by defining specific quantitative ranges for geometric parameters of the tire structure. The tread gauge ratio (shoulder/center) is specified as 0.5 to 0.9, and the belt layer radius difference ratio is specified as 0.01 to 0.04. By establishing these precise parameter ranges, the patent transforms a complex design problem into a systematic parameter optimization task that can be implemented through controlled variations in manufacturing.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a pneumatic tire having at least one carcass layer as a skeleton extending in toroidal shape over a pair of bead portions, at least one belt layer and a tread disposed on an outer side in the radial direction of a crown portion of the carcass. In a tire section in the widthwise direction in state where the tire is assembled to an application rim, ratio BD/BW of radius difference BD between radius at a center portion and radius at an end portion in the widthwise direction of an innermost layer of the belt layer, to width BW of the innermost layer, ranges from 0.01 to 0.04, and ratio TD/TW of radius difference TD between radius at a center portion and radius at an end portion of the tread in the widthwise direction of a tread ground surface, to tread ground-contact width TW, satisfies BD/BW<TD/TW.