Tire Tread Groove Laser Texturing for Wet Braking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire tread designs face a trade-off between reducing the drainage step for improved wet braking and maintaining contact surface area and wear resistance, with current methods for creating surface textures being costly and inflexible in response to different rubber compounds.
Innovation Solution
A laser-based process creates a surface texture within the grooves of tire treads using cylindrical or triangular prism protruding elements, optimizing the contact angle to enhance water evacuation without reducing contact surface area, and allowing for adaptability to different rubber compositions without modifying molds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the volume of the grooves is increased to improve water drainage, then the drainage step becomes shorter and more effective, but the contact surface between the tread and road surface is reduced, deteriorating the contact step and braking action
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies a specific surface texture (protruding elements) locally within the grooves rather than modifying the overall groove volume. This local modification changes the surface properties to enhance water evacuation through increased contact angle, while preserving the gross geometry and contact surface area of the tread blocks.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of modifying the grooves in the planar dimension (increasing volume), the invention introduces a vertical dimension by creating protruding elements that rise from the groove surfaces. This three-dimensional texture modifies water interaction at the micro-scale while maintaining the macro-scale contact surface area.
2Speed
If the volume of the grooves is increased to improve water drainage, then the drainage efficiency is improved, but the wear resistance of the tread is negatively influenced
Solution Approach 1:
The surface texture is applied locally within the grooves where water evacuation is needed, rather than modifying the entire tread structure. This localized approach improves drainage without compromising the overall structural integrity and wear resistance of the tread blocks.
3Manufacturing precision
If associated molds are used to create surface textures during vulcanization, then the intended texture is achieved, but productivity is reduced due to the need to modify molds for different rubber compounds
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the mechanical mold-based texturing system with a laser-based system. The laser can be programmatically controlled to create different surface textures without physical mold changes, substituting mechanical tooling with a flexible optical processing method that adapts to different rubber compounds through parameter adjustment rather than physical retooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser processing parameters (power, speed, pattern) can be changed to adapt the surface texture to different rubber compounds, replacing the need for physical mold modifications. This parametric flexibility maintains productivity by avoiding mold replacement cycles.
4Speed
If the contact angle between water and groove surface is increased to shorten drainage step, then water evacuation is improved, but the contact surface area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces vertical protruding elements that create a three-dimensional surface texture. This adds a vertical dimension to water-tread interaction, allowing the water to be deflected upward and evaporate or run off the protruding elements, thereby increasing effective contact angle and drainage speed without reducing the horizontal contact surface area of the tread blocks.
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 method effectively shortens the drainage step while maintaining contact surface area and wear resistance, allowing for flexible texture adaptation and long-term benefits as it only modifies the groove surface, thus improving wet braking performance without productivity drawbacks.
Implementation Method 1
a laser beam is applied directly onto a surface of the grooves of a vulcanized tread; said laser beam having: a power ranging from between 10 and 50 W, a frequency ranging from between 1 and 10 kHz, a resolution ranging from between 0.01 and 1 mm, and a scanning speed ranging from between 1 and 1000 mm/s
Data Source
AI summary
Process for the implementation of a surface texture within the grooves of a tread, that is composed of protruding elements having the shape of a cylinder or triangular prism. The process comprises an etching step, wherein a laser beam is applied directly onto a surface of the grooves of a vulcanized tread.