Tire Tread Blocks with Varying Incision Density
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire treads for winter conditions struggle to maintain performance across a broad spectrum of conditions, including snow, wet, and dry ground, while also being noisy and lacking durability, with existing designs often compromising on one condition at the expense of others and failing to meet increasingly stringent sound level requirements.
Innovation Solution
A tire tread design featuring blocks oriented at an oblique angle with varying widths and incision configurations, including different numbers and depths of incisions, which partition blocks into half-blocks and adjust incision density to optimize grip and rigidity, reducing noise through resonance frequency minimization and maintaining performance across wear levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the tread includes uniform grooves and incisions across all blocks, then manufacturing is simplified, but noise level increases due to resonance frequencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the number of incisions in different blocks across the tread. Specifically, adjacent blocks have different numbers of incisions (e.g., one block has 2 incisions while its neighbor has 3 incisions), creating local variations in the tread structure. This breaks the uniformity that causes resonance frequencies and noise, while still maintaining relatively simple manufacturing processes.
2Reliability
If blocks have more incisions to improve grip on snowy surfaces, then traction improves, but block rigidity decreases risking block detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by strategically varying the number of incisions in different blocks based on their position and function. Some blocks have more incisions to enhance snow grip, while adjacent blocks have fewer incisions to maintain structural rigidity and prevent detachment. This localized differentiation allows the tread to optimize both traction and strength simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies asymmetry by creating intentional differences in incision patterns between adjacent blocks. Rather than using symmetric, uniform incisions across all blocks, the design employs asymmetric configurations where neighboring blocks have different numbers of incisions. This asymmetry prevents uniform stress distribution that could lead to block detachment while still providing adequate grip enhancement in critical areas.
3Reliability
If the tread pattern is optimized for winter conditions with complex incisions, then grip on snow improves, but performance on dry ground deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a tread pattern that serves multiple functions across different driving conditions. The varied incision configuration in blocks provides enhanced snow grip through increased edge definition, while the overall block structure and groove pattern maintain adequate performance on dry and wet surfaces. This multi-functional design allows a single tread to perform reliably across winter, wet, and dry conditions without requiring specialized patterns for each surface type.
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
The design achieves reduced noise, improved grip on snowy and wet surfaces, and durability while preserving performance on dry ground, maintaining a uniform level of rigidity and adjusting incision density for optimal traction and wear resistance.
Implementation Method 1
This arrangement minimizes resonance frequencies, thereby reducing the noise level generated during rolling
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
Pneumatic tire comprising a tread (1) provided with two edges (2), a center (3) and a plurality of tread bars (10) distributed in a circumferential direction, each tread bar (10) extending in an oblique direction from one of the edges (2) towards the center (3) of said tread (1), the plurality of tread bars (10) comprising at least two adjacent tread bars (11, 12), each of said adjacent tread bars (11, 12) having at least one incision (20, 21, 23) extending along the length of the tread bar, wherein widths (LB11, LB12) of said adjacent tread bars (11, 12) and the number of incisions in said adjacent tread bars (11, 12) are different.