Pneumatic Tire Tread Incision Design for Handling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pneumatic vehicle tire tread designs with incisions fail to maintain transverse rigidity while minimizing circumferential rigidity, which affects handling, aquaplaning, and grip properties, especially on wet and wintry roads.

Innovation Solution

The design features arcuate sections with a twice-folded course in the radial direction, where radial sections are offset, and connecting sections provide mutual support under transverse forces, ensuring transverse rigidity without increasing circumferential rigidity, with optional additional arcuate sections oriented in opposite directions for enhanced support.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If incisions with wavy or zigzag shapes are used in tread blocks, then circumferential rigidity is increased to maintain block stiffness, but transverse rigidity is reduced which compromises handling and cornering performance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecircumferential rigidityVSAvoidtransverse rigidity
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies curvature to the incision design by using arcuate sections with a twice-folded course in the radial direction. The connecting section between radial sections creates a curved path that provides mutual support to the rubber walls when transverse forces act on the profile element, thereby maintaining transverse rigidity while preserving circumferential rigidity through the overall incision structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Stability of the object's composition

If incisions with supporting surfaces in the circumferential direction are added to increase transverse rigidity, then handling improves, but grip properties on wintry roads deteriorate due to increased friction

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransverse rigidityVSAvoidgrip properties on wintry roads
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by providing mutual support only in the transverse direction through the connecting section of the arcuate incision. The design deliberately avoids creating supporting surfaces in the circumferential direction, allowing the tread to maintain good grip properties on wintry roads while still providing the necessary transverse rigidity for handling stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Stability of the object's composition

If multiple arcuate sections are added to enhance transverse rigidity, then handling and aquaplaning properties improve, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransverse rigidityVSAvoidincision structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the arcuate section into distinct radial sections and a connecting section. This segmentation allows each part to fulfill a specific function: radial sections provide structural definition while the connecting section provides mutual support under transverse forces. The segmented design achieves enhanced transverse rigidity through a systematic rather than arbitrary complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP1974956B1Pneumatic tyres for a vehicle
Publication Date: 2009.10.07 CONTINENTAL AG
  • EP1974956B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP1974956B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The tire has running stripes with profile elements (1) including a slot (2), which runs in cross section, where the slot has a combination of straight running sections in a top view with a section (6), which runs in curve shaped in the top view. The curve shaped section has a dual cracked course with two radial sections (10, 12) and a connecting section (11) in a radial direction, in the top view, where the radial sections (10,12) run in the radial direction, and are displaced against each other by the connecting section in an extension direction of the slot.