Heavy Vehicle Tire Tread Pattern Design for Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy vehicle tires emit significant running noise due to the design of their tread patterns, which is not effectively addressed by existing mono-pitch designs, and this noise is not adequately reduced while maintaining wet grip performance.
Innovation Solution
A tread pattern design for heavy vehicle tires featuring two main circumferential grooves with oblique secondary grooves and additional cuts that increase the pulse time of raised elements entering the contact patch, reducing higher frequency harmonics and maintaining wet grip performance through a directional tread pattern that evolves with wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If mono-pitch tread pattern design is used, then manufacturing is simple, but running noise is high due to strong harmonic excitation
Solution Approach 1:
The tread pattern is segmented into multiple pitch regions with different circumferential lengths. The first pitch region has a first circumferential length while the second pitch region has a second circumferential length different from the first. This segmentation breaks the uniform repetition of mono-pitch designs, reducing harmonic excitation and running noise while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through modular mold design.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If variable-pitch tread pattern is used, then running noise is reduced, but wet grip performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the tread are assigned different local qualities: the first pitch region and second pitch region have different circumferential lengths to reduce noise, while each region maintains adequate raised element density and groove configuration to ensure wet grip. The oblique grooves are strategically positioned in specific regions to enhance water evacuation where needed, ensuring wet grip performance is maintained despite the variable-pitch configuration.
3Reliability
If tread pattern with multiple grooves and cuts is used, then wet grip performance is improved, but running noise increases due to increased excitation
Solution Approach 1:
The tread pattern incorporates asymmetric groove configurations and oblique grooves at specific angles to optimize water evacuation for wet grip performance. The oblique grooves are positioned at asymmetric angles relative to the circumferential direction, creating effective water channels while the variable-pitch design ensures these features are distributed to minimize harmonic excitation and running noise.
Data Source
AI summary
The tread has main grooves that delimit a central region of a width comprised between 15 and 25% of a total width W and that define the wearable thickness of the tread. The tread also has lateral regions on each side of the central region, and the lateral regions are divided into raised elements. The elongate elements are delimited by oblique secondary grooves which are inclined by a mean angle of between 35 degrees and 55 degrees with respect to the circumferential direction and have a depth P5 which is between 30% and 60% of the depth P. Each elongate raised element has an oblique cut which divides the element into two elongate element halves, and each oblique cut is formed by a sipe extended by an internal canal. The internal canal forms a new groove once the tread is partially worn before the oblique secondary grooves completely disappear.