Two-Wheeled Tire Tread Segmentation for High-Speed Grip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pneumatic tires for two-wheeled vehicles with spiral belts exhibit low grip performance during turning at high speeds due to reduced contact area, which affects steering stability and the ability to maintain speed while tilting the vehicle body.
Innovation Solution
The tire is designed with a tread divided into central and side sections, using softer rubber for the side sections that contact the ground during turning, with specific modulus ratios and widths to enhance frictional grip and maintain high-speed durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a spiral belt structure is used to suppress tread expansion during high-speed rotation, then steering stability during high-speed traveling is improved, but grip performance during turning with significant vehicle tilt deteriorates due to reduced contact area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the rubber composition between the central region and side regions of the tread. The side regions use rubber with higher loss tangent and dynamic complex modulus to increase frictional grip during turning, while the central region maintains properties optimized for high-speed stability. This localized differentiation allows the tire to simultaneously achieve good grip during turning and stability during high-speed traveling.
2Reliability
If the tread is divided into central and side regions with different rubber properties, then grip during turning is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the tread into a central region and side regions with distinct rubber compositions. The side regions are further divided into shoulder-end and near-center subregions. This segmentation allows optimization of each region's properties for its specific function while maintaining a manageable manufacturing process through defined compositional ranges and placement zones.
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 design improves grip performance during turning and maintains excellent steering stability at high speeds by offsetting the reduced contact area, ensuring better handling and durability.
Implementation Method 1
softer rubber for the side sections that contact the ground during turning, with specific modulus ratios and widths to enhance frictional grip
Data Source
AI summary
The pneumatic tire for two-wheeled vehicles including a plurality of tread rubbers constituting a tread wherein a region occupying 15 to 35% in the center of a stretched tread width, which is obtained by stretching the tread with respect to a tire equatorial plane as the center, is defined as a tread central section; the remaining regions at both ends are defined as tread side sections; regions in the respective tread side sections each occupying 4 to 13% from the corresponding tread end toward the center of the stretched tread width are defined as side-section shoulder-end regions; and the remaining regions of the respective tread side sections are defined as side-section near-center regions, a modulus of the tread rubbers for the side-section shoulder-end regions at 100% elongation is smaller than a modulus of the tread rubbers for the side-section near-center regions at 100% elongation, at least at a tread surface.