Heavy Vehicle Tire Tread Segmented Cavity Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy goods vehicle tires face challenges in wet weather traction, wear resistance, and impact durability due to the design of tread grooves and rubber compounds, which lead to increased wear rates, rolling resistance, and reduced grip performance.
Innovation Solution
A tread design with a specific pattern and rubber compound composition featuring two wearing layers, a reduced void volume, and a network of external and internal cavities connected by channels, using a predominantly SBR copolymer with a higher glass transition temperature than natural rubber, to enhance wet grip and impact resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If grooves are formed to drain water away, then wet grip performance is improved, but tread wear rate increases and service life is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous groove is segmented into multiple cavities (first, second, third cavities) separated by partitions. This segmentation reduces the continuous void space that causes tread deformation while maintaining water drainage capability through the distributed cavity structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the groove are designed with different characteristics - some cavities are deeper than others, and partitions of varying thicknesses are placed at specific locations. This local variation optimizes both water drainage in wet regions and structural integrity in wear-critical areas.
2Reliability
If grooves are formed to drain water away, then wet grip performance is improved, but rolling resistance increases due to increased hysteresis losses
Solution Approach 1:
The groove is divided into discrete cavities by partitions, which reduces the overall volume of continuous void space. This segmentation decreases the material deformation required during tire rotation, thereby reducing hysteresis losses and rolling resistance while preserving water drainage function.
3Reliability
If groove depth is increased to improve water drainage, then wet grip performance is improved, but impact resistance is reduced due to foreign object attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The deep continuous groove is replaced with multiple shallower cavities separated by partitions. This segmentation prevents foreign objects from penetrating deeply into the tread while maintaining water drainage capability through the distributed cavity system. The partitions act as barriers that protect the underlying tread structure from impact damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition structure provides preemptive protection by creating physical barriers that prevent foreign objects from reaching the bottom of the groove. This beforehand cushioning structure absorbs and distributes impact forces before they can cause damage to the tread's load-bearing structure.
4Reliability
If grooves are formed to drain water away, then wet grip performance is improved, but tread stiffness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous groove structure is segmented into discrete cavities separated by partitions. This segmentation maintains tread stiffness by providing structural reinforcement at the partition locations while preserving water drainage capability through the distributed cavity system. The partitions act as structural elements that prevent excessive tread deformation.
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 solution achieves improved wet grip performance, reduced wear rates, and increased impact resistance while maintaining suitable tread stiffness, thereby enhancing the overall performance and longevity of heavy goods vehicle tires.
Implementation Method 1
the use of non-isoprene diene elastomers such as SBR copolymers of Tg higher than the Tg of natural rubber makes it possible to improve grip on wet surfaces
Implementation Method 2
grooves are formed on the tread which, through their dimensions (depth and width), remain open in the contact patch with the roadway and thus allowing water that is not pushed around the front and sides of the tire to be drained away
Implementation Method 3
an increase in rolling resistance and therefore in fuel consumption of vehicles fitted with such tires is also noted, this being the result of an increase in hysteresis losses associated with the deformation cycles of the material of which the tread is made
Implementation Method 4
the resulting reduction in surface area may have appreciable effect on the wear performance of a tread and therefore reduce the service life of the tire as a result of an increase in wear rate
Data Source
AI summary
Tread for a tire for a heavy goods vehicle of total thickness E and of total volume V, having at least one continuous groove comprising: at least two wearing layers in the thickness of the tread, each having a thickness at most equal to 75% of the total thickness E of the tread, a plurality of external cavities and a plurality of internal cavities positioned radially and entirely on the inside of the tread surface in the new state, each internal cavity being connected to an external cavity by a connecting channel, and having a total voids volume Vc at least equal to 7% and at most equal to 12% of a volume equal to the sum of the total volume V and of the total voids volume, and having an effective voids volume Ve for each wearing layer less than the total voids volume Vc, and satisfying the equation: 0.4 St<Ve<0.8 St, wherein 0.4 and 0.8 are heights in millimeters and St is the surface delimited by the external contour of the contact patch under static conditions under service load and pressure, and at least the first wearing layer I is made up of a rubber compound based on at least one material having a dynamic Tg higher than −40° C. and predominantly containing a SBR copolymer of Tg>−65° C.