Tire Tread Segmented Tie-Bar Bisecting Cut
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial truck steer tires face challenges in achieving balanced performance in wet and snow conditions, rolling resistance, fuel mileage efficiency, cornering stiffness, and tread wear resistance, while existing tread patterns often compromise on these objectives.
Innovation Solution
A tire tread design featuring a circumferential center rib, intermediate ribs, and circumferential arrays of discrete tie-bar block elements with bisecting cuts that flex and converge within the tire footprint to enhance cornering stiffness and fluid management, while maintaining rolling resistance and wear resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the tire tread uses a conventional solid block design in the groove area, then the cornering stiffness and tread wear resistance are improved, but the wet and snow performance deteriorates due to reduced fluid evacuation capability
Solution Approach 1:
The solid tie-bar block element is segmented by bisecting cuts that divide it into multiple sections. These cuts create flexible sipe-like structures that can open to evacuate water and snow while the overall block structure remains intact to provide cornering stiffness. The segmentation allows the tread to simultaneously maintain structural rigidity and fluid evacuation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bisecting cuts create dynamic structures that change state based on operating conditions. When the tire encounters water or snow, the cuts open to allow fluid evacuation. During normal driving, the blocks remain closed to maintain cornering stiffness. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between needing open grooves for wet performance and closed blocks for stability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the tire tread uses continuous grooves without tie-bar elements, then the wet and snow performance is improved through better fluid evacuation, but the cornering stiffness and tread wear resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using continuous grooves that completely separate tread blocks, the invention uses segmented tie-bar block elements with bisecting cuts. This segmentation maintains the groove's fluid evacuation function while preserving continuous rubber material to provide cornering stiffness and prevent tread block separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The bisecting cuts are located specifically within the tie-bar block elements rather than throughout the entire groove. This local application of cuts provides fluid evacuation capability only where needed, while the rest of the tread structure remains solid to maintain cornering stiffness and structural integrity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the tire tread uses aggressive tread patterns with deep grooves and large voids, then the wet and snow performance is improved, but the rolling resistance increases and fuel mileage efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bisecting cuts are confined to specific tie-bar block elements rather than creating deep grooves across the entire tread. This localized approach provides wet and snow performance only where fluid evacuation is needed, while minimizing the overall void space that would increase rolling resistance and reduce fuel efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using full-depth grooves that extend through the entire tread, the invention uses partial-depth bisecting cuts that extend only into the tie-bar block elements. This partial action provides sufficient fluid evacuation capability without the excessive void space that would increase rolling resistance.
4Loss of energy
If the tire tread uses narrow rib widths to reduce rolling resistance, then the fuel mileage efficiency is improved, but the cornering stiffness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tread structure combines narrow rib widths with composite tie-bar block elements containing bisecting cuts. The narrow ribs reduce rolling resistance while the reinforced tie-bar blocks with cuts provide localized stiffness enhancement at critical groove positions, maintaining cornering stability despite reduced overall rib width.
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 improves cornering stiffness, wet and snow performance, and extends tire life by increasing lateral stiffness and reducing tread wear, while maintaining fuel efficiency and reducing noise and aquaplaning through fluid conduits within the tread grooves.
Implementation Method 1
The opposed tie-bar components flex and converge axially when within a rolling tire footprint
Implementation Method 2
the bisecting cut within each tie-bar block element forms at a radially inward end a fluid conducting channel extending through the tie-bar block element
Data Source
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AI summary
Tire tread having a first circumferential tread region comprising a circumferential first tread rib (22) and at least one laterally adjacent rib (18, 20) mutually separated by a circumferential tread groove (28, 30), wherein the circumferential grooves comprises a tie-bar (32) having a circumferentially oriented bisecting cut (36) extending from the upper surface (37) of the tie-bar toward the bottom (34) .