Tire Tread Sipe Layout for On-Ice Grip and Uneven Wear Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tires with sipes for improved on-ice performance suffer from increased shear deformation in the tire circumferential direction, leading to uneven wear such as heel-and-toe wear.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring a tread portion with specific grooves and sipes configurations, including shoulder and crown land portions with axially extending sipes that terminate at the ground contact surface, enhancing stiffness and reducing shear deformation while maintaining on-ice performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sipes are added to enhance on-ice performance, then on-ice performance is improved, but shear deformation increases leading to uneven wear
Solution Approach 1:
The tread blocks are segmented by sipes that extend only partially in the circumferential direction, creating multiple small cutting edges while maintaining block integrity. The sipes are arranged in specific patterns (e.g., groups of 2-5 sipes per block) to provide ice-gripping capability without excessive segmentation that would weaken the block structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the tread have different sipe configurations optimized for their specific functions. Shoulder blocks have sipes oriented to handle steering and cornering on ice, while center blocks have sipes optimized for straight-line traction. The sipe depth, spacing, and orientation vary by location to balance ice performance with wear resistance.
2Reliability
If sipes extend fully across the block in the circumferential direction, then on-ice cutting performance is improved, but the block becomes too flexible causing excessive shear deformation
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of extending sipes fully across the entire block circumference, the invention uses partial sipes that extend only a portion of the way across (e.g., 30-70% of block width). This partial extension provides sufficient cutting edges for ice performance while leaving the block structure substantially intact to maintain stiffness and resist shear deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The sipes are pre-configured in specific patterns during manufacturing to anticipate and prevent excessive deformation. By strategically placing sipes in groups and leaving uncut portions, the block structure is pre-reinforced to resist the shear forces that will occur during operation, preventing heel-and-toe wear before it occurs.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A tire 1 includes a tread portion 2. The tread portion 2 includes tread ends Te, three circumferential grooves 3, and four land portions 4. The circumferential grooves 3 include one shoulder circumferential groove 5 and one crown circumferential groove 6. The land portions 4 include one shoulder land portion 9 and one crown land portion 10. The shoulder land portion 9 includes shoulder blocks having shoulder sipes. An inner end of the shoulder sipe in the tire axial direction terminates at a ground contact surface of the shoulder block. The crown land portion 10 includes crown blocks having crown sipe groups. The crown sipe group includes a first crown sipe having one end connected to the shoulder circumferential groove 5 and another end terminating at a ground contact surface of the crown block, a second crown sipe having one end connected to the crown circumferential groove 6 and another end terminating at the surface, and a third crown sipe having both ends terminating at the surface.