Heavy-Duty Tire Tread Layout for Snow Traction and Low Rolling Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heavy duty tires face a challenge in achieving both high acceleration performance on snow and low rolling resistance, particularly in tires mounted on the steering axle of vehicles.
Innovation Solution
The tire design incorporates multiple circumferential main grooves and land portions with through lug grooves that have specific pitch lengths and groove depths, ensuring appropriate relationships to enhance snow traction and reduce rolling resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a zigzag shaped main groove is employed to increase acceleration performance on snow, then traction on snowy surfaces is improved, but rolling resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the land portion into multiple segments by introducing through lug grooves that extend in the tire width direction. These grooves segment the land portion into multiple rows, creating edge components that improve snow traction while the segmented structure allows for better deformation characteristics that reduce rolling resistance compared to a solid zigzag land portion
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different groove depth characteristics to different regions. The through lug grooves have a maximum groove depth that is 5% or more and 65% or less of the maximum groove depth of the main grooves, creating localized edge components with specific penetration depths that optimize both traction and rolling resistance performance in different areas of the tread
2Reliability
If the pitch length of through lug grooves is increased to enhance edge component, then traction action on snow is improved, but land portion rigidity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the pitch length parameter of through lug grooves to be within a specific range of 7% to 14% of the tire maximum ground contact length. This parameter optimization ensures that the edge components are sufficiently spaced to provide effective snow traction while maintaining adequate land portion rigidity for stable vehicle operation
Data Source
AI summary
A tire includes a plurality of main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction and four or more rows of land portions defined by the main grooves. Moreover, a middle land portion and a center land portion have a plurality of through lug grooves that pass through the land portions in a tire width direction, respectively. Pitch lengths of the through lug grooves are in a range of from 7% or greater to 14% or less of a tire maximum ground contact length. Additionally, maximum groove depths of the through lug grooves are in a range of from 5% or greater to 65% or less of maximum groove depths of the main grooves.