Tire Tread Triangular Block Groove Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Tires face a challenge in maintaining steering stability on dry road surfaces while achieving excellent wet performance, as improvements in wet performance often deteriorate steering stability on dry surfaces due to groove arrangement.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring a tread portion with a first land portion that includes a first and second inclined groove and a curved groove, forming a triangular block, which provides drainage performance on wet surfaces and maintains stiffness for steering stability on dry surfaces through specific groove orientations and dimensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If grooves are arranged to improve wet performance, then drainage performance is improved, but steering stability on dry road surface deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a triangular block with a specific groove pattern (first inclined groove, second inclined groove, and curved groove) in a localized region of the tread. This localized groove arrangement provides enhanced drainage capability in specific areas where water evacuation is critical, while other regions of the tread maintain their original structure to preserve steering stability. The selective placement of grooves in the triangular block region allows wet performance improvement without compromising overall steering stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the tread structure by dividing it into distinct functional regions: the triangular block with multiple inclined grooves for drainage, and surrounding land portions for stability. The triangular block itself is further segmented into multiple grooves (first inclined groove, second inclined groove, curved groove) that work together to enhance water evacuation. This segmentation allows different parts of the tread to perform specialized functions - the segmented groove structure in the triangular block handles wet performance while the overall tread structure maintains steering stability.
2Reliability
If grooves are added to enhance drainage, then wet performance is improved, but stiffness of the tread is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the groove structure within a defined triangular block region rather than distributing grooves uniformly across the entire tread. This localized approach provides drainage functionality where most needed while preserving tread stiffness in other regions. The triangular block acts as a focused drainage zone, allowing the rest of the tread to maintain its structural rigidity and stiffness for stable vehicle handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates a curved groove (as opposed to straight grooves) within the triangular block. The curved geometry of the groove helps to channel water more effectively through centrifugal forces and creates a more efficient drainage path. The curvature also distributes stress more evenly around the groove structure, helping to maintain tread stiffness while providing enhanced drainage capability compared to straight groove configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
A tire has a tread portion 2 including a first land portion 11. The first land portion 11 includes a first circumferential edge 11a, a second circumferential edge 11b, and a tread surface between the first circumferential edge 11a and the second circumferential edge 11b. On the tread surface, a first inclined groove 21 extending from the second circumferential edge 11b to the first circumferential edge 11a side, a second inclined groove 22 extending from the second circumferential edge 11b to the first circumferential edge 11a side so as to be inclined in a direction opposite to that of the first inclined groove 21, and a triangular block 35 demarcated by the first inclined groove 21 and the second inclined groove 22, are formed. A curved groove 15 curved so as to be convex on the second circumferential edge 11b is formed on the triangular block 35.