Tire Tread Grooves with Variable Depth and Serpentine Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire treads lack optimal designs that balance stiffness and wear resistance, as modifications in groove and sipe dimensions and orientations do not fully address performance enhancements across various vehicle types.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring circumferential and axial grooves and sipes that include wavy, serpentine patterns, with varying depths and widths, distributed across ribs and grooves to enhance tread durability and traction, along with tie-bars for increased stiffness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If groove width is increased to improve traction, then grip performance is enhanced, but tread stiffness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different groove widths at different locations: wider grooves at the shoulder regions for traction, and narrower grooves in the center region for stiffness. This local differentiation allows each zone to optimize its function without compromising overall tread performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The tread is divided into multiple zones (shoulder, center, intermediate) with distinct groove patterns. This segmentation allows independent optimization of traction and stiffness characteristics in different regions, resolving the contradiction between overall grip and structural rigidity.
2Reliability
If groove depth is increased to enhance water evacuation, then hydroplaning resistance is improved, but tread wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different groove depths are implemented in different tread zones: deeper grooves at the shoulder for water evacuation, and shallower grooves in the center for wear resistance. This local variation allows hydroplaning protection where needed while preserving tread life in high-wear areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove depth varies dynamically across the tread width, creating a gradient from deep to shallow. This dynamic design allows the tire to maintain water evacuation capability at the edges while protecting the central wear-prone areas through reduced depth.
3Strength
If sipe density is increased to improve snow traction, then winter performance is enhanced, but tread structural integrity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Sipes are concentrated in specific zones (shoulder and intermediate regions) where snow traction is most needed, while the center region maintains fewer sipes to preserve structural integrity. This localized siping strategy enhances winter performance without compromising overall tread strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The sipe pattern is segmented into high-density zones for traction and low-density zones for structural support. This segmentation allows the tread to simultaneously achieve excellent snow grip in critical areas while maintaining sufficient integrity in load-bearing regions.
4Ease of operation
If circumferential groove continuity is maintained for smooth ride, then ride comfort is improved, but self-cleaning capability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The circumferential grooves are interrupted periodically with transverse grooves and sipes, creating a pattern of continuous and discontinuous segments. This periodic interruption maintains overall ride smoothness while creating cleaning pathways that allow debris ejection, combining comfort with self-cleaning functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous circumferential groove pattern is segmented into sections separated by transverse features. This segmentation disrupts the continuous path just enough to enable self-cleaning through debris deflection, while maintaining sufficient continuity to preserve ride comfort.
Data Source
AI summary
A tire includes a tread and a narrow, wavy, circumferential groove disposed on the tread, which extend around the tread in a circumferential direction. The narrow, wavy, circumferential groove has a first axial position associated with a minimum axial displacement, a second axial position associated with a maximum axial displacement, and the narrow, wavy, circumferential groove follows a serpentine path between the first and second axial positions. The narrow, wavy, circumferential groove has a first depth and a second depth, the first depth being a minimum narrow, wavy, circumferential groove depth and the second depth being a maximum narrow, wavy, circumferential groove depth. The narrow, wavy, circumferential groove follows a serpentine path between the first and second depths. The first depth of the narrow, wavy, circumferential groove and the second depth of the narrow, wavy, circumferential groove is between 0.10 mm and full tread depth.