Trapezoidal Pneumatic Tire for Lateral Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy load vehicle tires face challenges with increased heat buildup and wear due to larger dimensions, and prior art solutions compromise on lateral stability and soil compaction, often resulting in uneven wear and soil damage.
Innovation Solution
A high-deflection, laterally stable pneumatic tire with a trapezoidal structure featuring a substantially linear tread portion, obliquely extending sidewalls, and a bead configuration that maintains a significantly narrower rim width than tread width, providing a uniform footprint and improved self-centering capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the tire width and diameter are increased to withstand high loads, then the load-bearing capacity is improved, but heat buildup increases leading to increased wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the tire by introducing a trapezoidal cross-section structure with specific dimensional relationships. The sidewall height-to-tread width ratio is controlled within 0.4-0.7, and the rim width-to-tread width ratio is controlled within 0.2-0.5, optimizing the balance between load capacity and heat dissipation without increasing overall tire size
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs curved sidewalls with specific geometric characteristics instead of straight lines. The sidewalls extend obliquely from the tread portion with a controlled curvature that provides structural strength for load bearing while facilitating heat dissipation through increased surface area and improved air flow patterns
2Object-affected harmful factors
If wider tires are used to increase footprint area, then soil compaction is minimized, but lateral stability and heat dissipation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the footprint geometry by controlling the tread width and sidewall height ratios. The trapezoidal structure with sidewall height-to-tread width ratio of 0.4-0.7 creates an elongated footprint that distributes load over a larger area while maintaining narrow overall tire width, thereby reducing soil compaction without sacrificing lateral stability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent shifts the footprint optimization from increasing tire width (lateral dimension) to increasing sidewall height (vertical dimension). This dimensional change allows the tire to achieve a longer, more elongated footprint that minimizes soil compaction while maintaining narrow tire width for improved lateral stability and heat dissipation
3Object-affected harmful factors
If underinflated tires are used to increase footprint area, then soil compaction is reduced, but lateral stability decreases causing uneven wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a pre-compressed bead structure that is pre-formed during manufacturing to maintain proper tire shape and lateral stability. The bead is pre-compressed between the rim and the tread portion, creating inherent structural support that prevents uneven wear and maintains stability even when the tire is underinflated to reduce soil compaction
4Strength
If the rim width is increased to support wider tires, then structural strength is improved, but the footprint uniformity and self-centering capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional design by making the rim width significantly smaller than the tread width, with a controlled ratio of 0.2-0.5. This parameter change creates a trapezoidal structure that provides self-centering capability and uniform footprint distribution while maintaining structural strength through optimized sidewall geometry and pre-compressed bead design
Data Source
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AI summary
A high deflection and laterally stable pneumatic tire (10, 28) comprises a trapezoidal structure defined in an unloaded cross section passing through an axis of the tire and delimiting a tire interior. The structure is configured with a tread portion (2, 30), a widest tire region at or near the tread portion, two opposed, substantially straight sidewalls (7, 34) extending obliquely from a corresponding lateral end of the tread portion, and a bead at a corresponding terminal end of each of the sidewalls which is engageable with a rim of the tire. Axial bead spacing between two of the beads and defining a width of the rim is significantly less than a width of the tread portion, so as to generate a footprint which engages an underlying ground surface by a substantially uniform pressure during high deflection conditions.