Tread Profile Segmentation for Wet Grip and Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial vehicle tires face challenges in maintaining good wet grip, drainage, and resistance to foreign bodies throughout their life cycle, as the tread depth reduces, leading to compromised water drainage and increased risk of aquaplaning, while also needing to balance flexibility and material thickness for effective road contact.
Innovation Solution
A tread profile design featuring radially raised profile elements with narrow linear or groove-shaped depressions, where the radially outer area is a fine incision and the inner area is a tubular opening channel with dome-shaped radial elevations, enhancing void volume for water drainage and material protection without compromising road contact or flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the tread depth is reduced due to abrasion, then the profile elements become stiffer and wet grip is improved, but the groove volume decreases and the risk of aquaplaning increases
Solution Approach 1:
The groove is segmented into two functional zones: a radially outer fine incision area for maintaining structural integrity and a radially inner through-channel area for water drainage. This segmentation allows the groove to provide both stiffness for wet grip and sufficient volume for water evacuation throughout the tire's service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a conventional single-depth groove to a multi-dimensional groove structure with through-channels that extend completely through the profile element. This dimensional change creates additional drainage pathways and effective groove volume without increasing the overall groove width, thereby maintaining road contact surface while improving water drainage capability.
2Volume of stationary object
If additional grooves are formed to increase drainage volume, then the risk of aquaplaning is reduced, but the effective road contact surface decreases and wet grip is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The groove structure is divided into a fine incision portion and a through-channel portion, creating functional zones that serve different purposes. The fine incision maintains road contact and structural integrity, while the through-channel provides drainage volume, thus achieving both drainage capability and road contact without requiring additional grooves.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the groove are assigned different qualities: the radially outer region has fine incisions with smaller cross-sections for maintaining stiffness and road contact, while the radially inner region has larger through-channels for water drainage. This local differentiation optimizes both road contact surface and drainage volume within the same groove structure.
3Area of stationary object
If the profile elements are made larger to maintain road contact surface, then wet grip is improved, but the flexibility of profile elements decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The profile element is segmented with through-channels that create internal voids, effectively reducing the material cross-section and maintaining flexibility despite the overall larger size. This segmentation allows the profile element to bend and deform appropriately during operation while still providing sufficient road contact surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
The profile element incorporates through-channels that create a porous internal structure, reducing material density and increasing flexibility. This porous design allows the profile element to maintain its larger external dimensions for road contact while having reduced material content that enables necessary flexibility for wet grip performance.
Data Source
Figure 1~4
AI summary
The tread profile has mutually spaced profiled elements (1-3) that are provided with narrow line or groove-like depressions (6) formed with radially inner extending portion of extension height (T2), and radially outer extending portion of extension height (T1). A groove base (9) formed in radially inner extending portion is extended with respect to outwardly bounding surface (11). The opening width (B) of tubular opening channel (8) is set greater than cutting width (D) of incision (7). Dome-shaped projections (10) are formed along extension length of groove base. USE : Tread profile of pneumatic tire such as traction tire for commercial vehicle (all claimed). ADVANTAGE : The wear resistance and rolling resistance of the tread profile of tire can be improved. The water can be easily drained from the tread profile. The penetration of foreign substances into the tread profile of pneumatic tire can be prevented. The abrasion resistance of the tread profile can be improved so that service life of the tire can be improved. The traction properties of the tire can be improved. The rigidity of the tread profile of tire can be improved. The risk of intrusion can be reduced. The robustness of the tread profile can be improved. The size of the tire and material required for manufacturing the tire can be reduced. DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS : The drawings show the schematic and sectional views of the tread profile of pneumatic tire. 1-3 : Profiled elements 6 : Narrow line or groove-like depressions 7 : Incision 8 : Tubular opening channel 9 : Groove base 10 : Dome-shaped projections 11 : Outwardly bounding surface B : Opening width of tubular opening channel D : Cutting width of incision T1 : Extension height of radially outer extending portion T2 : Extension height of radially inner extending portion.