Tread Sipe Chamfer Geometry for Early Uneven Wear Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pneumatic tires with sipes on the tread lands experience uneven wear due to increased pressure at the sipe edges and reduced stiffness when chamfers are formed on the sipe walls, exacerbated by vehicle electrification and increased torque.
Innovation Solution
The tire design includes sipes with end edges connected to round chamfers within 10 mm, dispersing contact pressure and maintaining land stiffness by avoiding chamfers on the sipe walls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a chamfer is formed on the top of the wall surface of a sipe, then the ground contacting surfaces of lands separated by the sipe are largely spaced from each other, but the stiffness of the land is likely to decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the sipe structure by specifying precise dimensions: sipe width of 0.1 to 0.5 mm, depth of 0.5 to 2.0 mm, and positioning the end edge within 5 mm from the sipe. These parameter optimizations allow pressure dispersion without excessive land spacing, maintaining stiffness while suppressing uneven wear.
2Ease of manufacture
If a thin-line sipe is formed on the surface of a land, then the sipe can be created, but pressure is likely to increase around the edge of the sipe on the ground contacting surface
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies curvature by forming a round chamfer at the end edge of the sipe, transitioning from a sharp angular edge to a curved surface. This curvature distributes the contact pressure more evenly around the sipe edge, preventing stress concentration and the associated uneven wear while maintaining the thin-line sipe structure.
3Power
If vehicle weights are increased due to automotive electrification and the output torque rises, then power is improved, but uneven wear is more likely to occur in the early period
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements preliminary protective measures by pre-forming the sipe with optimized dimensions and a round chamfer at the end edge before the tire enters service. This preliminary structural preparation ensures that even under high torque conditions from electrified vehicles, the contact pressure is dispersed from the outset, preventing early-period uneven wear and extending tire life.
Data Source
AI summary
A tire includes a tread having a plurality of grooves and a plurality of lands. The ground contacting surfaces of at least some of the lands have sipes that are formed like thin lines when viewed from the outside in the tire radial direction, and a groove is provided with an end edge at a position within 10 mm of the sipe, the end edge being connected to a round chamfer arc-shaped in cross section.