Tread Sipe Depth Layout for Wet Grip and Low Rolling Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tires struggle to balance wet performance and rolling resistance, with a need for improved traction and drainage in wet conditions while maintaining low rolling resistance.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring a tread portion with grooved sipes, including a first and second grooved sipe with widening groove portions, and a crown circumferential groove with a narrow and widening portion, optimized to improve wet performance and reduce rolling resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If grooved sipes with widening groove portions are provided in the tread portion, then wet performance is improved through effective water discharge, but rolling resistance increases due to reduced tread rigidity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing grooved sipes with widening groove portions at specific locations (first and second grooved sipes at different distances from the ground contact surface) while maintaining different groove widths and depths in different regions of the tread portion. This allows water discharge functionality to be concentrated where needed without compromising overall tread rigidity
Solution Approach 2:
The tread portion is segmented into multiple functional regions with different sipe configurations. The first grooved sipe is positioned at distance h1 and the second grooved sipe at distance h2, creating segmented water discharge pathways that work together to improve wet performance while distributing the structural impact across different tread layers
2Reliability
If multiple grooved sipes with different distances h1 and h2 are provided, then wet performance is enhanced through multi-level water discharge, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the tread portion are given different sipe characteristics - the first grooved sipe at distance h1 has different dimensions than the second grooved sipe at distance h2. This local differentiation optimizes water discharge at multiple levels while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that can be manufactured using standard tire molding techniques
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A tyre includes a tread portion (2) being provided with a plurality of grooved sipes (3A, 3B) opening to a ground contact surface (2s) and extending in the tyre axial direction. The grooved sipes (3A, 3B) include a first grooved sipe and a second grooved sipe. The first grooved sipe (3A) includes a first sipe portion (4) and a first widening groove portion (5) connected to an inner side of the first sipe portion (4) in a tyre radial direction and having a greater width than that of the first sipe portion (4). The second grooved sipe (3B) includes a second sipe portion (4) and a second widening groove portion (5) connected to an inner side of the second sipe portion (4) in the tyre radial direction and having a greater width than that of the second sipe portion (4). A radial distance h1 from the ground contact surface to an outer end of the first widening groove portion (5) is different from a radial distance h2 from the ground contact surface (2s) to an outer end of the second widening groove portion (5).