Heavy Truck Winter Tire Tread Pattern Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy truck tires face issues with irregular wear and sensitivity to attacks under winter conditions due to existing tread patterns, which compromise grip and durability.
Innovation Solution
A novel tread pattern featuring four symmetrically oriented circumferential grooves, elongate raised elements with oblique grooves and sipes, and internal cuts that extend to form new grooves after wear, ensuring even wear distribution and enhanced grip on snowy roads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If grooves are inclined at an angle close to 45° to create blocks with sipes for increasing grip on icy roadways, then grip performance under winter conditions is improved, but irregular wear develops on the tread surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by using oblique grooves at angles between 10° and 30° instead of symmetric 45° grooves, and by creating elongate raised elements with different dimensions in longitudinal and transverse directions. This asymmetric configuration redistributes wear more uniformly across the tread surface while preserving winter grip through the oblique groove geometry that generates effective edge corners.
2Reliability
If a tread pattern with inclined grooves and multiple blocks is used to enhance winter grip, then grip on snowy roadways is improved, but the tread becomes sensitive to attacks during running
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the tread into distinct zones: intermediate regions with oblique grooves for winter grip, edge regions with continuous ribs for attack resistance, and a central region with circumferential grooves for balanced performance. Each zone has optimized properties tailored to its specific functional requirements, allowing the tread to simultaneously achieve winter grip and attack resistance.
3Reliability
If sipes are added to create edge corners for increasing grip on icy roadways, then grip performance is improved, but the rigidity of the tread is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the tread into discrete blocks separated by oblique grooves, with each block containing multiple sipes. This segmentation creates numerous edge corners for winter grip while the block structure itself maintains overall tread rigidity. The sipes are contained within individual blocks, preventing cumulative flexibility issues across the entire tread.
Data Source
AI summary
The tread has four grooves that delimit a central, intermediate and edge regions. Each intermediate region is divided into elongated raised elements that delimit oblique grooves which open into the circumferential grooves and are inclined at an average angle of between 30 and 60 degrees relative to the circumferential direction. The raised elements have an average circumferential length of between 50 and 70 mm. The depth of the oblique grooves is at least 30% of the depth of the circumferential grooves. Each raised element has a plurality of sipes that open into the oblique grooves. Each raised element also has an internal and oblique cut that has a total depth at least equal to 75% of the thickness PMU to be worn away. The oblique cut has a wide part and a part that forms a sipe that extends by a channel that forms a new groove after wear.