Tyre Tread Block Chamfers for Snow Grip and Dry Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Winter tyres with a high number of sipes for improved snowy road performance suffer from reduced rigidity and contact area on dry and wet surfaces, leading to decreased friction and stability.
Innovation Solution
Introduce chamfers on some edge portions of the block while maintaining sharp corners on others, creating additional gripping points without significantly reducing the tread surface or rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a high number of sipes are introduced in the tread band blocks, then snowy road performance is improved, but rigidity and contact area on dry and wet surfaces are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the edge portions of the blocks: some edge portions have chamfers while others maintain sharp corners. This localized differentiation allows specific areas to provide grip on snow (chamfered portions) while other areas maintain structural rigidity (sharp corner portions), thus resolving the contradiction between snowy road performance and overall block rigidity.
2Reliability
If a high number of sipes are introduced in the tread band blocks, then snowy road performance is improved, but contact area on dry and wet surfaces is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By selectively applying chamfers only to certain edge portions rather than all edges, the patent maximizes the contact area available for dry and wet surface grip while still providing sufficient chamfered edges for snowy road performance. This localized approach ensures that the majority of the block surface remains intact for maintaining contact area.
3Reliability
If chamfers are introduced on edge portions, then additional gripping points are created, but tread surface area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by introducing chamfers on only some edge portions of the blocks rather than all edges. This partial application provides sufficient gripping points for snowy road performance while minimizing the reduction in overall tread surface area, thus balancing grip enhancement with contact area preservation.
4Reliability
If chamfers are introduced on edge portions, then additional gripping points are created, but block rigidity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains block rigidity by preserving sharp corners on certain edge portions while introducing chamfers only on other portions. The sharp corner portions continue to provide structural support and stiffness, while the chamfered portions provide additional gripping points for snowy surfaces, thus locally distributing the functional requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle wheel tyre comprises a tread band, a tread surface, a plurality of blocks defined on the tread band, and at least one sipe formed on at least one of the blocks. The at least one sipe is open on a tread surface portion and at least on one first edge of the block, to define at least one first edge portion and at least one second edge portion adjacent to each other and at least partially bounded by the sipe. The first edge portion is defined by a chamfer extending between the tread surface portion and a wall of the block, and the second edge portion is defined by a corner resulting from the tread surface portion intersecting the wall.