Vehicle Tyre Circumferential Groove Pyramid Elevations

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pneumatic vehicle tire designs fail to effectively repel small stones from circumferential grooves while maintaining uniform abrasion and good grip properties, leading to potential noise and reduced profile durability.

Innovation Solution

The tire's circumferential grooves feature pyramid-like elevations with facets that protrude into the grooves, ensuring a distance of at least 25% of the profile depth from the groove base, promoting stone ejection and increasing profile durability by creating a constantly changing cross-section that prevents groove resonances.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the groove base path runs in a pronounced zigzag shape with triangular surfaces extending almost to the bottom of the groove, then uniform abrasion and grip properties are improved, but foreign bodies such as stones can easily get stuck in the circumferential grooves

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegrip propertiesVSAvoidforeign bodies getting stuck
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The triangular surfaces of the pyramid-like elevations extend only partially into the circumferential groove, specifically to a distance of at least 25% of the profile depth from the groove base, rather than extending to the bottom of the groove. This partial extension maintains the beneficial grip properties and uniform abrasion while preventing foreign bodies from getting stuck deep in the groove

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the depth parameter of the pyramid-like elevations, specifying that their tips must be at a distance of at least 25% of the profile depth from the groove base. This parameter optimization balances the conflicting requirements of grip enhancement and foreign body prevention

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If projections are provided in zigzag-shaped circumferential grooves that extend to the bottom of the groove, then foreign bodies are repelled, but the groove resonances occur and profile durability is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveforeign bodies repelledVSAvoidprofile durability
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of extending projections to the bottom of the groove as in prior art, the pyramid-like elevations extend only partially to a distance of at least 25% of the profile depth from the groove base, avoiding the creation of groove resonances while still effectively repelling foreign bodies

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The pyramid-like elevations with their faceted surfaces and the slightly pronounced zigzag shape of the groove base path create a constantly changing cross-section that prevents resonance while maintaining foreign body ejection capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Ease of manufacture

If the circumferential groove cross-section remains uniform over the circumference, then manufacturing is simplified, but groove resonances occur reducing noise performance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegroove design simplicityVSAvoidgroove resonances
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention introduces asymmetry by providing pyramid-like elevations on the groove flanks that create a constantly changing cross-section over the circumference of the tire. This asymmetric variation prevents groove resonances while the regular arrangement of elevations maintains manufacturing feasibility

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Data Source

PatentEP2144766B1Vehicle tyre
Publication Date: 2013.06.19 CONTINENTAL REIFEN DEUTSCHLAND GMBH
  • EP2144766B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2144766B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The invention relates to a vehicle tyre, in particular for commercial vehicles, comprising wide circumferential grooves (2), delimited by rectilinear boundary edges (4) and a zig-zag shaped groove base path (5) running around the circumference, each re-entrant corner (5b) of said path, (in relation to the boundary edges (4)), forms the apex (S) of a triangular surface (9) that is inclined towards the radial direction and runs along a boundary edge (4). Each triangular surface (9) inclined towards the radial direction forms a lateral surface of pyramid-type elevations (6), the apexes (S) of which are at a distance (T) from the groove base that is at least 25 % of the profile depth (PT). Two additional pyramid surfaces (8) adjoin the surfaces (9) that run out from the boundary edges (4), two of these surfaces (8) from adjacent elevations (6) having a common side that forms a bending line (7), said line running from the boundary edge (4) to the groove base path (5).