Tyre Shoulder Protrusions for Traction and Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional off-road tires with larger side blocks tend to exhibit imbalance during high-speed driving, compromising traction and dynamic balance.
Innovation Solution
The tire design incorporates shoulder land portions with protrusions that extend inwardly and outwardly, featuring first and second protrusions with specific dimensions and angles, forming bent portions, which enhance traction while maintaining balance at high speeds by optimizing the volume and stiffness of the shoulder blocks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If larger side blocks are used to improve traction on off-road, then traction performance is improved, but dynamic balance deteriorates during high-speed driving
Solution Approach 1:
The side blocks are segmented into multiple protrusions (first protrusions and second protrusions) rather than using large solid blocks. This segmentation reduces the overall volume and weight of the side blocks while maintaining traction capability through multiple contact points, thereby improving dynamic balance during high-speed driving.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the side blocks have different properties: the first protrusions extend in the radial direction to provide traction, while the second protrusions connect them with smaller widths to reduce overall mass. This local differentiation allows the tire to achieve both good off-road traction and acceptable high-speed balance.
2Reliability
If larger side blocks are used to improve traction on off-road, then traction performance is improved, but the risk of chipping or breaking increases
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the side blocks into smaller protrusions connected by second protrusions, the structure becomes more flexible and less prone to catastrophic failure. The segmented design allows stress to be distributed across multiple elements rather than concentrating on large solid blocks, reducing the risk of chipping or breaking.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the dimensional parameters of the side blocks, specifically making the widths of the second protrusions smaller than the widths of the first protrusions (with specific ratios mentioned in claims). This parameter optimization reduces the overall size and mass while maintaining structural integrity and traction performance.
Data Source
AI summary
A tyre includes a tread portion including a shoulder land portion which has a tread edge and an axial outer surface extending radially inwardly from the tread edge. The shoulder land portion is provided with shoulder lateral grooves extending inwardly in the tyre axial direction from the tread edge to define shoulder blocks therebetween, and protrusions protruding outwardly in the tyre axial direction from the outer surface. The protrusion includes first protrusions each provided on the respective shoulder blocks and extending in the tyre radial direction, and second protrusions connecting radially inner ends of adjacent two first protrusions such that first bent portions are formed between the second protrusions and the first protrusions. The first protrusions have widths smaller than maximum length in the tyre circumferential direction of the respective shoulder blocks, and the second protrusions have widths smaller than the width of the first protrusions.