Tyre Sidewall Profile Design for Curb Impact Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy-duty vehicle tires are prone to damage and premature wear when contacting curbs due to their thick bead zone design, which increases fragility and susceptibility to shocks and friction.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring a radial carcass reinforcement with a single layer of reinforcing elements anchored in the bead zone, a modified meridian section profile that extends the outer surface with a constant thickness, and a hollow rim of the '15° drop center' type, reducing the bead zone's thickness and enhancing deformation homogeneity during curb contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the bead zone is thickened to protect against curb contact, then the tire's resistance to shocks and friction improves, but the tire's fragility and susceptibility to damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing targeted reinforcement at the bead zone through a specific structural configuration: a single layer of carcass reinforcement anchored at the beads, combined with a crown reinforcement of at least two layers forming angles of 10° to 45° with the circumferential direction. This localized structural design strengthens the bead zone specifically for curb contact protection while avoiding unnecessary thickening that would increase overall fragility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining different reinforcement elements: the carcass reinforcement layer (single layer anchored at beads) working in conjunction with the crown reinforcement (multiple layers at specific angles). This composite structure creates a synergistic effect where the combination of layers provides superior protection against curb contact while maintaining flexibility and reducing susceptibility to shocks compared to a uniformly thickened design.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If multiple layers of reinforcing elements are added to strengthen the bead zone, then the tire's endurance improves, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the reinforcement structure into distinct functional zones: a single layer of carcass reinforcement for the bead zone (anchored at the beads) and a separate crown reinforcement consisting of at least two layers at specific angles. This segmentation allows each layer to perform its specific function optimally while simplifying the overall manufacturing process compared to using multiple layers throughout the entire tire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses partial action by applying reinforcement selectively only where needed - the single layer of carcass reinforcement is concentrated at the bead zone where it is most needed for endurance, while the crown reinforcement extends to the tire crown. This avoids the complexity of uniformly thickening the entire tire structure while still achieving the desired endurance improvement.
3Reliability
If the carcass reinforcement layer is extended axially outside the upturn to cover free ends, then the protection against unwinding improves, but the tire profile fragility increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the taking out principle by extracting the protective function from the carcass reinforcement layer extension and assigning it to the crown reinforcement instead. The carcass reinforcement is kept as a single layer anchored at the beads without excessive axial extension, while the crown reinforcement (at least two layers at 10° to 45° angles) provides the necessary protection against unwinding during accidental heating. This separation reduces profile fragility while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a tyre with a radial carcass reinforcement formed by a single ply of reinforcement elements anchored in each of the beads by being turned up around a bead core (4) reinforced by a stiffening element (9). According to the invention, in the sidewall of the tyre, the profile of the outer surface (S) of the tyre is at a constant distance (D) from the carcass reinforcement ply between the points F and A, and joins the outer surface of the bead at the point C, forming two successive arcs of circles (C1 and C2).