Tyre Tread Groove Wall Local Quality Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tyres with tread portions having main grooves experience uneven wear on the outer ground contacting surface, which affects their wet performance and longevity.
Innovation Solution
The tyre design incorporates recessed portions on the groove walls of the main grooves, with protruding portions on the ground contacting surface, which gradually decrease in width and depth to distribute pressure uniformly and enhance water drainage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the groove width decreases from the groove bottom toward the tread face, then the drainage property is maintained after tread wear, but uneven wear occurs on the outer ground contacting surface
Solution Approach 1:
The groove wall is divided into two distinct regions: an upper portion with a first slope angle (more inclined) and a lower portion with a second slope angle (less inclined). This local differentiation allows the upper portion to effectively shed water while the lower portion maintains contact with the ground to prevent uneven wear, thus resolving the contradiction between drainage performance and wear uniformity.
2Reliability
If the groove wall surfaces extend obliquely to maintain drainage after wear, then wet performance is improved, but the ground contacting surface experiences uneven wear
Solution Approach 1:
By creating distinct upper and lower portions on the groove wall with different slope angles, the design enables the upper portion to optimize water drainage for wet performance while the lower portion maintains ground contact to ensure uniform wear and extend tread life, thus resolving the contradiction between wet performance and service duration.
Data Source
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AI summary
A tyre comprises a tread portion (2); the tread portion (2) includes a ground contacting surface (2s) and at least one main groove (3) recessed from the ground contacting surface (2s) and extending continuously in a tyre circumferential direction; at least one of groove walls (11) of the main groove (3) is provided with a recessed portion (15) recessed outwardly in a groove width direction from a corresponding groove edge (3e) of the main groove (3) on the ground contacting surface (2s); the ground contacting surface (2s) has a protruding portion (20) in a region where the recessed portion (15) is projected outwardly in a tyre radial direction.