Tyre Tread Design Without Circumferential Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy vehicle tires face reduced service life due to increased wear rate and rolling resistance caused by circumferential grooves, which compromise water drainage performance and material durability during rainy conditions.
Innovation Solution
A tire tread design featuring transverse channels and radial openings with blocking devices, eliminating circumferential grooves and maintaining effective water evacuation while improving wear resistance and rolling efficiency throughout the tire's service life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If circumferential grooves are formed in the tread to ensure water drainage, then water evacuation performance is improved, but wear resistance and service life deteriorate due to increased wear rate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the water evacuation function into multiple components: transverse channels for lateral water removal, radial openings for vertical water egress, and blocking devices that segment the channel into functional zones. This segmentation allows effective water drainage without requiring deep circumferential grooves that compromise tread integrity and wear resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from traditional two-dimensional surface grooves to a three-dimensional subsurface channel system. The channels are positioned below the running surface and connect to radial openings, creating a multi-dimensional water evacuation network that preserves surface material integrity while maintaining drainage effectiveness.
2Reliability
If circumferential grooves are used for water evacuation, then water drainage is improved, but rolling resistance increases leading to higher fuel consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking devices segment the transverse channels into distinct functional zones, allowing controlled water flow that reduces turbulence and energy loss. This segmentation enables effective water evacuation with minimized hysteretic losses in the tread material.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the water evacuation function from the surface groove structure and relocates it to a subsurface channel system. This extraction eliminates the need for deep circumferential grooves that cause excessive material deformation and energy dissipation, thereby reducing rolling resistance and fuel consumption.
3Reliability
If deep circumferential grooves are formed to maintain water drainage throughout service life, then water evacuation is improved, but tread material volume is reduced increasing wear rate
Solution Approach 1:
The channel system is nested within the tread structure, with transverse channels positioned below the running surface and connected to radial openings. This nested configuration preserves surface material volume while providing effective water evacuation, as the channels utilize the subsurface space without compromising the tread's load-bearing material.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention moves the water evacuation system from the two-dimensional surface level to the three-dimensional subsurface volume. This dimensional transition allows deep water drainage capability without removing significant tread material, as the channels utilize the vertical space within the tread structure rather than lateral surface material.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The tread design enhances traction, water drainage, and wear resistance, maintaining performance from new to regulatory wear limits, reducing fuel consumption and extending tire life by minimizing material deformation and wear.
Implementation Method 1
These cutouts or hollows form a fluid flow network which must be durable, i.e. be effective throughout the service life of a tire
Implementation Method 2
blocking devices which minimize deformations of the material making up the tread
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5f
AI summary
The invention relates to a tyre tread (1) for a tyre of a heavy goods vehicle, comprising, when new, a maximum thickness of material to be worn away when running, a tread surface (11), side faces (12, 12'), a middle region (RM), this tread being provided with tread pattern elements, said tread pattern elements comprising channels (15), sipes (13, 14), radial openings (16) and blocking devices (17), said channels being arranged in the body of the tread and connected to the running surface by the radial openings, said radial openings being arranged alternately with the blocking devices along said channels, this tread being characterised in that it is devoid of a circumferential groove, and in that: - the channels are arranged below the tread surface (11) when the tread is new - the channels are transverse channels and connect the middle region of the tread to the side faces of the tread; - each transverse channel connecting the middle region to a side face comprises at least one change of direction between the middle region and said side face; and- a maximum longitudinal distance between the points of a transverse channel furthest apart in the longitudinal direction is between 10% and 50% of the tread width (Lbdr).