Pneumatic Tyre Tread with Wedge Projections for Snow Grip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pneumatic vehicle tires with 'soft compound' treads face challenges in maintaining winter driving properties, particularly snow grip and aquaplaning resistance, due to impaired water drainage.
Innovation Solution
The tire design incorporates oblique grooves with wedge-shaped projections on the flanks, creating a narrow groove base path for enhanced water drainage and support between blocks, which improves traction, braking, and cornering on snowy roads while maintaining effective snow absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a soft compound tread is used to improve winter driving characteristics and snow grip, then the contact patch width increases and traction improves, but water drainage capacity deteriorates and aquaplaning resistance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The tread is segmented into multiple functional zones: central tread area with V-shaped grooves for water drainage, shoulder blocks with incisions for edge water evacuation, and intermediate areas with specific groove patterns. This segmentation allows each zone to specialize in either snow grip or water drainage functions
Solution Approach 2:
Different tread zones have different properties: the central area uses softer compound with V-shaped grooves optimized for snow grip, while shoulder areas have harder compound with incisions optimized for water drainage. The groove depths, widths, and patterns vary by location to optimize local performance for either traction or drainage
2Object-affected harmful factors
If V-shaped inclined grooves are used to improve water drainage capacity, then aquaplaning resistance improves, but snow grip may deteriorate due to reduced contact area
Solution Approach 1:
The groove system is segmented into V-shaped inclined grooves in the central area for water drainage and transverse incisions in shoulder blocks for edge drainage. This segmentation allows the central grooves to focus on water evacuation while shoulder incisions handle peripheral water removal, maintaining both drainage efficiency and snow contact area
Solution Approach 2:
The V-shaped grooves are positioned to drain water from the central contact area, while the shoulder blocks with incisions provide additional drainage capacity at the edges. This partial distribution of drainage functions across different zones ensures adequate water removal without excessive groove area that would reduce snow grip
3Reliability
If grooves with narrow groove sections are used to improve block support and steering force transfer, then traction and braking performance improve, but water drainage capacity may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The groove system is segmented into narrow groove sections for block support and wider V-shaped grooves for water drainage. The narrow sections provide structural support for force transfer, while the V-shaped geometry and shoulder incisions compensate for drainage capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The grooves have asymmetric cross-sections with narrow sections at certain locations for block support and wider openings at others for water drainage. The V-shaped grooves are asymmetric in their inclination angles, creating optimal balance between structural support and drainage flow paths
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 design achieves a balance between excellent winter driving properties and aquaplaning resistance by ensuring high water drainage capacity and stabilizing the tread blocks, enhancing snow-snow friction and overall traction and braking performance.
Implementation Method 1
enhancing snow-snow friction and overall traction and braking performance
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle pneumatic tire with a directional tread pattern, which is provided with oblique grooves (1) extending towards each other in a V-shape across the tread width, wherein the tread pattern has shoulder block rows (6) with shoulder-side blocks (5) and a central tread area (Z) with middle blocks (3), wherein the middle blocks (3) and the shoulder-side blocks (5) are each provided with a number of incisions (7, 8) extending parallel to each other in plan view.In the central tread area (Z), at least two grooves (2) inclined in the opposite direction to the inclined grooves (1) run in each tread half between circumferentially adjacent inclined grooves (1), which together with the inclined grooves (1) give the central blocks (3) a parallelogram-like shape in the circumferential direction standing on points, wherein grooves (2) inclined to the inclined grooves (1) are provided, on the flanks (2a, 2b) of which at least one wedge-shaped projection (9) is formed, which projections (8) overlap when viewed in the extension direction of the groove (2), wherein a groove base path (2c) with a width (bi) of 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm runs between the projections (9) extending from opposite groove flanks (2a, 2b) and between each projection (9) and the opposite groove flank (2a, 2b).