Tyre Tread Layout Balancing Wet Grip, Noise, and Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tire designs face challenges in achieving both low noise levels and effective wet handling without compromising driving stability, as high void volumes can lead to noise issues and reduced structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
The tire features a first shoulder-side profile band with two main negative elements that extend further into the ground contact area, making up at least 85% of the negative volume, and a middle profile band with a high number density of narrow main negative elements, optimizing noise reduction and water drainage through a complex combination of profile features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large negative volume is used in the tire tread, then wet performance is improved, but noise levels increase and driving stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different negative element configurations in different tread zones. The shoulder-side tread band has a higher density of main negative elements (at least 85% of total negative volume) compared to the middle tread band, allowing each zone to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall performance balance.
Solution Approach 2:
The tread pattern is segmented into distinct zones with different negative element densities. The shoulder-side circumferential sections contain more main negative elements than the middle circumferential sections, creating differentiated functional areas that address both noise reduction and wet performance requirements simultaneously.
2Reliability
If a large negative volume is used in the tire tread, then wet performance is improved, but driving stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates local quality differences by concentrating the majority of negative volume (at least 85%) in the shoulder-side tread band while maintaining a different configuration in the middle tread band. This localized differentiation allows effective water evacuation at the shoulders without compromising the structural stability provided by the middle tread band.
3Reliability
If the first shoulder-side main negative element extends further into the ground contact surface, then water drainage is improved, but noise levels increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating asymmetric main negative elements in the shoulder-side tread band where the first main negative element extends deeper than the second main negative element. This asymmetric configuration optimizes water drainage in specific locations while maintaining overall noise control through the distributed negative element pattern.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetry by designing main negative elements where the first shoulder-side main negative element has a different extension depth than the second shoulder-side main negative element. This asymmetric design creates optimized water drainage pathways without requiring symmetric deep grooves that would generate excessive noise across the entire tread.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
Vehicle tire with a first shoulder-side tread band and at least one middle tread band, wherein the first shoulder-side tread band consists of successive shoulder-side circumferential sections in the circumferential direction and wherein the middle tread band consists of successive middle circumferential sections in the circumferential direction, wherein at least one principal negative element is formed in each circumferential section, wherein each principal negative element has an elongated profile with a transverse extension component, wherein the first shoulder-side tread band comprises more principal negative elements along a first imaginary closed circumferential line than the middle tread band along a second imaginary closed circumferential line.A first shoulder-side circumferential section comprises a first and a second shoulder-side main negative element, wherein the first shoulder-side main negative element extends axially from the outside further into a ground contact area of the vehicle tire than the second shoulder-side main negative element, and wherein the first and the second shoulder-side main negative elements together constitute at least 85% of a total negative volume of the first shoulder-side circumferential section in the area of the ground contact area.