Zero-Pressure Tire Reinforcing Hoops Sidewall Tension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Higher profile tires face challenges in maintaining ride quality due to the need for increased sidewall stiffness, which can lead to interlaminar shear and tire failure when using traditional zero-pressure tire designs that rely on sidewall compression.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic radial tire design featuring a carcass structure, beads, a belt structure, and a plurality of reinforcing hoops with a radial thickness less than 40% of the tread, constructed from rigid materials like composite fibers and coated with elastomeric materials to reduce interlaminar shear and enhance bond strength, allowing the hoops to float and absorb stress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If sidewall reinforcing layers are added to increase sidewall stiffness, then the tire can support vehicle weight via sidewall compression, but interlaminar shear increases leading to tire failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by transitioning from sidewall compression to sidewall tension as the load-bearing mechanism. This is achieved through increasing circumferential rigidity via reinforcing hoops in the tread, which allows the tire to maintain a substantially round circumference when deflated, thereby keeping sidewalls in tension rather than compression to support vehicle weight
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces reinforcing hoops as an intermediary element between the tread and the carcass structure. These hoops increase circumferential rigidity without directly reinforcing the sidewalls, thereby mediating the load distribution to maintain sidewall tension while providing the necessary structural support
2Strength
If circumferential rigidity is increased using wide annular bands, then the tire can support weight via sidewall tension, but interlaminar shear in the neutral bending axis increases causing tire failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the circumferential reinforcement into multiple discrete reinforcing hoops spaced axially apart, rather than using a continuous wide annular band. This segmentation reduces the concentration of interlaminar shear forces in any single location while maintaining overall circumferential rigidity through the distributed hoop structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by positioning reinforcing hoops at specific locations within the tread rather than using a uniform wide band. The hoops are configured with specific radial thickness (less than 40% of tread radial thickness) and axial width (greater than 5% of tread axial width) to provide localized reinforcement that reduces interlaminar shear while maintaining circumferential rigidity
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 increased circumferential rigidity while minimizing interlaminar shear, thereby improving ride quality and reducing the risk of tire failure.
Implementation Method 1
The elastomeric coating increases bond strength between the reinforcing hoops and the adjacent tire structure
Implementation Method 2
By increasing circumferential rigidity, the tire retains a substantially round circumference when deflated
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic radial tire includes a carcass structure having a pair of sidewalls and a crown, a pair of beads, a tread, a belt structure, and a plurality of reinforcing hoops. The plurality of spaced apart reinforcing hoops are disposed intermediate the crown of the carcass structure and the tread, and are formed of a rigid material coated in an elastomeric material. The plurality of reinforcing hoops includes a pair of outer reinforcing hoops disposed adjacent the sidewalls of the carcass, and an at least one inner reinforcing hoop disposed between the outer reinforcing hoops.