Zigzag Tread Grooves for Wet Traction and Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pneumatic tires face challenges in maintaining wet performance while minimizing noise generation, particularly in low-profile tires with small outer diameters, where reducing land portion size to improve wet traction leads to increased noise due to shortened transverse groove distances.
Innovation Solution
The tire features outer longitudinal grooves extending in a zigzag pattern, with first and second transverse grooves forming a V shape and connecting to these grooves, enhancing edge effect and contact area without linear connection, which suppresses noise and deformation, and specific slope angles and widths optimize tire performance without heel and toe wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the size of the land portion is made small to improve tire performance when wet, then wet traction is improved, but noise is easily generated due to shortened distance between transverse grooves
Solution Approach 1:
The outer longitudinal grooves are configured to extend in a zigzag fashion rather than straight, creating asymmetric patterns that enhance edge effect while maintaining larger land portion sizes. This asymmetric configuration allows the tire to achieve improved wet traction performance without the noise penalties associated with uniformly small land portions
Solution Approach 2:
The transverse grooves are designed to curve gradually from the outer side toward the inner side of the tire width direction, rather than extending linearly. This curved configuration maintains larger land portion sizes while still providing effective water evacuation, thereby improving wet traction without generating excessive noise
2Reliability
If the size of the land portion is made small in low-profile tires to maintain wet performance, then wet traction is improved, but noise generation increases due to shortened transverse groove distances
Solution Approach 1:
The outer longitudinal grooves extend in a zigzag fashion creating asymmetric patterns that enhance edge effect and improve wet traction performance without requiring small land portion sizes, thereby avoiding noise generation in low-profile tires
Solution Approach 2:
The transverse grooves are configured to curve gradually rather than extend linearly, maintaining larger land portion sizes while providing effective water evacuation. This curved design improves wet performance in low-profile tires without the noise penalties associated with linear groove patterns
Data Source
AI summary
Outer longitudinal grooves extend in the circumferential direction of a pneumatic tire in a zigzag fashion. A plurality of first transverse grooves situated at an outer portion of a tread portion extend toward one side in a circumferential direction of the tire and is connected to the outer longitudinal grooves, as it gradually extends from an outer side of a width direction of the tire to an inner side thereof. A plurality of second transverse grooves situated at an inner portion of the tread portion extends toward the one side in the circumferential direction of the tire and is connected to outer longitudinal grooves, as it gradually extends from the inner side of the width direction of the tire to the outer side thereof. A position in the circumferential direction of the tire at which the plurality of first grooves are each situated in the outer portion and a position in the circumferential direction of the tire at which the plurality of second transverse grooves is each situated in the inner portion coincide with each other.