Tire Design Techniques for Enhanced Steering Stability
22 patents in this list
Updated:
In the world of tire design, steering stability is a crucial aspect that influences vehicle safety and performance. As vehicles navigate diverse terrains and conditions, maintaining consistent contact and grip becomes essential. Engineers and designers face the ongoing challenge of balancing flexibility and rigidity to ensure that tires respond predictably to steering inputs.
Professionals in the field must address numerous obstacles, such as optimizing tread patterns and material compositions to enhance stability. Factors like dynamic modulus, groove configurations, and rubber compositions play significant roles in achieving the desired balance. Each adjustment can impact how a tire handles under various stresses and speeds.
This page explores various strategies from recent patents, focusing on tire designs that incorporate specific steel cord configurations, chamfered sipes, and differentiated groove patterns. These innovations aim to improve steering stability by enhancing grip, reducing hydroplaning, and maintaining uniform rigidity. The solutions discussed here offer practical approaches to refining tire performance in real-world driving conditions.
1. Motorcycle Tire with Specific Steel Cord Configuration and Elevated Dynamic Modulus Tread Rubber
SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD., 2023
Motorcycle tire with optimized steel cord configuration and tread rubber composition to improve steering stability during high-speed turning. The tire uses a specific steel cord configuration of twisted strands of 1-3 filaments twisted together, with filaments of 0.15-0.25mm diameter. This provides lower compression and bending stiffness compared to conventional steel cords. The tread rubber has an elevated dynamic modulus (>5 MPa at 70C) to enhance responsiveness. The optimized steel cord and tread rubber work synergistically to improve steering stability during high-speed turning.
2. Motorcycle Tire with Specific Belt and Band Ply Orientations and Widths
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., 2023
Tire construction for a motorcycle tire that provides improved turning performance and durability compared to conventional motorcycle tires. The tire has a tread reinforcing layer with specific belt and band ply orientations and widths. The inner belt ply has cords angled greater than 5 degrees to the tire circumferential direction. The outer belt ply has cords angled greater than 5 degrees but with a wider width than the inner belt ply. The band ply has cords angled less than or equal to 5 degrees. This combination of belt and band ply angles and widths optimizes cornering force distribution and reduces tire wear for improved turning performance and durability.
3. Pneumatic Tire with Specific Rubber Composition for Inner Liner and Tie Rubber
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., 2023
A pneumatic tire design that enhances steering stability and crack growth resistance in cold temperatures. The tire uses a specific rubber composition for the inner liner and tie rubber. The inner liner rubber contains carbon black, resin, and zinc oxide in specific amounts along with halogenated butyl rubber. The tie rubber contains diene rubber matching adjacent layers. These compositions balance hardness, adhesion, and low-temperature properties to optimize tire performance.
4. Radial Tire with Belt Layer Comprising Specific Ratio of Loss Tangent to Complex Elastic Modulus
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., 2023
Radial tires with improved fuel efficiency and tire life compared to conventional tires. The tire design includes a belt layer with a rubber composition that has a specific ratio of loss tangent to complex elastic modulus. The tire dimensions are also optimized to prevent excessive growth at high speeds while maintaining stability. The optimized belt rubber composition, along with specific tire width, diameter, and aspect ratio, reduces rolling resistance without sacrificing steering stability or durability.
5. Tire with Differentially Chamfered Shoulder Sipes
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., 2023
A tire with improved cornering performance while suppressing deterioration of the noise performance compared to the prior art. The tire has chamfered shoulder sipes that are shaped differently at each end. The shoulder sipes have chamfered edges instead of sharp edges which can lift and reduce grip when cornering. The chamfers have a larger chamfer volume near the center of the tire and a smaller chamfer volume at the tread edge. This provides optimized cornering grip and stability while avoiding excessive tread block movement and noise.
6. Tire Tread with Outer and Inner Sipe Elements Featuring Wear-Exposing Circumferential Components
SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD., 2023
Tire tread design that maintains cornering and traction performance as the tread wears. The tread has sipes with an outer sipe element in the outer tread region and multiple inner sipe elements in the inner tread region. The inner sipe elements have a component that extends circumferentially. As the tread wears, the circumferential component of the inner sipes becomes exposed. This maintains flexibility and biting edges in the worn tread, improving cornering and traction performance compared to traditional sipes that lose effectiveness as the tire wears.
7. Asymmetrical Vehicle Tire Tread with Directional Mounting and Differentiated Lateral Groove Configuration
SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD., 2023
A vehicle tire with improved steering stability, ride comfort, and noise performance. The tire tread has a designated mounting direction for the vehicle. It has main grooves and land portions dividing the tread. Middle land parts have lateral grooves traversing them completely. The grooves on one side are slightly curved. The other side has lateral grooves that don't traverse.
8. Pneumatic Tire with Embedded Transponder and Polyester Fiber Cord Carcass Layer
The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD., 2023
Pneumatic tire with an embedded transponder that provides improved steering stability and ensured communication performance. The tire has a carcass layer made of a polyester fiber cord with a specific elongation range. The transponder is positioned between the bead and belt layers at a specific radial location within the tire.
9. Pneumatic Tire with Polyester Cord Carcass Layer and Specific Groove Ratios and Depths
The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD., 2023
Pneumatic tire design that balances wet and dry road performance while improving shock burst resistance. The tire has a tread with main grooves and land portions, a carcass layer made of polyester cords with specific elongation at break, and optimized groove ratios and depths. This provides good steering stability on dry roads and wet grip/drainage while maintaining shock burst durability.
10. Cord-Reinforced Pneumatic Tire with High Nitrogen Adsorption Carbon Black Coating
The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD., 2023
Pneumatic tire with improved high-speed steering stability, durability, and low rolling resistance. The tire has a cord-reinforced layer and the rubber coating over the cord contains a specific rubber composition. The coating rubber has carbon black with high nitrogen adsorption surface area and optionally some aroma oil. The base rubber is mostly natural rubber with a specific strength ratio of 100C.
11. Pneumatic Tire Tread with Circumferential Main Groove and Variable Angle Chamfered Lateral Sipes
The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD., 2023
Pneumatic tire tread design that provides improved steering stability on wet and dry roads while maintaining good drainage. The tread has a main groove along the tire circumference with lateral sipes that terminate in the tread land. The sipes have chamfered edges that vary in angle and width along their length. This configuration improves wet traction by enhancing drainage from the chamfered sipes while maintaining dry road stability through the closed sipe ends.
12. Pneumatic Tire with Differential Radial and Circumferential Rigidity in Bead Portions
TOYO TIRE & RUBBER CO., LTD., 2023
Pneumatic tire with improved steering stability and riding comfort. The tire has a pair of bead portions with a bead core extending inward and a bead filler outside the core. The bead portions have different radial and circumferential rigidities. The outer diameter has higher radial rigidity and lower circumferential rigidity than the inner diameter. This configuration provides secure steering stability with good contact patch pressure distribution while maintaining ride comfort due to selective rigidity levels in the bead portions.
13. Pneumatic Tire with Configured Tread Grooves Featuring Chamfered Land Portions and Distinct Lug Groove Patterns
The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD., 2023
Pneumatic tire with specific tread grooves and land configurations to provide improved dry and wet steering stability performance. The tire has main grooves, narrow grooves, chamfered land portions, and open/closed lug grooves arranged in a specific pattern on the inner and outer sides. This provides a compatible balance of performance in dry and wet conditions. The open lug grooves in the inner land provide dry stability, while the closed lug grooves in the outer land provide wet stability. The chamfered land portions widen the contact area in the dry direction.
14. Tire Tread with Defined Shoulder, Middle, and Crown Land Areas Separated by Circumferential and Lateral Grooves
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., 2023
A tire design that improves steering stability on dry roads and wet performance by optimizing the groove and land geometry of the tread. The optimized tread has shoulder, middle, and crown land areas divided by circumferential grooves. The shoulder lands have lateral grooves extending from the tread edge toward the adjacent groove. The middle land has outer and inner lateral grooves extending from the adjacent grooves. The crown land has lateral grooves extending from one groove. This groove and land configuration improves dry road stability while maintaining wet traction.
15. Tire Tread with V-Shaped Recessed Land Portions and Circumferential Grooves
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., 2023
A tire design that improves steering stability on dry road surfaces while maintaining wet performance. The tire has a tread with circumferential grooves and adjacent land portions. The land portions have recesses that open across the ground contact surface and sidewall. The recesses are V-shaped with specific dimensions. This design reduces hydroplaning while improving steering stability on dry roads compared to conventional tread patterns.
16. Tire with Four Circumferential Grooves and Chamfered Edge Lands Featuring Narrow Circumferential Grooves
The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD., 2023
A tire with improved wet steering stability, vehicle external noise resistance, and wear resistance in a well-balanced manner. The tire design includes grooves and lands arranged in a specific configuration for better wet traction, reduced noise, and longer wear life. The design uses four circumferential grooves with lands between them. The lands have chamfered edges and narrow grooves extending circumferentially. This combination of features provides the desired balance of wet steering, noise resistance, and wear.
17. Solid and Modified Liquid Diene Rubber Composition with Silane Functional Group and Silica Filler
KURARAY CO., LTD., 2023
A heavy-duty tire rubber composition that provides excellent wet grip performance and steering stability for heavy-duty truck and bus tires. The composition includes a solid rubber, a modified liquid diene rubber with a specific silane functional group, and a filler-like silica. The modified liquid diene rubber improves wet grip while maintaining compatibility with the solid rubber.
18. Tire with Variable Width and Depth Circumferential Grooves
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., 2023
A tire with improved wet performance, steering stability, and snow traction. The tire has multiple circumferential grooves that divide the tread into lands between the edges. The grooves have varying widths and depths. The outermost grooves are wider and deeper than the inner ones. This prevents snow from clogging the outer grooves while still providing good wet traction and stability from the shallower inner grooves.
19. Tire with Chamfered Edge Lugs and Grooves for Uniform Rigidity and Hydroplaning Reduction
The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD., 2023
A tire with chamfered edges and lugs to improve dry and wet steering stability performance. The tire has a tread pattern with interior grooves and lugs to provide wet traction, but the edges of those features are chamfered to maintain dry traction. The chamfering of the lugs and grooves allows for more uniform rigidity across the tire which improves dry steering stability. The chamfering also prevents hydroplaning by reducing water pressure buildup in the grooves.
20. Pneumatic Tire with Multi-Curved Outer Edge Profiles for Balanced Steering Stability
The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD., 2023
A pneumatic tire that provides balanced wet and dry steering stability by shaping the profile of the tire, specifically the outer edges. The tire has a profile between the ground contact edges that is between 20-35% of the total profile width. The outer side profiles are formed by at least four curved lines of different shapes. This shaping reduces differences in ground contact pressure across the tire width compared to a uniform profile, improving dry steering stability without compromising wet stability.
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Vehicles with improved tread patterns, rubber compositions, and innovative structural designs are made safer and more dependable by these developments. The goal of tire technology advancements is still to produce performance gains that satisfy the demands of contemporary driving while maintaining long-term safety and durability.