Modern tire designs must accommodate increasing vehicle weights while maintaining safety margins. Heavy-duty applications now require tires to support static loads exceeding 7,500 kg per tire, with dynamic loads during acceleration and cornering introducing additional stress factors. These demands push traditional pneumatic designs to their structural limits.

The fundamental challenge lies in developing tire architectures that can transfer higher loads while maintaining acceptable deflection characteristics, heat generation, and wear patterns.

This page brings together solutions from recent research—including reinforced non-pneumatic support structures, advanced shear band designs, optimized belt configurations, and novel bead architectures. These and other approaches demonstrate how load capacity can be enhanced while preserving tire durability and performance characteristics.

1. Light Truck Tire with Dual Ring-Shaped Metal Braided Reinforcements and Symmetrical Sidewall Patterns

HUBEI JINTIAN TYRE CO LTD, 2024

A high wear-resistant light truck tire with two metal braided structures inside the tire body. The tire has symmetrical stripes and patterns on the outer sidewall. The metal braids are ring-shaped and evenly placed inside the tire. They provide reinforcement to resist wear in high load and rough road conditions.

2. Passenger Car Tire with Extended Inward Carcass Reinforcement and Optimized Sidewall Height

Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin, COMPANY GENERAL DETA BRISSMAN MICHELIN, 2023

A passenger car tire with higher load capacity than standard tires of the same size without sacrificing space or comfort. The tire has a carcass reinforcement that extends further inward than usual relative to the tire's size. This allows the tire to withstand higher loads than a standard tire of the same size without increasing inflation pressure. The tire also has a sidewall height and carcass construction that enable it to maintain similar space and performance characteristics compared to the standard tire.

JP2023544751A-patent-drawing

3. Passenger Car Tire with Enhanced Load Index and Standard Dimensions

Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin, COMPANY GENERAL DETA BRISSMAN MICHELIN, 2023

Tire design that allows a passenger car tire to carry higher loads without needing higher inflation pressures. The tire has a load index greater than that of a standard tire of the same size and construction. This provides increased load capacity without sacrificing compactness or comfort. The tire maintains the same dimensions as a standard tire of the same size and aspect ratio. The higher load capacity allows using larger batteries for electric vehicles without needing larger tires or higher pressures. The tire can have a distinctive marking like "HL" or "XL+" to indicate the higher load capacity.

JP2023544389A-patent-drawing

4. Curved Flexible Membrane Support Structure with Reinforced Joints for Non-Pneumatic Tires

COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, 2023

Resilient, reinforced support structure for non-pneumatic tires that improves durability and load transmission. The support has a curved, flexible membrane connecting the inner and outer joints. The curved shape allows the support to flex and absorb impacts while maintaining radial stiffness. The joints connect to tire components like hubs and tread bands.

5. Spring Tire with Shape Memory Alloy Springs and Variable Stiffness Tread

The SMART Tire Company Inc., 2023

A spring tire that provides improved load-carrying capacity, climbing ability, flotation, and traction compared to previous non-pneumatic tires. The tire uses shape memory alloy springs in the main body, tread, and bump stop. The tread has variable stiffness springs to create uneven deflection and form tread lugs when pressured. The bump stop contacts the rim to prevent over-deflection. The springs are interconnected to distribute the load around the rim. This allows top and bottom loading for increased capacity. The tire also has a spoked rim and integrated lugs for weight reduction.

US20230241919A1-patent-drawing

6. Non-Pneumatic Tire with Reinforced Annular Bands and Wound Linear Reinforcement

HANKOOK TIRE & TECH CO LTD, HANKOOK TIRE & TECHNOLOGY CO LTD, 2023

Non-pneumatic tire design for vehicles that doesn't require air pressure. The tire has a structure with reinforced annular bands adjacent to the tread that provide load support and uniform contact pressure. It also has a reinforcing belt formed by winding a linear reinforcement around the outer annular band to improve durability, rotational resistance, and lateral stiffness. This allows a non-pneumatic tire with maneuverability similar to pneumatic tires and efficient load support without air.

7. Pneumatic Tire with Belt Layer and Mercaptocarboxylic Acid Compound Rubber for High Load Capacity and Low Rolling Resistance

BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION, 2023

High-strength, load-carrying pneumatic tire with low rolling resistance for small shuttles and other vehicles. The tire has an outer diameter of 350-600 mm and a belt layer to support high loads. It also contains a rubber compound with a mercaptocarboxylic acid compound to improve rolling resistance (fuel efficiency) and rubber strength. The tire design allows for a large rim diameter relative to the outer diameter to maximize load capacity while saving space.

8. Truck Tire with Enhanced Crown Structure Featuring Thicker Center Rib Section

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, 2023

A truck tire with improved crown durability and increased load-carrying capacity. The tire has a tread with a thicker center rib section compared to the shoulder sections. This provides a stronger crown area for better durability and load-carrying capacity.

9. Truck Tire with Multiple Circumferential Ribs, Wide Grooves, and Reinforced Crown Area

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, 2023

A truck tire with improved crown durability and increased load-carrying capacity. The tire has a new tread pattern with unique features like multiple circumferential ribs and wide grooves to increase the contact area with the road. This provides better traction and reduces wear. The wider grooves also help with heat dissipation, which improves durability. Additionally, the tire has a reinforced crown area with thicker rubber to handle higher loads.

10. Belt Reinforcement Structure with Angled and Zigzag Belts for Truck Tire Tread

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, 2023

A truck tire design with improved load-carrying capacity and durability. The tire has a tread, sidewalls, and beads. It features a belt reinforcement structure under the tread, with two angled working belts and a zigzag belt. The belts are oriented at angles of 10-50 degrees from the circumferential direction. This configuration allows the tire to carry heavier loads without excessive tread wear, providing improved crown durability.

11. Bead Structure with Overlapping Contention Armature for Heavy-Duty Truck Tires

Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin, 2023

Bead design for heavy-duty truck tires to improve endurance and prevent carcass damage. The bead features a contention armature that overlaps itself on the outer side of the bead core rod. This overlapping armature provides additional reinforcement and prevents relative movement between the bead core and rubber components, reducing stress on the carcass and increasing bead endurance.

US11673431B2-patent-drawing

12. Reinforced Annular Beam and Thermoplastic Elastomer Support Structure in Non-Pneumatic Tire

Patrick F. KING, Christopher MAST, John DUTY, 2023

The invention is a non-pneumatic tire (NPT) with improved load-carrying capacity, damage tolerance, and speed capability compared to previous NPT designs. It achieves this through a reinforced annular beam that supports the load and extends radially inward to a thermoplastic elastomer annular support and rim. The annular beam is reinforced to prevent excessive deflection. The annular support is molded after the beam to create prestrain when it contracts upon cooling. This prestrain prevents excessive deflection under load. The rim lacks reinforcement to allow radial deflection.

13. Non-Pneumatic Tire and Wheel Assembly with Integrated Spoke Grid and Outer Flexible Tread Band

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, 2023

A non-pneumatic tire and wheel assembly provides a long-lasting, efficient, and comfortable alternative to traditional pneumatic tires that can go flat. The non-pneumatic tire has an outer flexible tread band with a grid of load-carrying spokes inside. The spokes are made of a material having a higher stiffness than the tread band. This allows the spokes to support the load and carry it like a traditional pneumatic tire, while the tread band provides contact with the road. The non-pneumatic tire can be molded in one piece for simplicity and cost efficiency.

US20230144132A1-patent-drawing

14. Lightweight Annular Tread with Synthetic Fiber Cord Belt Layers for Non-Pneumatic Tires

GUANGDONG YUEGANG AODAWAN HUANGPU MATERIAL RES INSTITUTE, GUANGDONG YUEGANG AODAWAN HUANGPU MATERIAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, 2023

A lightweight, high-load annular tread for non-pneumatic tires that provides good stiffness and load-bearing performance while reducing weight compared to conventional treads. The tread uses a unique cord material for the belt layers instead of steel wire. The cord material is a synthetic fiber that balances strength and weight, allowing fewer layers to meet the load requirements. This reduces the overall weight of the tread compared to traditional steel-cord treads with more layers. The lightweight tread can be used in non-pneumatic tires to improve performance, reduce heat generation, and lower energy consumption compared to heavy steel-cord treads.

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15. Tire with Reinforced Crown and Flexible Shoulder Regions

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, 2023

A pneumatic tire for vehicles like trucks that has improved durability and load-carrying capacity. The tire has a tread with a crown region and shoulder region. The crown region is reinforced with additional rubber material to increase its durability. The shoulder regions have a lower rubber thickness to allow for more flexing and deformation, which increases the tire's load-carrying capacity. The combination of strengthening the crown and allowing more flex in the shoulders enhances the tire's overall durability and load capacity.

US20230064757A1-patent-drawing

16. Dual-Strand Reinforced Tire Cord with Opposing Helical Winding and Incomplete External Layer for Enhanced Elastomer Penetration

COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, 2023

A reinforced tire cord that balances strength and flexibility while allowing good elastomer penetration. The cord has an internal strand surrounded by an external strand. The external strand is wound in the opposite direction to the internal strand. The external strand has an incomplete layer - the outer wires don't touch. This creates gaps for elastomer to penetrate between the strands. The internal strand's wires have larger diameters towards the center to help elastomer flow. The cord is used in heavy-duty vehicle tires.

US11578459B1-patent-drawing

17. Bias Tire with Carcass Structure Featuring Outer Ply Extension and Dual Ply Bead Reinforcement

CHEMCHINA SHUGUANG RUBBER INDUSTRY RES AND DESIGN INSTITUTE CO LTD, CHEMCHINA SHUGUANG RUBBER INDUSTRY RESEARCH AND DESIGN INSTITUTE CO LTD, 2023

A bias tire design with improved rigidity and load-carrying capacity at the tire side and bead areas. The carcass structure has an outer ply extending to the tire heels, a positive ply wrapping the traveler, and a turned-up ply wrapping the traveler. This provides additional reinforcement at the critical sidewall and bead regions compared to traditional bias tires with just a turn-up ply. The outer ply extending to the heels increases rigidity there, while the positive and turned-up plies around the bead improve load-carrying capacity.

CN115610164A-patent-drawing

18. Heavy Duty Tire with Laminated Cushioning Layer and Multi-Ply Belt Construction

Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES LTD, 2022

Heavy duty tire design with improved ground contact shape stability and reduced load on the tread while achieving weight reduction compared to conventional heavy duty tires. The tire has a unique cushioning layer arrangement and belt construction. The cushioning layer is laminated radially inward of the belt edges to prevent jumping of the belt when inflated. The belt has three plies with the inner ply closest to the carcass. The outer ply has thicker hump portions that transition to the inner ply. This prevents load transfer to the tread. The cushioning layer thickness is 2.2-2.8mm. The band between belts is wider than the belts. This stabilizes the ground contact shape.

JP7151917B1-patent-drawing

19. Tire with Epitaxial Tread Extension on Shoulder for Increased Width and Thickness

SHANDONG LINGLONG TYRE CO LTD, 2022

High-pass tire with enhanced resistance to cutting and puncturing on gravel roads. The tire has an epitaxial tread extension on the shoulder region. This extension increases the width of the shoulder by 2-8mm on each side compared to the original tread width. The extension also has a thickness of 2-8mm. This increases the contact area and overall thickness of the shoulder, improving load resistance, strength, and cutting/puncture resistance compared to a standard tire.

20. Radial Tire with Composite Top Reinforcement Featuring Rigid and Low Modulus Layers for Heavy Vehicles

COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, MICHELIN & CIE, 2022

Radial tire for heavy vehicles like construction equipment that simplifies the tire design to reduce weight without sacrificing performance. The top reinforcement of the tire has a composite structure with a rigid layer and a low modulus layer. The low modulus layer is wider and outermost. This configuration provides two functions: absorbing inflation stresses and preventing buckling of the carcass cables. The ratio of the rigid layer's stress to the low modulus layer's stress is 1.2. The rigid layer has high tensile strength and the low modulus layer has low elastic modulus. This allows the low modulus layer to deform more than the rigid layer to absorb inflation stresses. The triangulation layer between them prevents overlapping ends. The tire also has a lining layer with angled reinforcements to absorb inflation stresses.

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21. Tire Shear Band with Angled Reinforcement Cords and Lightweight High-Strength Materials

22. Heavy-Duty Truck Tire with Dual-Pattern Tread and Reinforced Multi-Layer Structure

23. Pneumatic Radial Tire with Steel Wire Buffer Layer, Grooved Outer Sidewall, and Bead Apex Configuration

24. Non-Pneumatic Tire with Woven Fabric Reinforcing Structure Featuring Circumferential Cords and Overlapping Portions

25. Tire with Integrated Pressure Ring and Steel Ring for Dual Inflation Modes

New developments in tire design show how much progress has been made in increasing load capacity in a variety of applications. The issues of carrying enormous loads while maintaining safety and performance are addressed by these innovations through the integration of new materials and structural systems.

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