GB2326387A - Tyre treads - Google Patents

Tyre treads Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2326387A
GB2326387A GB9713161A GB9713161A GB2326387A GB 2326387 A GB2326387 A GB 2326387A GB 9713161 A GB9713161 A GB 9713161A GB 9713161 A GB9713161 A GB 9713161A GB 2326387 A GB2326387 A GB 2326387A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
groove
protrusions
tyre according
tyre
radially
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB9713161A
Other versions
GB2326387B (en
GB9713161D0 (en
Inventor
Christopher Mark Cockbill
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd
Original Assignee
Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd filed Critical Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd
Priority to GB9713161A priority Critical patent/GB2326387B/en
Publication of GB9713161D0 publication Critical patent/GB9713161D0/en
Publication of GB2326387A publication Critical patent/GB2326387A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2326387B publication Critical patent/GB2326387B/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60C—VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES
    • B60C11/00—Tyre tread bands; Tread patterns; Anti-skid inserts
    • B60C11/03—Tread patterns
    • B60C11/04—Tread patterns in which the raised area of the pattern consists only of continuous circumferential ribs, e.g. zig-zag
    • B60C11/042—Tread patterns in which the raised area of the pattern consists only of continuous circumferential ribs, e.g. zig-zag further characterised by the groove cross-section
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60C—VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES
    • B60C11/00—Tyre tread bands; Tread patterns; Anti-skid inserts
    • B60C11/03—Tread patterns
    • B60C11/04—Tread patterns in which the raised area of the pattern consists only of continuous circumferential ribs, e.g. zig-zag
    • B60C11/042—Tread patterns in which the raised area of the pattern consists only of continuous circumferential ribs, e.g. zig-zag further characterised by the groove cross-section
    • B60C11/047—Tread patterns in which the raised area of the pattern consists only of continuous circumferential ribs, e.g. zig-zag further characterised by the groove cross-section the groove bottom comprising stone trapping protection elements, e.g. ribs

Abstract

A tyre, particularly a truck tyre, has on the bottom 4 of its tread grooves 1 radially outwardly extending protrusions 5 each having a curved surface to assist in prevention of stone trapping. Preferably each protrusion has a hemi-spherical surface.

Description

IMPROVENENTS TO TYRES The present invention relates to tyres and particularly but not exclusively to heavy duty tyres such as those used on buses or trucks.
The ground contacting rubber tread portion of a tyre is usually provided with grooves of various kinds which serve both to clear water from the tyre/ground contact area and to assist in the transmission of steering and tractive forces.
The tread grooves of truck and bus tyres are relatively wide and deep. Accordingly such grooves are susceptible, particularly when the tyre is new, to trapping small stones or flints which can both inhibit the water clearing ability of the groove and also may damage and initiates cracking of the tread rubber or groove base.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to deter the entrapment of stones in tyre tread grooves and thus prevent damage to the tread rubber.
According to the present invention there is provided a tyre having a ground contacting tread provided with at least one tread groove wherein the groove bottom is provided with a plurality of radially outwardly extending discrete protrusions, which are unconnected to the groove sidewalls and which have a curved radially outer surface.
In a preferred arrangement the protrusions have a spherical shape and project outwardly to a maximum height of between 5% and 30% of the maximum depth of the groove. In a most preferred arrangement the protrusions have a hemi-spherical surface, project outwardly by 12% of the groove depth, have a width of 60% of the width of the bottom of the groove and cover a projected area of 17% of that of the groove bottom.
Further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description, by way of example only, of one embodiment in conjunction with the attached drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic drawing of a portion of a tread groove of a tyre according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic drawing of the crosssection of the groove of Figure 1 taken in the plane A-A'; and Figure 3 is a schematic drawing of the crosssection of the groove of Figure 1 taken in the plane B-B'.
Shown in Figure 1 is a tyre tread groove 1 having a truncated V-shape cross-section . with straight inclined sidewalls 2 and 3 connected to a flat bottom 4 by a small radius R.
The groove bottom 4 is provided with a plurality of integrally formed protrusions 5 which are disposed centrally with respect to the groove axial direction and equi-spaced with respect to the groove longitudinal direction.
Each of the protrusions 5 has a hemi-spherical shape and projects radially outwardly of the groove bottom by a distance PH of between 5 and 30% of the maximum depth GD of the groove. In this embodiment the projecting height PH is 12% of the groove maximum depth GD.
The protrusions 5 are disposed centrally with respect to the axial centreline GCL of the groove 1 and have an axial width PW of at least 40% of the width BW of the groove bottom 4. In this embodiment the protrusions has a width PW of 60% of the groove bottom width BW.
Spaced equi-distantly along the groove bottom the protrusions preferably occupy between 8% and 50% of the projected area of the groove bottom. In this embodiment the hemi-spherical protrusions 5 occupy 17% of the area of the groove bottom 4.
Preferably the protrusions of the invention occupy a total volume of between 0.8% and 5% of the total groove volume. In this embodiment the protrusion occupy 1.0% of the total groove volume.
Protrusions from the groove bottom as described above have shown to be effective in deferring stone trapping and preventing damage to the groove bottom, whilst having minimal interference with the main functions of the tread groove.

Claims (11)

1. A tyre having a ground contacting tread provided with at least one tread groove having two groove sidewalls and a groove bottom wherein the groove bottom is provided with .a plurality of radially outwardly extending discrete protrusions having a curved radially outer surface, said protrusions being unconnected to the groove sidewalls.
2. A tyre according to claim 1, wherein the protrusions have a part-spherical radially outer surface.
3. A tyre according to claim 2, wherein the protrusions have a hemi-spherical surface.
4. A tyre according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protrusions project radially outwardly from the groove bottom to a maximum height of between 5% and 30% of the maximum depth of the groove.
5. A tyre in accordance with claim 4, wherein the protrusions project radially outward by 12% of the maximum groove depth.
6. A tyre according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the maximum width of the protrusion is greater than 40% of the width of the groove bottom both widths being measured normal to the longitudinal direction of the groove.
7. A tyre according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the radially projected area of the protrusions is between 8% and 70% of the total radially projected are of the groove.bottom.
8. A tyre according to claim 7, wherein the radially projected area of the protrusion is 17% of the radially projected are of the groove bottom.
9. A tyre according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the protrusions occupy a volume of between 0.8% and 5% of the volume of the groove.
10. A tyre according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the protrusions occupy a volume of 1.0% of the volume of the groove.
11. A tyre according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the groove has a bottom which is flat in axial cross-section.
GB9713161A 1997-06-19 1997-06-19 Improvements to tyres Expired - Lifetime GB2326387B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9713161A GB2326387B (en) 1997-06-19 1997-06-19 Improvements to tyres

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9713161A GB2326387B (en) 1997-06-19 1997-06-19 Improvements to tyres

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB9713161D0 GB9713161D0 (en) 1997-08-27
GB2326387A true GB2326387A (en) 1998-12-23
GB2326387B GB2326387B (en) 2001-08-29

Family

ID=10814742

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB9713161A Expired - Lifetime GB2326387B (en) 1997-06-19 1997-06-19 Improvements to tyres

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2326387B (en)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20140090761A1 (en) * 2011-02-17 2014-04-03 Compagnie Generale Des Establissments Michelin Tire tread for a trailer-type heavy vehicle and molding component
US8776847B2 (en) 2007-12-21 2014-07-15 Michelin Recherche Et Technique S.A. Mechanisms for ejecting objects from a tire tread
EP3102438A4 (en) * 2014-02-04 2017-09-20 Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC Rounded stone ejectors

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB655710A (en) * 1949-09-17 1951-08-01 Dunlop Rubber Co Improvements in or relating to pneumatic tyres
GB903389A (en) * 1957-09-30 1962-08-15 Pirelli Improvements in or relating to pneumatic tyres
GB1236335A (en) * 1968-02-22 1971-06-23 Pneumatiques Caoutchouc Mfg Improvements in or relating to tyres for the driving wheels of agricultural tractors and like vehicles
GB1388534A (en) * 1971-08-23 1975-03-26 Goodrich Co B F Tyre having a reduced capacity for picking up mud
US5375640A (en) * 1992-03-09 1994-12-27 Harms; Mark J. Pneumatic tire for offroad vehicles
US5375639A (en) * 1991-07-10 1994-12-27 The Yokohhama Rubber Co., Ltd. Pneumatic tire

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP3273742B2 (en) * 1997-02-14 2002-04-15 住友ゴム工業株式会社 Pneumatic tire

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB655710A (en) * 1949-09-17 1951-08-01 Dunlop Rubber Co Improvements in or relating to pneumatic tyres
GB903389A (en) * 1957-09-30 1962-08-15 Pirelli Improvements in or relating to pneumatic tyres
GB1236335A (en) * 1968-02-22 1971-06-23 Pneumatiques Caoutchouc Mfg Improvements in or relating to tyres for the driving wheels of agricultural tractors and like vehicles
GB1388534A (en) * 1971-08-23 1975-03-26 Goodrich Co B F Tyre having a reduced capacity for picking up mud
US5375639A (en) * 1991-07-10 1994-12-27 The Yokohhama Rubber Co., Ltd. Pneumatic tire
US5375640A (en) * 1992-03-09 1994-12-27 Harms; Mark J. Pneumatic tire for offroad vehicles

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8776847B2 (en) 2007-12-21 2014-07-15 Michelin Recherche Et Technique S.A. Mechanisms for ejecting objects from a tire tread
US20140090761A1 (en) * 2011-02-17 2014-04-03 Compagnie Generale Des Establissments Michelin Tire tread for a trailer-type heavy vehicle and molding component
EP3102438A4 (en) * 2014-02-04 2017-09-20 Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC Rounded stone ejectors

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2326387B (en) 2001-08-29
GB9713161D0 (en) 1997-08-27

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PE20 Patent expired after termination of 20 years

Expiry date: 20170618