JP2010285103A - Tire for motorcycle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance durability by preventing tread rubber from being exfoliated and damaged. <P>SOLUTION: A tire for motorcycle 1 is provided with a tread rubber 2G made of a strip laminate 11 and specified with a tire rotational direction R. An outer surface 2S of a tread 2 is formed with only oblique grooves 12 slanting from the tire equator C side toward the tread end 2t side as going toward the later grounding side in the tire rotational direction. The oblique grooves 12 are provided, on both sides of the tire equator C, with first oblique grooves 13 each having an inner end 13i in the tire axial direction positioned in the neighborhood R1 of the tire equator C and an outer end 13o in the tire axial direction positioned in the neighborhood R2 of the tread end 2t. Each of the first oblique grooves 13 includes: an inner side section 13A slanting at an angle θ1 of 5-40° from the inner end 13i with respect to the tire circumferential direction; a middle section 13B continuing from this inner side section 13A, slanting at an angle θ2 larger than the angle θ1; and an outer side section 13C continuing from this middle section 13B, slanting at an angle θ3 larger than the angle θ2, and extending to the outer end 13o. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a motorcycle tire capable of improving durability by preventing tread rubber peeling damage and the like while maintaining wet performance.

  In recent years, a pneumatic tire having a tread rubber made of a strip laminated body formed by spirally winding a belt-shaped rubber strip in the tire circumferential direction is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). Such a tread rubber has an advantage that uniformity is improved as compared with a tread rubber formed by splicing both ends of a rubber member extruded integrally.

JP 2007-181931 A

  FIG. 6A is a development view of a tread portion a of a motorcycle tire having a tread rubber g formed using the above-described strip laminated body, and FIG. 6B is an enlarged perspective view of an X portion thereof. In each figure, the broken line indicates the interface of the rubber strip b.

  In general, the outer surface of the tread portion a of a motorcycle tire is subjected to an oblique external force f from the tire equator c side to the tread end e side toward the rear arrival side of the tire rotation direction r when rotating in contact with the road surface. receive. For this reason, as in the portion X, the inclined groove d extending substantially at right angles to the external force f is oriented so that the rubber strip b is peeled off the groove edge dt on the rear landing side of the tire rotation direction r. Power works. The rubber strips b of the tread rubber g are integrated with each other by vulcanization, but the bonding strength is relatively weak at the interface bs portion of the rubber strip b. Therefore, in the inclined groove d as described above, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 6B, there is a problem that damage such as a part of the rubber strip b is peeled off at the groove edge dt on the rear arrival side. was there.

  The present invention has been devised in view of the actual situation as described above, and a tread rubber formed by winding a narrow rubber strip in a spiral shape in the tire circumferential direction on a tread rubber from the tire equator side. Only the inclined grooves that incline toward the rear side in the tire rotation direction toward the end side are formed, and the inner end in the tire axial direction of the inclined grooves is located in the vicinity of the tire equator and the outer side in the tire axial direction. By limiting the angle with respect to the tire circumferential direction of the first inclined groove whose end is located in the vicinity of the tread end to a certain range, while maintaining wet performance, it prevents the tread rubber from being peeled and damaged. The main purpose is to provide a motorcycle tire that can improve durability.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the outer surface between the tread ends is curved in a convex arc shape outward in the radial direction of the tire, and the tread width which is the tire axial distance between the tread ends is the tire maximum. A motorcycle tire having a specified tire rotation direction and a tread rubber disposed in the tread portion is formed by spirally winding a narrow strip of rubber strip in the tire circumferential direction. It consists of a laminate, and on the outer surface of the tread portion, only an inclined groove that is inclined from the tire equator side toward the tread end side toward the tire rotation direction rearward side is formed, and the inclined groove is in the tire axial direction. The first end of the tire is located near the tire equator and the outer end in the tire axial direction is located near the tread end. The first inclined groove includes an inner portion that is inclined at an angle θ1 of 5 to 40 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction from the inner end, and an angle of 30 to 65 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction that is connected to the inner portion. And an intermediate portion inclined at an angle θ2 larger than the angle θ1, and an outer portion extending from the intermediate portion to the outer end at an angle θ3 of 45 to 85 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction and the angle θ2 or more. It is characterized by comprising.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the first inclined groove extends in a center region in which the inner portion is a developed width region of 1/3 of a tread deployed width centered on the tire equator, and the outer portion is It is desirable that a shoulder region, which is a developed width region of 1/6 of the tread developed width, extends from the tread end toward the tire equator side, and the middle portion extends a middle region between the center region and the shoulder region.

In the tread rubber, the rubber hardness Ga of the center region, the rubber hardness Gb of the middle region, and the rubber hardness Gc of the shoulder region satisfy the following relationship. Is desirable.
Rubber hardness Ga ≧ rubber hardness Gb ≧ rubber hardness Gc (1)
Rubber hardness Ga> Rubber hardness Gc (2)

  In the present specification, unless otherwise specified, the dimensions and the like of each part of the tire are values specified in a normal state with no load loaded with a normal rim and filled with a normal internal pressure. The “regular rim” is a rim determined for each tire in the standard system including the standard on which the tire is based. For example, “Standard Rim” for JATMA, “Design Rim” for TRA. For ETRTO, use "Measuring Rim". Furthermore, “regular internal pressure” is the air pressure that each standard defines for each tire in the standard system including the standard on which the tire is based. “JAMATA” is the “highest air pressure”, TRA is the table “TIRE LOAD” Maximum value described in “LIMITS AT VARIOUS COLD INFLATION PRESSURES”, “INFLATION PRESSURE” for ETRTO.

  Moreover, in this specification, rubber hardness shall be durometer A hardness measured by durometer type A based on JIS-K6253.

  The motorcycle tire of the present invention comprises a strip laminated body in which a tread rubber disposed in a tread portion is formed by spirally winding a narrow strip rubber strip in the tire circumferential direction, and an outer surface of the tread portion. Further, only an inclined groove that is inclined from the tire equator side toward the tread end side toward the rear arrival side in the tire rotation direction is formed. The inclined groove has an inner portion inclined at an angle θ1 of 5 to 40 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction from the inner end, and an angle of 30 to 65 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction connected to the inner portion and at an angle θ1. A first slope composed of an intermediate portion inclined at a larger angle θ2 and an outer portion extending from the intermediate portion to the outer end at an angle θ3 of 45 to 85 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction and at an angle θ3 equal to or greater than the angle θ2. Including grooves. In this way, all the inclined grooves are inclined in a specific direction, and the first inclined groove having a long length is formed along the external force received when the outer surface of the tread portion contacts the road surface. It is possible to effectively suppress damage such as peeling of the rubber strip at the groove edge on the rear arrival side of the groove in the tire rotation direction. Therefore, the durability of the tread rubber is improved.

  Further, the first inclined groove has an inner end in the tire axial direction located in the vicinity of the tire equator and an outer end in the tire axial direction is located in the vicinity of the tread end, so that the outer surface of the tread portion and the road surface The water film in between can be efficiently guided to the tread end side by the pressure accompanying the grounding of the tire and drained. Accordingly, excellent wet performance can be exhibited.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one embodiment of a motorcycle tire of the present invention. It is a perspective view of a rubber strip. FIG. 2 is a tread development view in which a part of the tread pattern of FIG. 1 is developed on a plane. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3. (A) is a figure which shows the angle of the 1st inclination groove | channel of an Example, (b)-(e) is a figure which shows the angle of the 1st inclination groove | channel of a comparative example. (A) The tread expansion | deployment figure of the conventional pneumatic tire, (b) is the expansion perspective view of the X section.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, a motorcycle tire 1 according to this embodiment includes a carcass 6 that extends from a tread portion 2 through a sidewall portion 3 to a bead core 5 of a bead portion 4, and the outer side of the carcass 6 in the tire radial direction. And the tread reinforcement layer 7 distribute | arranged inside the tread part 2 is provided. The motorcycle tire 1 is formed for a rear wheel in which a tire rotation direction R (shown in FIG. 3) when mounted on a vehicle is designated. FIG. 1 shows a normal state of the motorcycle tire 1.

  Also, in the motorcycle tire 1, the outer surface 2S between the tread ends 2t and 2t of the tread portion 2 is convex outward in the tire radial direction so that a sufficient contact area can be obtained even when turning with a camber angle. While being formed in a circular arc shape, in the normal state, the tread width TW, which is the distance in the tire axial direction between the tread ends 2t and 2t, forms the maximum tire width. Note that, as described above, the outer surface 2S of the curved tread portion 2 has an oblique external force from the tire equator C side to the tread end 2t side toward the rear arrival side of the tire rotation direction R as described above. F (see FIG. 3).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the carcass 6 is composed of, for example, one carcass ply 6A. In the present embodiment, the carcass ply 6A is folded back around the bead core 5 and the main body 6a extending from the tread portion 2 through the sidewall portion 3 to the bead core 5 embedded in the bead portion 4, and the main body portion 6a. And a folded portion 6b. Further, the carcass ply 6A has a carcass cord arranged at an angle of, for example, 75 to 90 °, more preferably 80 to 90 ° with respect to the tire equator C. The carcass cord includes, for example, nylon, An organic fiber cord such as polyester or rayon is preferably used. A bead apex 8 made of hard rubber is disposed between the main body portion 6a and the folded portion 6b of the carcass ply 6A.

  The tread reinforcing layer 7 includes two belt plies 7A and 7B in the tire radial direction in which the belt cords are inclined with respect to the tire equator C at a small angle of, for example, 10 to 40 °. It is configured to overlap in the direction to be. In addition, as the belt cord, for example, a steel cord, aramid, rayon, or the like is preferably used.

  The tread portion 2 is provided with a tread rubber 2G on the outside of the tread reinforcing layer 7, and the sidewall portion 3 is provided with a sidewall rubber 3G on the outside of the carcass 6.

  The tread rubber 2G is formed by winding a narrow and strip-shaped rubber strip GS as shown in FIG. 2 in a spiral shape in the tire circumferential direction, for example, at a small angle of 5 degrees or less with respect to the tire circumferential direction. It is formed from the strip laminate 11.

  The rubber strip GS of the present embodiment is formed in a substantially rectangular cross section having a width W larger than the thickness t. Although not particularly limited, it is desirable that the width W of the rubber strip GS is about 5 to 30 mm and the thickness t is about 0.3 to 1.5 mm in view of productivity and handling properties.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the outer surface 2S of the tread portion 2 is formed only with an inclined groove 12 that is inclined from the tire equator C side to the tread ends 2t, 2t on both sides toward the rear arrival side of the tire rotation direction R. Is done. In addition, the groove | channel said here means what has the depth and groove width which affect drainage. Accordingly, in the tread portion 2 of the motorcycle tire of the present invention, the groove width of sipe and the shallow groove for decoration having a depth of 2 mm or less are not limited to the above-mentioned restrictions. Can be provided.

  The inclined groove 12 of the present embodiment includes a first inclined groove 13 having the longest length and spaced in the tire circumferential direction, and a second inclined groove disposed between the first inclined grooves 13 and 13. 14 and the third inclined groove 15 are formed. The inclined grooves 13, 14, 15 are preferably formed in a line-symmetric arrangement or a line-symmetric arrangement with a pattern shift in the tire circumferential direction on the outer surface 2S of the tread portion 2 on both sides of the tire equator C. Thereby, the imbalance of the rigidity at the time of turning right and left can be prevented.

  3 and 4, the first inclined groove 13 has an inner end 13i in the tire axial direction located in the vicinity R1 of the tire equator C, and an outer end 13o in the tire axial direction. Is located in the vicinity R2 of the tread end 2t. Thus, since the first inclined groove 13 has a large length from the vicinity of the tire equator C to the vicinity of the tread end 2t, the water between the outer surface 2S of the tread portion 2 and the road surface is grounded to the tire. With the pressure accompanying, it can guide and drain to the tread end 2t vicinity efficiently. Therefore, the wet performance of the tire can be improved.

  The above-mentioned “vicinity R1 of the tire equator C” naturally includes the inner end 13i on the tire equator C, but tread deployment width Td (shown in FIG. 3) 12 centered on the tire equator C. % Width region. Outside this range, the drainage near the tire equator may be reduced. Similarly, the “vicinity R2 near the tread end 2t” naturally includes on the tread end 2t, but includes at least a width region of 6% of the tread development width Td from the tread end 2t to the tire equator C side. Shall be. If the outer end 13o is positioned on the inner side in the tire axial direction from the vicinity R2 of the tread end 2t, there is a possibility that water between the outer surface 2S of the tread portion 2 and the road surface cannot be sufficiently drained to the outside of the tire.

  The first inclined groove 13 includes an inner portion 13A inclined at an angle θ1 of 5 to 40 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction from the inner end 13i, and 30 with respect to the tire circumferential direction. An intermediate portion 13B inclined at an angle θ2 of ˜65 degrees, and an outer portion extending to the outer end 13o at an angle θ3 of 45 to 85 degrees (provided that θ3 ≧ θ2) with respect to the tire circumferential direction. 13C. Thus, by defining the angle of each part of the first inclined groove 13, the first inclined groove 13 can be brought closer to the direction of the external force F described above.

  Thus, by forming the first inclined groove 13 having a large length along the direction of the external force F, the groove edge 13t on the rear landing side of the tire rotating direction R of the first inclined groove 13 is Mainly receiving a force parallel to the groove edge 13t, it hardly receives the action of a force for peeling the rubber strip GS as shown in FIG. Therefore, peeling damage starting from the rubber strip interface on the outer surface 2A of the tread rubber 2G is suppressed over a long period of time, and as a result, the durability of the tread rubber 2G is improved. The inner end 13i and the outer end 13o of the first inclined groove 13 are both formed in an arc shape in the developed view. Such groove end treatment is also effective in suppressing peeling damage of the rubber strip.

  In the first inclined groove 13 of the present embodiment, the inner portion 13A, the intermediate portion 13B, and the outer portion 13C are curved while smoothly changing the angle. In such an inclined groove, it is desirable that each of the inner portion 13A, the intermediate portion 13B, and the outer portion 13C be inclined and curved within the ranges of the angles θ1, θ2, and θ3. In this case, each angle θ1, θ2, and θ3 is measured with reference to the groove center line 13L of the first inclined groove 13. However, it goes without saying that the inner portion 12A, the intermediate portion 13B, and the outer portion 13C of the first inclined groove 13 may be formed in a straight line shape.

  In addition, in order to make the first inclined groove 13 follow along with the external force F, it is desirable to define the arrangement region of the inner portion 13A, the intermediate portion 13B, and the outer portion 13C. Specifically, the outer surface 2S of the tread portion 2 is connected to the tire equator from the center region Cr which is a developed width region 1/3 of the tread developed width Td (shown in FIG. 3) centering on the tire equator C, and the tread end 2t. When virtually divided into a shoulder region Sh which is a developed width region of 1/6 of the tread developed width Td on the C side and a middle region Md between the center region Cr and the shoulder region Sh, the inner portion 13A becomes the center region Cr. The outer portion 13C is preferably formed in the shoulder region Sh and the intermediate portion 13B is formed in the middle region Md. Accordingly, damage to the rubber strip GS is more reliably suppressed at the groove edge 13t on the arrival side of the first inclined groove 13.

Further, the external force F increases in proportion to the contact pressure of the outer surface 2S of the tread portion 2. That is, when traveling straight ahead, the magnitude of the external force F is larger toward the tire equator C side, in other words, the largest in the center region Cr, then the middle region Md, and the shoulder region Sh is smallest. Therefore, in order to suppress the peeling damage of the rubber strip by paying attention to the magnitude of the external force F, it is desirable to dispose rubber having a composition or hardness corresponding to the magnitude of the external force F. Specifically, it is preferable that the rubber hardness Ga of the center region Cr, the rubber hardness Gb of the middle region Md, and the rubber hardness Gc of the shoulder region Sh satisfy the following relational expressions (1) and (2). .
Rubber hardness Ga ≧ rubber hardness Gb ≧ rubber hardness Gc (1)
Rubber hardness Ga> Rubber hardness Gc (2)

  Thus, in the center region Cr having the largest external force F, when the rubber hardness is set larger than that in the shoulder region Sh having the smallest external force, the peeling damage of the rubber strip GS in the center region Cr is more effectively suppressed. At the same time, a sufficient initial grip performance can be obtained in the rubber of the relatively soft shoulder region Sh during turning. In order to vary the rubber hardness in this way, each region may be formed of rubber strips having different compositions.

  The rubber hardness Ga of the center region Cr is not particularly limited, but is preferably 60 degrees or more, more preferably, in order to ensure stability during straight running while sufficiently suppressing damage to the rubber strip GS. Is 62 degrees or more, more preferably 64 degrees or more, preferably 76 degrees or less, more preferably 74 degrees or less, and still more preferably 72 degrees or less.

  Further, the rubber hardness Gc of the shoulder region Sh is not particularly limited, but is preferably 56 degrees or more, more preferably in order to sufficiently exert the grip force during turning and to suppress damage to the rubber strip GS. Is preferably 58 degrees or more, more preferably 60 degrees or more, and preferably 72 degrees or less, more preferably 70 degrees or less, and even more preferably 68 degrees or less.

The rubber hardness Gb of the middle region Md is set to an intermediate hardness between the center region Cr and the shoulder region Sh, and a large change in rigidity and a change in grip force when moving from straight running to turning are alleviated. Therefore, it is preferably 58 degrees or more, more preferably 60 degrees or more, further preferably 62 degrees or more, preferably 74 degrees or less, more preferably 72 degrees or less, still more preferably 58 degrees or more. A rubber height of 70 degrees or less is desirable. That is, it is particularly desirable that the rubber hardness Ga of the center region Cr, the rubber hardness Gb of the middle region Md, and the rubber hardness Gc of the shoulder region Sh satisfy the following relational expression (3).
Rubber hardness Ga> Rubber hardness Gb> Rubber hardness Gc (3)

  The second inclined groove 14 includes a second inner portion 14A extending over the center region Cr and a second outer portion 14B extending over the middle region Md, and does not reach the shoulder region Sh. On the other hand, the third inclined groove 15 includes a third inner portion 15A extending over the middle region Md and a third outer portion 15B extending over the shoulder region Sh, and does not reach the center region Cr.

  The second inclined groove 14 and the third inclined groove 15 are provided so as to be misaligned in the tire circumferential direction without crossing each other. In this embodiment, in order to ensure wet performance and pattern rigidity of the tread portion, the first to third inclined grooves 13 to 15 are formed at substantially the same tire circumferential pitch.

  The second inner portion 14A is preferably inclined at the angle θ1, that is, 5 to 40 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction. The second outer portion 14B and the third inner portion 15A are preferably inclined at the angle θ2, that is, 30 to 65 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction. Furthermore, it is preferable that the third outer portion 15B is inclined at the angle θ3, that is, 45 to 85 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction.

  Further, the groove length along the groove center line of the second to third inclined grooves 14 and 15 is secured about 30 to 40% of the groove length along the groove center line of the first inclined groove 13. Is good.

  The second to third inclined grooves 14 and 15 as described above improve the drainage between the first inclined grooves 13 and 13 without causing a significant decrease in the pattern rigidity, and are substantially the same as the external force F. By inclining along the same direction, peeling damage of the rubber strip GS starting from the groove edge on each rear arrival side is suppressed.

  Each of the inclined grooves 12 has, for example, a groove width 12w of preferably 1 mm or more, more preferably 2 mm or more, further preferably 3 mm or more, preferably 10 mm or less, more preferably 9 mm or less, and further preferably 8 mm. The following is desirable. The groove depth (not shown) is preferably set to about 2 to 10 mm. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the groove width 12w of the inclination groove | channel 12 is set equally over the length direction of this inclination groove | channel 12, in order to improve the wet performance of this inclination groove | channel 12, for example, You may make it gradually increase toward the tread end 2t side.

  As mentioned above, although especially preferable embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited to embodiment of illustration, It can deform | transform and implement in a various aspect.

A motorcycle tire having the tire structure shown in FIG. 1 and having the tread rubber shown in Table 1 is manufactured as a trial, and each sample tire is mounted on the rear wheel of a motorcycle (displacement 1000 cc) under the following conditions. The performance of was compared. The front wheels were the same in each example.
Tire size: 190 / 50R17
Rim size: 17 x MT6.00
Internal pressure: 290 kPa
Number of pitches in the tire circumferential direction of the first inclined groove: 15
The test method is as follows.

<Number of peeled rubber strips>
Each test tire was mounted on the motorcycle under the above-mentioned conditions, and the asphalt road surface was subjected to steady circular turning in the same direction at a speed of 80 km / h with a radius of 40 m. Then, at each point of 40 laps and 80 laps, the number of all damages that were considered to be caused by peeling of the rubber strip at the groove edge of the first inclined groove inside the turning was examined. In the evaluation, in the first inclined groove, one of the rubber strips damaged for each of the center region Cr, the middle region Md, and the shoulder region Sh was counted as “1”. In addition, it shows that the number of damage is so small that a numerical value is small, and durability of tread rubber is favorable.

<Wet performance>
On the asphalt road surface with a radius of 40m, on the course provided with a puddle with a depth of 5mm and a length of 20m, the above motorcycle was entered while increasing the speed stepwise, and the lateral acceleration (lateral G) was measured, 50-80km The average lateral G of the rear wheels at a speed of / h was calculated. A result is displayed by the index | exponent which sets the comparative example 1 to 100, and it is so favorable that a numerical value is large.
The test results are shown in Table 1.

  As a result of the test, it was confirmed that the pneumatic tire of the example can suppress the peeling damage of the rubber strip and can improve the durability of the tread rubber. Moreover, it was confirmed that the pneumatic tires of the examples can maintain the wet performance.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Motorcycle tire 2 Tread part 2G Tread rubber 2S Outer surface 12 Inclined groove 13 First inclined groove 13A Inner part 13B Middle part 13C Outer part

Claims (3)

The outer surface between the tread ends is curved in a convex arc shape outward in the tire radial direction, and the tread width, which is the tire axial distance between the tread ends, is the maximum tire width, and the tire rotation direction is specified automatically. A tire for a motorcycle,
The tread rubber disposed in the tread portion is composed of a strip laminate formed by spirally winding a narrow strip rubber strip in the tire circumferential direction,
On the outer surface of the tread portion, only an inclined groove that is inclined from the tire equator side toward the tread end side toward the tire arrival direction toward the rear arrival side, and
The inclined groove has a first inclined groove on both sides of the tire equator, the inner end of the tire axial direction being positioned in the vicinity of the tire equator, and the outer end of the tire axial direction being positioned in the vicinity of the tread end.
The first inclined groove includes an inner portion inclined at an angle θ1 of 5 to 40 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction from the inner end,
An intermediate portion that is connected to the inner portion and is inclined at an angle θ2 of 30 to 65 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction and larger than the angle θ1;
A motorcycle tire characterized by comprising an outer portion extending from the intermediate portion to the outer end at an angle θ3 of 45 to 85 degrees with respect to the tire circumferential direction and the angle θ2 or more. The first inclined groove extends in a center region that is a developed width region of 1/3 of a tread developed width centered on the tire equator at the inner side,
The outer portion extends from the tread end to the tire equator side in a shoulder region that is a developed width region of 1/6 of the tread developed width, and the intermediate portion extends in a middle region between the center region and the shoulder region. The pneumatic tire according to claim 1. 3. The motorcycle tire according to claim 2, wherein the tread rubber satisfies the following relationship among a rubber hardness Ga of the center region, a rubber hardness Gb of the middle region, and a rubber hardness Gc of the shoulder region.
Rubber hardness Ga ≧ rubber hardness Gb ≧ rubber hardness Gc (1)
Rubber hardness Ga> Rubber hardness Gc (2)

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