Abstract:
A tire tread 2 for a vehicle tire has a plurality of tread elements 10 extending radially outwardly from a tread base 24 to a radially outer surface. Each tread element 10 is defined by adjacent grooves 12, 14. The tread 2 has at least one tread element 10 projecting from the tread base 24 and having one or more tread wear indicators TWI 20. Each TWI 20 is located at the intersection of two grooves 12, 14 adjacent or integral to the at least one tread element 10.
Abstract:
The pneumatic tire is provided with a plurality of main grooves 1, a rib 2 formed at least on the shoulder portion of the tread, and a fine groove 3 that extends in the tire circumferential direction on the inner side of the tire width direction than the grounding end E, in which the fine groove 3 is provided with narrowed portions 11 and wide portions 12 alternately at the tread opening portion, and the groove bottom 5 of the fine groove 3 is cross-sectional arc shaped and the sidewall 3a of the fine groove 3 on the inner side in the tire width direction is substantially vertical to the tread surface and is joined to the groove bottom 5, and the sidewall 11a of the narrowed portions on the outer side in the tire width direction is joined to the groove bottom 5 so that the groove width becomes larger as the sidewall 11 a goes toward the groove bottom 5.
Abstract:
A tire mold and a molding device for forming a sunken groove in a tire are provided. The molding device includes one or more rigid elements joined to a flexible member. The flexible member is formed from a flexible material, preferably a superalloy, or hyperelastic material. The molding device may further comprise a magnet. A portion of the flexible member is positioned in contact with a first surface of a relief forming element of a mold and the rigid element has a mating surface in mating contact with a second surface of the relief forming element. The mold further may further comprise a second relief forming element positioned adjacent the first relief forming element, wherein the rigid element further includes an outer surface in mating contact with a surface of said second relief forming element.
Abstract:
A tire has a tread with a plurality of ground engaging tread elements. In at least one of the tread elements is a sipe having a depth in the radial direction of the tire. The sipe has a crossed configuration comprised of two sipes. At least one of the sipes of the crossed sipe has a radially outer portion having three dimensional elements and a radially innermost portion have a substantially linear configuration. A blade useful for manufacturing the sipe has a crossed blade configuration with a configuration corresponding to the formed sipe.
Abstract:
A pneumatic tire tread has tread elements formed by circumferential and/or lateral grooves. At least one tread element has a sipe that devolves from a constant width sipe having a three dimensional aspect in at least a portion of the radially outer portion of the sipe to a wider width groove at the base of the tread feature.
Abstract:
Both a mold blade for forming sipes and the sipe so formed in a tire tread element have three dimensional portions. In the formed sipe, the three dimensional portion creates a constant interlocking of the opposing sipe faces. The blade and the sipe have at least one row of alternating polygonal shaped recesses and protrusions. The recesses and protrusions terminate in a vertex; the vertex has a planar, or two-dimensional, configuration that is parallel to either-the blade centerline or the sipe centerline.
Abstract:
A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion provided with sipes, the sipes each having a zigzag configuration at any depth from the top of the sipe to a certain depth, and the zigzag configuration having vertexes Q1 on one side of the zigzag and vertexes Q2 on the other side of the zigzag, wherein as the depth increases from the top of the sipe to said certain depth, the vertexes Q1 shift in the longitudinal direction of the sipe and the direction of the shift is turned at least once such that the vertexes Q1 first shift towards one direction then towards the other direction, thereby describing a zigzag line extending from the top of the sipe to said certain depth and having at least one tuning point, but the vertexes Q2 describe lines which are linear or less zigzag when compared with the zigzag lines described by the vertexes Q1.
Abstract:
It is possible to reduce pulling-out resistance of a knife blade from a tire while highly securing fall-preventing effect on block. A tread portion 2 has a block 7 provided with sipeings 10. The sipeing 10 has a zigzag portion 11 in an opening edge shape J at a block surface S, and zigzag displacement portions which are displaced toward one end of a longitudinal direction Fn and the other end are alternately repeated to form the zigzag portion 11 in a depth direction. When displacement amounts of a zigzag displacement portion 15U on the side of block surface, a zigzag displacement portion 15L on the side of sipeing bottom and an intermediate zigzag displacement portion 15M in a direction Fv perpendicular to the longitudinal direction Fn are defined as W1, W3 and W2, the following expressions are satisfied. W1≧W2 0.7×W2≧W3>0
Abstract:
A pneumatic tire is cured and molded by a sectional type tire mold including an annular side mold section having a tread forming surface for forming a tread surface, the side mold section comprising a plurality of sectors into which the side mold section is divided along a circumferential direction of the side mold section. A tread surface, which has first regions formed by sector divisional position vicinity regions of the side mold section and second regions formed by sector divisional position distant regions of the side mold section, has lands defined by at least one circumferential groove which extends in a circumferential direction of the tire. Sipes which extend from the at least one circumferential groove into at least one of the lands with their extension ends located within the at least one land are disposed at predetermined intervals along the tire circumferential direction. The sipes comprise first sipes in the first regions and second sipes in the second regions. Each first sipe has a tire widthwise direction length W1 less than the tire widthwise direction length W2 of each second sipe.
Abstract:
A blade for use in a tire mold, a combination of the blade with the tire mold, and a method of attaching the blade to the tire mold. An edge portion of the blade is received in a slot in the tire mold, and a body portion extends therefrom to form a sipe in a tire. One or a pair of tab portions attached to the edge portion is received in an indent in the slot, and a wedge forces the tab portion or portions into a locked position as the blade is driven into the slot. A break-away tendon or tendons attach the wedge to the tab portion or portions and break to allow wedge movement for achieving the locked position when the blade is driven into the slot. Alternatively, a wedge is pre-positioned in an housing in the indent whereby blade tab portions move into a locked position upon contact with the wedge. The mold is engraved, and the blade is formed by laser or water jet cutting.