Truck tire tread with decoupling void and associated decoupling void sipe

A tread for a heavy truck tire, comprising:

• a bottom surface;
• a shoulder rib having a shoulder rib upper surface;
• a sacrificial rib having a sacrificial rib upper surface, wherein the sacrificial rib is located outboard from the shoulder rib in a width direction, wherein an outer edge of the tread is located at the sacrificial rib;
• a decoupling void that is located between the shoulder rib and the sacrificial rib in the width direction, wherein the decoupling void extends in a thickness direction;
• and
• a decoupling void sipe that is in the shoulder rib and that opens at the shoulder rib upper surface and that opens at the decoupling void, wherein the decoupling void sipe extends in the thickness direction, wherein the decoupling void sipe is closer to the bottom surface than the decoupling void in the thickness direction;
• wherein the decoupling void sipe is located in the sacrificial rib and extends in the width direction so as to have a farthest outboard extent that is outboard from the decoupling void in the width direction, wherein the decoupling void sipe extends into the sacrificial rib and terminates within the sacrificial rib such that the farthest outboard extent of the decoupling void sipe is spaced from and free from contact with the outer edge of the tread in the width direction.

A tread for a heavy truck tire, comprising:

• a bottom surface;
• a shoulder rib having a shoulder rib upper surface;
• a sacrificial rib having a sacrificial rib upper surface, wherein the sacrificial rib is located outboard from the shoulder rib in a width direction;
• a decoupling void that is located between the shoulder rib and the sacrificial rib in the width direction, wherein the decoupling void extends in a thickness direction;
• and
• a decoupling void sipe that is in the shoulder rib and that opens at the shoulder rib upper surface and that opens at the decoupling void, wherein the decoupling void sipe extends in the thickness direction, wherein the decoupling void sipe is closer to the bottom surface than the decoupling void in the thickness direction;
• wherein the decoupling void sipe extends in the width direction such that a first portion of the decoupling void sipe is oriented at a first width angle that is not zero degrees with respect to the width direction, and wherein a second portion of the decoupling void sipe is oriented at a second width angle that is not zero degrees with respect to the width direction, wherein the first width angle is different than the second width angle;
• wherein the first portion is located in the shoulder rib, and wherein the second portion extends closer to the bottom surface in the thickness direction than does the decoupling void, wherein the first portion is located at and opens into the shoulder rib upper surface, wherein the first portion transitions to the second portion at a top of a teardrop of the decoupling void, wherein the second portion terminates within the sacrificial rib and does not extend to the sacrificial rib upper surface and does not open into the sacrificial rib upper surface, and wherein the second portion is spaced from and free from contact with the shoulder rib upper surface, wherein the first width angle is constant from the shoulder rib upper surface to the transition to the second portion at the top of the teardrop.

A tread for a heavy truck tire, comprising:

• a bottom surface;
• a shoulder rib having a shoulder rib upper surface;
• a sacrificial rib having a sacrificial rib upper surface, wherein the sacrificial rib is located outboard from the shoulder rib in a width direction;
• a decoupling void that is located between the shoulder rib and the sacrificial rib in the width direction, wherein the decoupling void extends in a thickness direction;
• and
• a decoupling void sipe that is in the shoulder rib and that opens at the shoulder rib upper surface and that opens at the decoupling void, wherein the decoupling void sipe extends in the thickness direction, wherein the decoupling void sipe is closer to the bottom surface than the decoupling void in the thickness direction, wherein the decoupling void sipe extends from the shoulder rib in the width direction so as to be under the decoupling void and into the sacrificial rib to share a common position in the width direction with the sacrificial rib;
• wherein the decoupling void sipe extends in the thickness direction such that a first portion of the decoupling void sipe is oriented at a first thickness angle that is not zero degrees with respect to the thickness direction, and wherein a second portion of the decoupling void sipe is oriented at a second thickness angle that is not zero degrees with respect to the thickness direction, wherein the first thickness angle is different than the second thickness angle.