Truck tire tread with J shaped sipe
AssigneeCompagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin
InventorsVictor Abarotin, Daniel McEachern Hicks
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tread (10) for a heavy truck tire is provided that has an upper surface for engaging the ground, a leading edge, and a trailing edge forward of the leading edge in a rolling direction. The tread also has a J shaped sipe (30) that has a main portion (32) that extends from the upper surface. The main portion (32) has an opening at the upper surface and a bottom end (36) opposite the opening in a radial direction. A curved portion (38) extends from the bottom end (36) and has a bottom curved wall (40) that has a radius (r1). The curved portion (38) extends from the bottom end (36) forward in the rolling direction (24), and has a curved portion end (42).
Claims3
A tread for a heavy truck tire, comprising:
- an upper surface that is configured for engaging ground, wherein the tread has a radial direction, an axial direction, and a circumferential direction, wherein the tread is directional such that the tread is configured for having a rolling direction that extends in the circumferential direction;
- a J shaped sipe, comprising:
- a trailing edge;
- a leading edge, wherein the trailing edge is forward of the leading edge in the rolling direction;
- a main portion that extends from the upper surface, wherein the main portion has an opening at the upper surface and a bottom end opposite the opening in the radial direction;
- and
- a curved portion that extends from the bottom end of the main portion, wherein the curved portion has a bottom curved wall that has a radius r1, wherein the curved portion extends from the bottom end of the main portion forward in the rolling direction, wherein the curved portion has a curved portion end, wherein the curved portion has a top curved wall that faces the bottom curved wall wherein the curved portion has a curved portion thickness t2 that is a distance from the top curved wall to the bottom curved wall and is less than or equal to 1 millimeter;
- wherein the J shaped sipe has a teardrop located at the curved portion end, wherein the teardrop has a circular cross-sectional shape;
- wherein the main portion is defined by a forward wall and a rearward wall that face one another, wherein the forward wall is forward of the rearward wall in the rolling direction, wherein a main portion thickness t1 is a distance from the forward wall to the rearward wall,
- wherein the J shaped sipe has an extension distance d1 that is the distance from the rearward wall to the farthest point of the teardrop from the rearward wall;
- wherein the teardrop has a diameter d2;
- wherein:
- 0.2 millimeters≤t1≤2.0 millimeters;
- 0.0 millimeters≤t2≤1.0 millimeters;
- 1.0 millimeters≤r1≤10 millimeters;
- t1≤d2≤(4.0×t1);
- r1≤d1≤(1.1×(r1+d2));
- t2≤t1.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.