Tire mold

A tire mold comprising a tread mold portion which is divided in a tire circumferential direction into a plurality of mold segments each having an inner face curved along the circumferential direction according to an arc defined by an angle α, each mold segment having two transverse edges and being movable in a respective operating direction between i) an opened position, in which the mold segments are spaced from each other and ii) a closed position in which two neighboring mold segments are in contact with each other by one of their transverse edges, each of the mold segments comprising a plurality of laterally extending blades forming projections from the inner face of the mold segment for molding laterally extending sipes on a tire tread surface;

• wherein the mold segments have according to their length a first end portion, a second end portion and a central portion between the first and the second end portions;
• wherein laterally extending blades of the central portion are extending in the operating direction, wherein laterally extending blades located at a first transverse edge of at least one mold segment are configured to interlock between laterally extending blades located at a second transverse edge of a neighboring mold segment when the mold segments are in the closed position, and wherein laterally extending blades of one or more of the first end portion and the second end portion are inclined blades that extend in a direction forming an angle β with the operating direction and wherein the value of the angle β is less than half of the value of the angle α.