Low noise tire
AssigneeHankook Tire & Technology Co., Ltd.
InventorsMin Hyun Choi, Il Sik Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An embodiment describes a low noise tire that reduces noise caused by air column resonance occurring in a main groove and has a fluid flow path to prevent a surface layer from being roughened during a mold casting process. A low noise tire according to an embodiment includes a plurality of blocks formed on a tread, a groove formed between the blocks and extending in a circumferential direction of a tire, protrusion portions including a plurality of protrusion bodies protruding from a bottom surface and a wall surface of the groove and extending along the groove, and fluid flow paths formed along the wall surface of the groove and configured to divide the protrusion portions while traversing the protrusion portions so that a fluid positioned between the protrusion portions moves.
Claims13
A low noise tire comprising:
- a plurality of blocks positioned on a tread;
- a groove defined between adjacent ones of the plurality of blocks and extending in a circumferential direction of a tire;
- protrusion portions, each including a plurality of protrusion bodies protruding from a bottom surface and a wall surface of the groove, the plurality of protrusion bodies extending along the groove;
- fluid flow paths defined along the wall surface of the groove, each of the fluid flow paths dividing adjacent ones of the protrusion portions while traversing a longitudinal direction of the protrusion portions so that a fluid between the protrusion portions moves through the fluid flow paths;
- an abrasion indicator coupled to the bottom surface of the groove and protruding from the bottom surface of the groove;
- and
- air slags irregularly defined in groove shapes in the groove or the protrusion portions disposed in the groove, each of the air slags being an empty space configured to reduce noise of the low noise tire,
- wherein the bottom surface of the groove does not have the fluid flow paths defined thereon,
- wherein the plurality of protrusion bodies is configured to reduce noise energy by generating thermal friction energy,
- wherein the abrasion indicator comprises:
- a support groove defined in a form of a flat plate-shape groove in the bottom surface of the groove;
- and
- a recognition protrusion body protruding from an upper portion of the support groove.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.