Tire sipe design with variable teardrop size having larger lateral midpoint
AssigneeCompagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin
InventorsJeremy David TROWBRIDGE, Victor ABAROTIN, Arthur RADE
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Abstract
A tread for a heavy truck tire that has a rib is provided. A sipe is located in the rib and extends from a first lateral surface to a second lateral surface. A first end of a teardrop of the sipe is located at the first lateral surface, and a second end is at the second lateral surface. A middle section is located between the first and second ends, and a lateral midpoint of the teardrop is located at the middle section. A cross-section of the middle section at the lateral midpoint is greater in size than a cross-section of the first end. The cross-section of the middle section at the lateral midpoint is greater in size than a cross-section of the second end.
Claims15
A heavy truck tire tread that has a lateral direction, a thickness direction, and a circumferential direction, comprising:
- a rib having a first lateral surface and a second lateral surface, wherein the rib has an upper surface;
- and
- a sipe located in the rib that extends from the first lateral surface to the second lateral surface, wherein the sipe has a body and a teardrop, wherein a first end of the teardrop is located at the first lateral surface, wherein a second end of the teardrop is located at the second lateral surface, and wherein the teardrop has a middle section that is located between the first end of the teardrop and the second end of the teardrop in the lateral direction, and wherein a lateral midpoint of the teardrop in the lateral direction is located at the middle section;
- wherein a cross-section of the teardrop of the middle section at the lateral midpoint is greater in size than a cross-section of the teardrop of the first end, and wherein the cross-section of the teardrop of the middle section at the lateral midpoint is greater in size than a cross-section of the teardrop of the second end;
- wherein the body engages the teardrop and has a consistent width completely from the first end of the teardrop to the second end of the teardrop, and wherein the cross-section of the teardrop continuously decreases in size from the middle section at the lateral midpoint to the first end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.