Studded tire and method of increasing tire traction

An aircraft, comprising:

• a landing gear having a wheel;
• a tire body mounted on the wheel and having at least one annular groove formed in a tread surface of the tire body, the annular groove having a groove bottom wall and a first and second groove side wall;
• a plurality of spaced-apart studs located within the groove and arranged along a circumferential direction of the groove in an alternating pattern of major studs and minor studs along each one of the groove side walls, the major studs and minor studs extending radially outwardly from both the groove bottom wall and at least one of the first and second groove side walls and having a stud axis, the major studs extending laterally away from the groove side walls at a lateral protrusion that is greater than the lateral protrusion of the minor studs;
• and
• at least some of the major studs and minor studs having respective stud tips spaced away from the groove side wall, the stud tips each configured as a bladed tip having generally planar stud side surfaces forming an included angle of less than 90 degrees when viewed along the circumferential direction, each stud having one side surface extending from a groove side wall and another side surface extending from a groove bottom wall and defining the stud axis, the stud axes of each stud oriented at a stud angle relative to a radial direction of the tire, the stud angle of each major stud being smaller than the stud angle of each minor stud.

A method of increasing tire traction, comprising the steps of:

• supporting a vehicle on a tire having at least one annular groove formed in a tread surface, the annular groove having a groove bottom wall and a first and second groove side wall;
• including a plurality of spaced-apart studs within the groove, the studs arranged along a circumferential direction of the groove in an alternating pattern of major studs and minor studs along each one of the groove side walls, the major studs and minor studs extending radially outwardly from both the groove bottom wall and at least one of the first and second groove side walls and having a stud axis, the major studs extending laterally away from the groove side walls at a lateral protrusion that is greater than the lateral protrusion of the minor studs;
• and
• at least some of the major studs and minor studs having respective stud tips spaced away from the groove side wall, the stud tips each configured as a bladed tip having generally planar stud side surfaces forming an included angle of less than 90 degrees when viewed along the circumferential direction, each stud having one side surface extending from a groove side wall and another side surface extending from a groove bottom wall and defining the stud axis, the stud axes of each stud oriented at a stud angle relative to a radial direction of the tire, the stud angle of each major stud being smaller than the stud angle of each minor stud.

A tire, comprising:

• a tire body having at least one annular groove formed in a tread surface of the tire body, the annular groove having a groove side wall;
• a plurality of spaced-apart studs located within the groove, at least some of the studs having respective stud tips spaced away from the groove side wall;
• an annular base band extending around a circumference of the tire, the base band having a plurality of transversely oriented slits extending at least partially across a band width;
• and
• the studs being coupled to the base band.

A tire, comprising:

• a tire body having at least one annular groove formed in a tread surface of the tire body, the annular groove having a groove bottom wall and a first and second groove side wall;
• a plurality of spaced-apart studs located within the groove and arranged along a circumferential direction of the groove in a pattern of major studs and minor studs, the major studs and minor studs extending radially outwardly from both the groove bottom wall and at least one of the first and second groove side walls and having a stud axis oriented along a generally radial direction, the major studs extending laterally away from the groove side walls at a lateral protrusion that is greater than the lateral protrusion of the minor studs;
• and
• at least some of the major studs and minor studs having respective stud tips spaced away from the groove side wall, the stud tips protruding beyond the tread surface.