EP2307209A1 - Indicateur d'usure pour pneumatique - Google Patents
Indicateur d'usure pour pneumatiqueInfo
- Publication number
- EP2307209A1 EP2307209A1 EP09802506A EP09802506A EP2307209A1 EP 2307209 A1 EP2307209 A1 EP 2307209A1 EP 09802506 A EP09802506 A EP 09802506A EP 09802506 A EP09802506 A EP 09802506A EP 2307209 A1 EP2307209 A1 EP 2307209A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- tread
- wear
- trace
- cavity
- indicator
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60C—VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES
- B60C11/00—Tyre tread bands; Tread patterns; Anti-skid inserts
- B60C11/24—Wear-indicating arrangements
Definitions
- the present invention relates to wear indicators of the tread for tires.
- the wear rate of the tread can be followed by a measurement of the depth of the grooves, but this operation requires a suitable measuring tool, which gives it a certain heaviness. It has therefore been proposed for a long time to place wear indicators on the running surface to visually alert the driver of the vehicle when the minimum depth of the grooves of the tread has been reached.
- the use of rubbery color compositions has often been envisaged: by way of example, the document FR 1 480 472 provides a tread incorporating color materials, in contrast with those of the tire, which appear when the limit has been reached. of wear permitted for treads.
- the document FR 797 713 proposes to incorporate in the tread a rubber stopper, the stopper being diagonally divided into two parts of different colors.
- GB 1,279,966 discloses a tread provided with grooves of different depths distributed over the width of the tread: as the tire wears, the number of grooves decreases; the number of remaining grooves makes it possible to draw conclusions about the wear rate of the tread.
- the same principle has been incorporated in documents EP 0 250 113 and EP 0 853 553; in the latter document, cavities of different depths are distributed around the circumference of the tire.
- US 2002/0036039 provides a wear indicator comprising two cavities of the same depth but having a different geometry.
- the section of one of the two cavities in the rolling surface decreases as the tire wears, while the section of the second cavity remains constant.
- a comparison of the sections of the two cavities makes it possible to determine the wear rate of the tread.
- This approach has the advantage of allowing a directly “legible” measurement of the wear rate of the tread; its disadvantage lies in the fact that it involves two cavities of different shape or orientation, which increases the rate of notching of the running surface and may result in the creation of irregular wear zones.
- US 3,653,422 proposes another way.
- a plurality of cavities of different depths are combined to form a wear indicator; each cavity has a section whose shape helps to form a message to the attention of the user of the tire; as the tire wears, the message changes.
- No. 6,523,586 uses the same idea by associating several cavities each of which has a mark (in the running surface) corresponding to the figure expressing the remaining thickness (in millimeters) that the tread will have at the moment when the wear will make the tread disappear. cavity in question.
- the wear indicator when a tread having an initial thickness of 10 mm is reduced to a thickness of 6 mm by wear, the wear indicator, initially composed of nine cavities forming the numbers 1 to 9, further comprises five cavities having a section, in the tread, corresponding to the numbers 1 to 5.
- This solution has the advantage of allowing the display, in absolute values, the thickness of the remaining tread, but it has certain disadvantages. First, it requires a large number of cavities, especially if one wants to determine the wear rate at several positions along the width and the periphery of the tread. Secondly, the user may be disturbed by the fact that several values are displayed at the same time and that only the most important value should be retained (in the example cited above, when the remaining thickness is 5 mm numbers 1 to 5 appear on the running surface). Finally, it is linked to a particular measurement system (the metric system in the example) and requires adaptation for regions where users are not familiar with this system.
- Document EP 1 574 363 describes an indicator formed by a cavity whose track on the running surface is modified as a function of the level of wear of the tread. When a certain wear threshold is crossed, the trace changes radically in shape, for example from a circular shape to a square shape or vice versa.
- Such an indicator has the advantage of visibly signaling the attainment of certain wear thresholds, but it involves the difficulty of identifying the wear rate at the time of observation. The user must consult a reference to find out what wear rate is reached, especially when the indicator makes it possible to distinguish several states of wear (like that of Figure 3 (h) of the cited document).
- US 2006/037683 discloses a tread having a tread surface and a plurality of wear indicator formed by a plurality of cavities opening on the tread surface, the geometric shape of the trace of the cavities on the tread surface being modified according to the wear rate of the rolling.
- Each wear indicator has a series of stacked portions each of which has a configuration that visibly indicates the thickness of the tread, the portions each having a different configuration.
- the document US 2006/213594 discloses a tread comprising a tread and at least one wear indicator formed by at least one cavity opening on the tread surface, the geometric shape of the trace of the tread. Cavity on the running surface being modified as a function of the wear rate of the tread.
- the geometric shape of the tread is an analogical expression of the tread wear rate and the tread area changes according to the wear rate of the tread.
- the shape of the trace is an "analog expression" of the wear rate of the tread when this form alone and directly expresses the wear rate, without it being necessary to introduce a other reference.
- an indicator for which the geometric shape of said trace is an analog expression of the wear rate of the tread allows the user to know the wear rate "at a glance” , without referring to anything else; it is somehow self-explanatory.
- an indicator US 2006/213594 is distinguished, for example, an indicator as described in EP 1 574 363 where the geometric shape of the trace itself does not allow to know the rate of wear. Only by consulting a reference document can the user identify the wear rate.
- the indicator can be sized to adopt a triangular geometry at a wear rate of 80%, but this wear rate does not derive in an obvious way from the geometry triangular as such.
- the indicator disclosed in US Pat. No. 6,523,586 also does not make it possible to obtain an analogical expression of the wear rate, insofar as the indication of the remaining thickness does not allow the user to know the wear rate. if it does not otherwise have the total thickness to use.
- the trace of the cavity on the running surface comprises a bearing surface and a plurality of parts connected to and projecting from the bearing surface, the number of protruding parts being a function of the wear rate of the tread.
- This embodiment is a simple wear indicator, to determine the rate of wear at a glance and occupying a very limited surface of the running surface. It nevertheless has the disadvantage that the simple visual inspection of the wear indicator does not make it possible to determine the evolution that the trace of the wear indicator will have on the running surface, as a function of the wear rate. of the tread.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a tread comprising at least a simple wear indicator, which determines the rate of wear in the twinkling, which occupies a very limited area of the rolling surface and which furthermore makes it possible to determine by simple visual inspection the evolution that will be experienced by the trace of the wear indicator on the running surface, as a function of the rate of wear of the tread.
- tread surface comprising a bearing surface and a plurality of parts connected to and protruding from the bearing surface, the number of protruding portions being a function of the tread wear rate, the geometric shape and the bearing area; the track of the cavity on the running surface being modified according to the wear rate of the tread, the geometric shape of said tread being an analogous expression of the tread wear rate, the tread being characterized in that the trace of the trough on the tread surface is a single closed curve.
- the modification of the geometric shape of the trace may in particular be discontinuous, that is to say in discrete steps.
- a discontinuous modification has the advantage of being more economical on the industrial level, because the manufacture of the corresponding molding elements is inexpensive.
- the wear indicator is formed by a single cavity opening on the running surface, which allows for a particularly compact display and to facilitate the user reading the rate. wear.
- This embodiment also has the advantage of reducing the number of molding elements required for molding.
- the area of the trace of the cavity may in particular be a substantially linear function of the wear rate of the tread, which has the advantage that the surface of the trace participates in the analog expression provided by the indicator.
- the area of said trace is considered to be a "substantially linear" function of the wear rate when, during wear of the tire, the area of the trace evolves linearly or almost linearly depending wear rate, between initial area A, (the area of the track for a wear rate of 0%) and the final area A f (the area of the track for a wear rate of 100 %): the maximum difference between the area of the actual trace and a linear function that connects A, to A f - the deviations being determined at the same rate of wear - is less than 25% of the difference between A, and A f , and, more preferably, less than 10% of this difference.
- the number of projecting parts is a substantially linear function of the wear rate. Thus it is possible to simply evaluate the wear rate by counting the number of protruding parts.
- the modification of the geometric shape and the modification of the area of the trace can be done independently (each can change continuously or discontinuously, that is to say in discrete steps), but this modification can also be done in the same way for both.
- the wear of the tread is not necessarily even over the width of the tread, it may be advantageous to distribute a plurality of wear indicators according to the invention transversely, in part. several locations of the running surface, which allows the wear rate to be determined at different positions across the width of the tread.
- a plurality of wear indicators are arranged at regular intervals on the running surface, in the direction of its largest dimension, that is to say around the periphery of the tire when the strip of rolling is fixed on the tire.
- the invention also relates to a tire comprising a tread according to the invention.
- the geometric shape of the trace of the cavity on the tread surface being modified according to the wear rate of the tread, it may be useful and advantageous to provide, on at least one sidewall of the tire extending the tread, a visual means reproducing the shape of the trace of the cavity on the tread in the initial state.
- a visual means reproducing the shape of the trace of the cavity on the tread in the initial state.
- Figure 1 shows schematically, in perspective, a tire whose tread comprises a plurality of wear indicators.
- FIG. 2 schematically represents, in perspective, a part of the tread of FIG. 1.
- Figure 3 schematically shows the trace of a wear indicator of the prior art on the running surface, depending on the wear rate of the tread.
- Figure 4 shows schematically the trace of a wear indicator according to the invention on the running surface, depending on the wear rate of the tread.
- Figures 5 and 6 show schematically the trace of the wear indicators of Figures 3 and 4 on the tread surface of a tread in the new state, to illustrate the concept of "single closed curve".
- Figures 7 and 8 show schematically a molding element for molding a wear indicator according to the invention.
- FIGS 9 and 10 schematically show two wear indicators according to the invention.
- Figures 1 1 and 12 show schematically the trace of the wear indicators of Figures 9 and 10 on the running surface, according to the wear rate of the tread.
- tire tread is meant a quantity of rubber composition delimited by two main surfaces, one of which is intended to come into contact with the ground when the tire is rolling, and with side surfaces.
- “Running surface” means the surface formed by the points of the tread of a tire which come into contact with the ground when the tire rolls.
- wear rate of a tread of a tire means the ratio between the thickness that the tread has lost through wear and the total thickness that the tread can lose. before having to be replaced or regrooved.
- a wear rate of 25% means that the tread has lost a quarter of the rubbery composition to be used until replacement (or regrooving) is necessary.
- the wear rate is usually expressed in percent; at a given moment, not all areas of the tread have the same wear rate ("irregular wear").
- a curve is "closed” when it folds on itself. It is said of the trace of a cavity on the running surface that it is a “closed single curve” if, when one puts a pointer on a point of the trace and makes it follow, from this initial point , the trace in a given direction, the pointer passes on all the points of the trace and ends up returning to the initial point.
- Figure 1 shows schematically, in perspective, a tire 10 whose tread 20 has a plurality of cavities 40 serving as wear indicators.
- the cavities 40 are arranged over the entire width of the running surface, both in the central rib 50 and in the tread elements 60 of the tread 20. It will also be noted that the cavities 40 are arranged at several positions around the tread. the periphery of the tire.
- the sidewall of the tire bears the reference 80.
- Figure 2 shows schematically, in perspective, the portion of a portion of a tread 20 according to the prior art.
- the figure shows two carving elements 60 separated by a groove 70; on one of the carving elements 60 a cavity 40 is disposed in the running surface 30.
- FIG. 3 diagrammatically represents the trace of a wear indicator according to the prior art (US 2006/213594) on the running surface 30, as a function of the rate wear of the tread.
- the trace of the cavity on the running surface 30 comprises a bearing surface having the shape of a ring and a plurality of parts projecting from the bearing surface each having the shape of a disc.
- the projecting portions 110 disappear as wear advances while the bearing surface 100 remains.
- the indicator does not disappear completely when the wear rate is very high.
- the counting of the remaining protruding elements makes it easy to determine the wear rate.
- the wear indicator in FIG. 3 (d) has only two projecting parts. Knowing that the indicator originally had eight protruding parts, six out of eight (or 75%) parts have disappeared. The wear rate is therefore 75%.
- the wear rate is displayed with a resolution of 12.5%, but by modifying the number of projecting parts, it is possible to obtain a fineness of gradation more or less important. It would of course be possible to have a wear indicator similar to that of Figure 11, but without the bearing surface.
- the advantage of the geometry of the indicator of Figure 11 is to gather, in a manner that "jumps to the eyes", the parts whose number decreases as the rate of wear increases.
- the area of the trace of the cavity on the running surface is a step function of the wear rate.
- the maximum gap between the area of the trace and a linear function that connects A, to A f depends on the number of protruding parts; in the example shown, it is 12.5%.
- the wear indicator of Figure 3 has the disadvantage that the simple visual inspection of the wear indicator in the new state (when the tire is not yet worn) does not allow to determine the evolution of the wear indicator trace on the running surface, as a function of the wear rate of the tread.
- the trace of the cavity of this wear indicator on the running surface comprises a circular bearing surface 101 and a plurality of parts 11 1 connected to and protruding from the bearing surface.
- the number of protruding parts is a function of the wear rate of the tread, and the geometric shape and the area of the trace of the cavity on the surface of the tread. bearing are modified according to the wear rate of the tread.
- the trace of the cavity on the running surface is a single closed curve.
- Figure 5 shows the trace of the cavity of the wear indicator of Figure 3 when the tread is in the new state.
- the trace of the cavity comprises two closed curves 121 and 122.
- the situation is different for the trace 123 of the cavity of the wear indicator of FIG. 4, represented in FIG. 6.
- a pointer When a pointer is placed on a point A of the trace and made to follow it, from this point A, the trace in a given direction (here indicated by the arrow B), the pointer passes on all the points of the trace of the cavity and ends up returning to the point A.
- the trace of the cavity on the running surface is a single closed curve.
- the cavity forming the wear indicator of Figure 4 does not surround an "island" of rubber composition, unlike the indicator of Figure 3 where the cavity surrounds a portion 90 of rubbery composition. It is precisely the portion 90 of rubber composition that obstructs the view of the user and prevents him from knowing, by simple visual inspection, the evolution that will know the trace of the wear indicator on the running surface, depending on the wear rate of the tread.
- the user can easily know, by visual inspection, the internal geometry of the cavity and, by consequently, the evolution that will be experienced by the trace of the wear indicator on the running surface, as a function of the wear rate of the tread.
- Figures 9 and 10 show two other embodiments of a wear indicator according to the invention, seen from a point radially outside the portion of the running surface 30 which includes the indicator of 'wear. This view corresponds to this seen by a user of the tire when performing a visual inspection of the tire. It is therefore able to know the future evolution of the geometry of the trace of the wear indicator, before the first use of the tire, and without it needing other information.
- FIG. 9 represents a wear indicator formed by a cavity opening on the running surface 30, the trace of the cavity on the running surface comprising a circular bearing surface and three parts 11 1-1 13 connected to and protruding on the bearing surface.
- the number of protruding portions decreases as the wear rate of the tread increases. Consequently, the geometric shape and the area of the track of the cavity on the running surface are modified according to the level of wear of the tread.
- the trace of the cavity on the running surface is a single closed curve, both in new condition and at all wear rates.
- the particularity of the wear indicator of Figure 9, compared to that of Figure 4, lies in the fact that the area of the circular bearing surface decreases.
- the cavity has a conical geometry, which has an advantage in terms of pebble retention by the cavity.
- FIG. 10 represents an indicator similar to that of FIG. 9. The only significant difference lies in the fact that the area of the three parts 11-113 connected to and protruding from the bearing surface remains substantially constant whereas the area of the circular bearing surface decreases (see Figure 12). Their visibility is improved.
- Figures 7 and 8 show schematically perspective views of a molding element 200 for molding the wear indicator of Figure 10.
- the portion for fixing the molding element 200 in the mold n ' is not represented.
- the traces of the cavities of the wear indicators according to the invention shown in Figures 4, 9 and 10 all have a circular bearing surface.
- the bearing surface may have a multitude of geometries: it may in particular be oblong, ellipsoidal, ovoid, but also square, rectangular or polygonal.
- possible angles - also at the junction with parts connected to and protruding on the surface bearing - are rounded because sharp angles could be a crack initiation.
- the area of the trace of the indicator on the running surface is reduced by an amount which is a substantially linear function of the wear rate of the tread, in order to allow the user to follow the evolution of wear.
- a non-linear function instead, for example to warn the user that the end of life of the tread is reached, even before it is actually the case.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Tires In General (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR0855280A FR2917668B1 (fr) | 2008-07-31 | 2008-07-31 | Indicateur d'usure pour pneumatique |
| PCT/EP2009/059751 WO2010012735A1 (fr) | 2008-07-31 | 2009-07-28 | Indicateur d'usure pour pneumatique |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| EP2307209A1 true EP2307209A1 (fr) | 2011-04-13 |
Family
ID=40097217
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP09802506A Withdrawn EP2307209A1 (fr) | 2008-07-31 | 2009-07-28 | Indicateur d'usure pour pneumatique |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP2307209A1 (fr) |
| FR (1) | FR2917668B1 (fr) |
| WO (1) | WO2010012735A1 (fr) |
Families Citing this family (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2011114288A2 (fr) | 2010-03-15 | 2011-09-22 | Multotec Manufacturing (Pty) Limited | Panneau de traitement de minerai |
| DE102014003985A1 (de) | 2014-03-19 | 2015-09-24 | Man Truck & Bus Ag | Verschleißteil mit einem Verschleißindikator und System zur Verschleißprüfung |
| WO2016093941A1 (fr) | 2014-12-08 | 2016-06-16 | Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, Llc | Système de détection de défaut d'alignement de lamelles |
| FR3060457A1 (fr) | 2016-12-20 | 2018-06-22 | Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin | Indicateur d'usure de bande de roulement de pneumatique pour avion |
Family Cites Families (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1275734A (en) * | 1968-06-29 | 1972-05-24 | Dunlop Holdings Ltd | Improvements in or relating to pneumatic tyres |
| EP0250113A3 (fr) * | 1986-06-18 | 1988-09-28 | General Tire Inc. | Pneumatique ayant des rainures indiquant l'usure |
| DE3627832A1 (de) * | 1986-08-16 | 1988-02-18 | Continental Gummi Werke Ag | Fahrzeugluftreifen mit einem abnutzungsindikator |
| JP4363506B2 (ja) * | 2000-08-10 | 2009-11-11 | 横浜ゴム株式会社 | 空気入りタイヤのトレッド摩耗量測定方法 |
| AU2003284620A1 (en) * | 2002-12-02 | 2004-06-23 | Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. | Tire with rotation period indication hole, and method of indicating tire rotation period |
| US20060037683A1 (en) * | 2004-08-23 | 2006-02-23 | Andre Cuny | Tire tread wear indicator and molding device for forming a tread wear indicator |
| FR2883508B1 (fr) * | 2005-03-25 | 2007-05-18 | Michelin Soc Tech | Indicateur d'usure pour pneumatique |
-
2008
- 2008-07-31 FR FR0855280A patent/FR2917668B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2009
- 2009-07-28 EP EP09802506A patent/EP2307209A1/fr not_active Withdrawn
- 2009-07-28 WO PCT/EP2009/059751 patent/WO2010012735A1/fr not_active Ceased
Non-Patent Citations (1)
| Title |
|---|
| See references of WO2010012735A1 * |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| WO2010012735A1 (fr) | 2010-02-04 |
| FR2917668A1 (fr) | 2008-12-26 |
| FR2917668B1 (fr) | 2010-02-26 |
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