JPH106716A - Uneven wear preventing heavy load pneumatic tire - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely prevent uneven wear by providing an uneven wear sacrificing part having a level difference with respect to the sectional contour line of a tread being held between land parts, a level difference region independent of the land parts and slide-contacted with a road surface within a tread grounding region. SOLUTION: In a heavy load pneumatic tire having a main groove 1 and land parts 2 on a tread of a tire, a level difference is formed with respect to the sectional contour line of the tread being held between the land parts 2 and a level difference region 3 independent of the land parts 2 is provided. Its surface is made to be an uneven wear sacrificing part slide-contacted with a road surface within a tread grounding region for supporting a load applied to the tire. In this case, preferably, for the uneven wear sacrificing part, a ratio between the grounding length of the level difference region 3 along the outer periphery of the tread under a load of up to 200% and a grounding length in the shorter grounding area of the land part 2 adjacent to the level difference region 3 is set to 0.95 or lower. Also, the total sum of the axial direction width of the level difference region 3 is set to 5 to 25% of a tread grounding width and each axial direction width (w) of the level difference region 3 is set to 1/2 of each axial direction width of the land part 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, pneumatic tires for heavy loads having a radial carcass structure have become the mainstream in recent years. In heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses, such tires are used especially as driven wheels or idle wheels. When used, often before the tire reaches its full wear life, it causes uneven wear called railway wear or riverware and causes poor appearance. There is also some pleasure that has led to a so-called land defect that can lead to tire performance problems. Under the fundamental investigation of uneven wear behavior of this type of pneumatic tire, we took simple and appropriate uneven wear measures,
A heavy duty pneumatic tire is to be proposed here.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With respect to reduction of uneven wear of a tread, various proposals have been made for a crown shape or a pattern, especially a sipe arrangement, but an accurate preventive measure has not yet been established. By the way, typical known documents are as follows. US with changed crown shape
P No.4,155,392 and USP N with sipes arranged at both ends of rib
o, 3,550 and 665. In addition, as a means for preventing uneven wear around the groove, as in USP No. 4200134, a stress relaxation rib having a surface at the same level as the land portion of the tread and having the land portion and the groove protruded and grounded is provided. Means have been proposed for preventing stress concentration on the protrusion of the land corresponding to the zigzag groove. However, even with this means, the stress relaxation rib itself is lost, and although the occurrence of uneven wear can be delayed, it cannot be prevented after all.

[0003]

The wear phenomena which occur in this kind of tires, of course, depend on the running conditions, road surface conditions, etc. Below, under the slow speed difference of the wear which causes the change of the tread shape depending on the external force (tire input) acting from the road surface in the contact area of the tire,
Acceleration of accelerating accelerating progresses in a portion where wear is fast, resulting in uneven wear.

On the other hand, the aim is to increase the contact pressure in a portion where uneven wear is likely to occur, to reduce the shearing force (by cutting, etc.), etc. so as to suppress or delay the accelerated wear promotion. In the conventional countermeasures, even if the purpose of accelerated wear is achieved, the purpose of the delay is achieved, but it is inevitable that it will appear shortly thereafter, and the burden of tire input shifts to other parts as a result. In some cases, uneven wear occurred.

[0005] Therefore, based on the knowledge obtained through detailed experiments and studies on the trends of tire input causing uneven wear phenomena, uneven wear inevitably inevitably occurring on the tread of a tire is locally and moreover improved on tire performance. It is an object of the present invention to establish more effective uneven wear prevention measures by containing without influence.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention relates to a heavy-duty pneumatic tire having a main groove extending continuously on a tread surface of a tire and a land portion defined by the main groove. The stepped portion is sandwiched between the land portions, forms a step down with respect to the cross-sectional contour of the tread surface, and is formed of a step region independent of the land portion by a pair of grooves or a thin cut along the periphery of the tread surface, and the surface of the step region is a tire. A pneumatic tire for heavy load in which uneven wear is prevented, comprising an uneven wear sacrifice portion which is in sliding contact with a road surface in a tread contact area which controls a load acting on the tire.

Here, the ground contact length (l ') of the step region along the outer periphery of the tread under a load of 200% of the maximum load defined by the standard, and the land portion adjacent to the step region are also used. , Occupies the range of (l ') / (l) <0.95 with respect to the contact length (l) at the shorter contact area, and the step-down allowance (δ ) Is the following formula

(Equation 1) The total of the axial width (w) of the step area is 5% to 25% of the tread contact width (B), and the normal load is 20%.
The actual contact area of the step area under 0% load is also 20% or less of the actual contact area of the tread, and the axial width (w) of the step area is equal to the land area adjacent to both sides of the step area. Each axial width
(b)) is not more than 1/2 of the step area substantially continuous on the circumference of the tire, and the step area is in contact with each other in the ground contact surface when the maximum load is applied specified in the standard. Each step region is located radially inward of the tread contour line on its radially outer peripheral surface and is radially inward of each step region at its radial outer periphery. It is advantageous to have an axial width greater than the axial width at the end.

[0008] In addition to the main groove extending continuously along the tread at the top of the above, the tread pattern formed by these, including the narrow groove and the sipe, has a so-called circumferential direction parallel to the equator of the tire in appearance. It is not limited to the case of straight grooves, but also includes well-known zigzag grooves.For the land section divided by the main grooves, so-called ribs, lateral grooves or auxiliary grooves, etc. It is needless to say that a so-called block or a rib-block composite-like pattern including the same is further included.

FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b) show the essential parts of an example in which the present invention is applied to a heavy duty pneumatic tire.
The figure shows the development and cross section of the tread surface, in which 1 is a main groove, 2 is a land portion, 3 is a step region, 4 is a narrow groove, 5 is a radial carcass, and 6 is a belt.

FIG. 2 shows an example in which a notch 7 is arranged in the edge of the land portion 2 facing the main groove 1 and the narrow groove 4 to reduce the shearing force at the groove edge. 3 (a)
, (B) reduces the number of cuts 7 in FIG. 2 to 7 'and, instead, arranges a recess 8 in the buttress portion of the tire to reduce uneven wear caused by lateral force acting on the tire. This is an example of taking measures.

In each of the above examples, the narrow groove 4 for dividing the step region 3 is used.
FIG. 4A illustrates the case where the land portion 2 is divided into a center rib and an intermediate rib, but FIGS. 4A and 4B show an example where the land portion 2 is similarly divided into a side rib and an intermediate rib.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which the step region 3 is made independent of the land portion 2 by a thin notch 4 'instead of the narrow groove 4 shown in FIG.
(a) and (b), a step region 3 similar to that of FIG.
7 (a) and 7 (b) show an example in which the shear force of the stepped region 3 itself is reduced by the vertical groove 8 ', and FIGS. Show.

[0013]

Generally, when a tire rolls under a load, the tread surface undergoes tangential shear deformation, whereby a tangential shear force is generated on the tread surface. FIG. 8 shows the axial distribution of the shearing force on the land portion 2 of the tread, and the solid line indicates the shearing force distribution in the conventional tire, and the broken line indicates the tire (step tire 3) of the present invention. The step-down margin δ in the step region is set to 2 mm.) Here, the positive side of the vertical axis is the shearing force on the driving side, and the negative side is the shearing force on the braking side. It has been confirmed by experiments that uneven wear occurring in the tire mainly occurs in a negative shear force region, and uneven wear easily occurs in a tread surface where a tangential shear force is larger in a negative direction.

Comparing the shear force distribution in which the solid line in FIG. 8 is distinguished by the broken line, the shear force at the land portion of the tire of the present invention having the stepped region clearly shifts more positively than the conventional tire. You can see that it is doing. That is,
It has been clarified that the step region 3 serves as an uneven wear sacrifice portion which takes over the uneven wear to be generated on the land portion 2 on the tread surface. In order to provide this effect, the step region 3 must be grounded so that uneven wear does not occur in the land portion 2, and the step region 3 is sufficiently sacrifice as an uneven wear sacrificial portion. It must be a downhill allowance where a useful negative shear force is generated.

Therefore, it is important that the surface of the step region 3 comes into contact with the road surface in the tread contact area which controls the load acting on the tire. Here, in order to effectively generate a negative shear force in the step region 3, the tire must be
The contact length l 'of the step region 3 under a load of 200%;
9 (a) and 9 (b), the contact length l of the shorter one of the land areas 2 adjacent to the stepped area 3 is shown in FIG. 9 (a) and (b) for each tire tread footprint. , The ratio of the two contact lengths must be within the range of l '/ l <0.95. The effect of the value of l '/ l on the uneven wear sacrificing effect in the step region 3 is shown in FIG. 10 (a). As shown in FIG. 10 (a), when the value of l' / l is smaller than 0.95, the tangential shear generated in the step region 3 'is reduced. The force suddenly increases in the negative direction, and increases as the l '/ l value decreases. Also, the step margin δ in the step area (see FIG. 1) must be such that the step area 3 comes into contact with the tire under a load of 50% to 200% of the normal load applied to the tire. .

FIG. 10 (b) shows the tangential shearing force in the stepped region formed at the margin of step-down at which the contact occurs under each load rate, and FIG. 10 (b) shows that the contact is made at a load lower than 50% of the normal load. If the step allowance is too small to produce sufficient negative shearing force, and if the step allowance is too large to start contacting the ground under a high load exceeding 200%, the actual tire No effective shearing force can be obtained due to no contact during use. FIG. 10 (b) shows the tread gauge h.
(See Fig. 1) is 20mm and the elasticity E of tread rubber is 53kg / c
m ² and a tread, tread actual contact area under various load ratio standard load W (2700 kg) is S _0.3 (subscripts indicating the load ratio below the _{^{same.): 143cm 2, S 0}} .5: 191cm ² ,
_{^{S 1.0: 318cm 2, S 1.5}} : 398 cm 2, S 2.0: 445cm 2,
S _2.3 : Plotting the tangential tangential force according to the load ratio for the case of 461 cm ² .

The following formula for the stepped down margin δ relative to the cross-sectional profile line of the tread in accordance with at shown in FIG. _{1, 0.5 · W / S 0.5} × h / E above lower limit or the _2.0 · W / S 2.0 × h Each upper limit is given by / E.

In order to sufficiently generate the negative shear force generated in the step region, the land portion 2 must not prevent the step region 3 from being sheared in the tangential direction. It is desirable not to touch the land during deformation.

Next, the axial width w of the step region 3 (see FIG. 1)
Is less than 5% of the tread contact width, a sufficient effect cannot be obtained. On the other hand, if it exceeds 25%, the wear resistance is remarkably lowered, which is not preferable. Also,
It is not preferable that the actual contact area of the step region 3 is larger than 20% of the actual contact area of the land portion because the wear resistance is remarkably reduced.

Further, in order to effectively generate a negative shearing force in the step region 3, the deformation of the step region must be caused not by bending deformation but by shear deformation. For this purpose, it is necessary to increase the rigidity in the rotational direction, and there is a restriction that the wear resistance is reduced when the step region is enlarged. Therefore, the step region 3 has a longer ground contact length l ′ than the axial width w. It is necessary to increase the rigidity in the tangential direction in the tangential direction.
If the width is not more than 1/2 of each axial width b, sufficient effect can be obtained.

[0021]

1 to 4 show a reference example 1 in which no uneven wear countermeasures are taken as shown in FIG. 11 and a reference example 2 in which the step allowance is 0 in the place shown in FIG. Table 1 shows the results of comparison of the relationship between the uneven wear width and the depth according to the step δ and the width w for the prototype tires of size 10.00 R20. All tires are loaded with normal load, and the mounting position is the front wheel of 2D-4 car, running distance of 80,000 km
At the time of the completion of the tread, the total width in the tread width direction of the defect 〜 generated at the edge of each land portion illustrated on the left half of the tread in FIG. 13 is taken as the uneven wear width, and similarly, each of the defects (a) to (e) The average depth was compared as the uneven wear depth.

[0022]

[Table 1]

Each of the sizes shown in FIG. 4 and FIG.
For the prototype tires of 10,00R20, there were prepared tires of Reference Example 1 in which the step-down margin δ was 0 mm according to FIG. 1 and Reference Example 2 which did not take any uneven wear countermeasures illustrated in FIG. Table 2 shows the specifications of each tire.

[0024]

[Table 2]

All the tires are loaded with a normal load, and their mounting positions are set at the front wheels of a 2D-4 car and the running distance is 80,000 km.
Was completed. After the running distance of 80,000 km, the magnitude of uneven wear generated on the land portion of each test tire was measured as shown in FIG. 13, and the comparative evaluation was performed based on the sum of uneven wear width and the sum of uneven wear depth. The results shown in Table 3 were obtained.

[0026]

[Table 3]

According to the results shown in the above table, the function of the uneven wear sacrifice portion 3 according to the present invention can extremely reduce or effectively prevent the accumulated uneven wear during the almost complete wear life of the tire. it is obvious.

The main groove 1 has a zigzag shape as shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b), and the lateral groove 10 has a shape as shown in FIGS. 15 (a) and (b).
16 (a) and 16 (b), a round shoulder as shown in FIGS. 16 (a) and 16 (b), and a groove depth of each narrow groove 4 sandwiching the step region 3 as shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b). When a similar test was performed on the above-mentioned test pieces, the same results as those in the example shown in FIG. 1 were obtained.

The stepped region 3 of the present invention is not limited to a case where the stepped region 3 has a platform shape occupying the inside of the wide main groove as already illustrated and described, or as shown in FIGS. It is also possible to adopt a composite form of the narrow groove 4 and the thin notch 4 ′ having the middle hole 11 or the single hole 12.

Further, when the pneumatic tire travels a long distance from the middle wear period to the late wear period, the cumulative acceleration of wear becomes remarkable as compared with the early wear period, so that the axial width of each step region is constant in the radial direction. In this case, the wear of the land portion in the middle and late stages of wear exceeds the ability to prevent the stepped region, and in some cases, uneven wear of the land portion may not be reliably prevented.

Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of each step region 3 is positioned radially inward of the cross-sectional contour of the tread surface, and the inner end in the radial direction, that is, a narrow groove or thin notch 4 is smaller than the axial width of the outer peripheral surface of each step region. It is desirable to increase the axial width at the bottom of the '.

For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the axial width w 'at the radial end of each step region 3 is not wider than the axial width x at the outer peripheral surface of each step region 3, and the ratio w' / x is 1.2.
And preferably between 5.0 and 5.0. The reason is the ratio w '
If / x is less than 1.2, uneven wear of the land portion 2 in the later stage cannot be sufficiently prevented while the step region 3 is worn, while if the ratio w '/ x exceeds 5.0, the initial stage Axial width x on the outer peripheral surface such that the uneven wear suppression effect of
Is too small, or the contact area of the entire tread is too small in the early stage of traveling, and the wear resistance itself is reduced.

FIGS. 22 (a), 22 (b) and 22 (c) are diagrams showing application examples of the present invention. In this embodiment, a pair of circumferential grooves 4a and 4b which are bent in a zigzag shape are formed in the land portion 2, and a step region bent in a zigzag manner between the circumferential grooves 4a and 4b.
3a is defined. In this manner, when the width of the step region 3a is the same, the contact area is larger than that of the step region 3 of the linear rib, and the uneven wear reduction effect can be further improved. Further, in this embodiment, each circumferential groove 4a, 4b is inclined in the same direction as the side surface of the stepped region 3a, and furthermore, the amplitude of the deepest part of each circumferential groove 4a, 4b is calculated from the amplitude at the opening end of the circumferential groove 4a, 4b. Small.

FIGS. 23 (a), 23 (b) and 23 (c) are views showing another example of the present invention. This embodiment is the same as the application example described above, except that the amplitude of the deepest portion of the circumferential grooves 4a, 4b is
This is a point larger than the amplitude at the open end of 4b.

FIGS. 24 (a), 24 (b) and 24 (c) show another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the land 2
In addition, a pair of circumferential grooves 4 in which the side surfaces separated from each other are bent in a zigzag manner in the same phase, and the side surfaces adjacent to each other are linear.
c, 4d are formed, and a linear step region 3 is defined between the circumferential grooves 4c, 4d. As a result, the step region 3 periodically approaches and separates from the land portion 2.

[0036]

According to the present invention, the uneven wear sacrifice portion provided on the tread local portion which does not significantly affect the performance characteristics of the tire prevents the uneven wear throughout the service life of the tire. Can be simply and appropriately realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a tangential shear force distribution diagram.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a grounding behavior.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the effect of l '/ l and load ratio on tangential shear force.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a comparative tire.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example.

FIG. 13 is a definition diagram of uneven wear.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment.

[Description of Signs] 1 Main groove 2 Land part 3 Step region 4 Narrow groove 4 'Thin cut

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] April 30, 1997

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Full text

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Document Name] Statement

[Title of the Invention] Pneumatic tire for heavy load that prevents uneven wear

[Claims]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, pneumatic tires for heavy loads having a radial carcass structure have become the mainstream in recent years. In heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses, such tires are used especially as driven wheels or idle wheels. When used, often before the tire reaches its full wear life, it causes uneven wear called railway wear or riverware and causes poor appearance. There is also some pleasure that has led to a so-called land defect that can lead to tire performance problems. Under the fundamental investigation of uneven wear behavior of this type of pneumatic tire, we took simple and appropriate uneven wear measures,
A heavy duty pneumatic tire is to be proposed here.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With respect to reduction of uneven wear of a tread, various proposals have been made for a crown shape or a pattern, especially a sipe arrangement, but an accurate preventive measure has not yet been established. By the way, typical known documents are as follows. US with changed crown shape
P No.4,155,392 and USP N with sipes arranged at both ends of rib
o, 3,550 and 665. In addition, as a means for preventing uneven wear around the groove, as in USP No. 4200134, a stress relaxation rib having a surface at the same level as the land portion of the tread and having the land portion and the groove protruded and grounded is provided. Means have been proposed for preventing stress concentration on the protrusion of the land corresponding to the zigzag groove. However, even with this means, the stress relaxation rib itself is lost, and although the occurrence of uneven wear can be delayed, it cannot be prevented after all.

[0003]

The wear phenomena which occur in this kind of tires, of course, depend on the running conditions, road surface conditions, etc. Below, under the slow speed difference of the wear which causes the change of the tread shape depending on the external force (tire input) acting from the road surface in the contact area of the tire,
Acceleration of accelerating accelerating progresses in a portion where wear is fast, resulting in uneven wear.

On the other hand, the aim is to increase the contact pressure in a portion where uneven wear is likely to occur, to reduce the shearing force (by cutting, etc.), etc. so as to suppress or delay the accelerated wear promotion. In the conventional countermeasures, even if the purpose of accelerated wear is achieved, the purpose of the delay is achieved, but it is inevitable that it will appear shortly thereafter, and the burden of tire input shifts to other parts as a result. In some cases, uneven wear occurred.

[0005] Therefore, based on the knowledge obtained through detailed experiments and studies on the trends of tire input causing uneven wear phenomena, uneven wear inevitably inevitably occurring on the tread of a tire is locally and moreover improved on tire performance. It is an object of the present invention to establish more effective uneven wear prevention measures by containing without influence.

[0006]

The present invention comprises a plurality of circumferential grooves extending continuously around the tread of a tire tread, and a land portion divided in the tread width direction by these circumferential grooves. A heavy-duty pneumatic tire, wherein the land portion extends along the circumferential groove on a side portion adjacent to the circumferential groove,
A step region is formed by a groove having a width narrower than the circumferential groove, and a step region is formed which is stepped down with respect to a cross-sectional contour line of the tread surface. A heavy-duty pneumatic tire that prevents uneven wear and is characterized by being brought into sliding contact with a pneumatic tire.

Here, the step region as the uneven wear sacrifice portion is adjacent to the step region under the load of 200% of the normal load along the outer periphery of the tread surface. In the land part, the ratio to the contact length (l) of the shorter part of the contact area occupies the range of (l ') / (l) <0.95. The value of the step-down allowance (δ) is

(Equation 1) And the sum of the axial width (w) of the step area is 5% to 25% of the tread contact width (B), and the normal load is 20%.
The actual contact area of the step area under 0% load is also less than 20% of the actual contact area of the tread, and the axial width (w) of the step area is the land part adjacent to both sides of the step area. The step area, which is not more than 1/2 of each axial width (b), is substantially continuous on the circumference of the tire, and the step area is a groove between adjacent ones within a contact area when a normal load is applied. The walls are divided on the periphery by narrow cuts that contact each other, and each step region is located radially inward of the tread contour line on its radial outer peripheral surface, and each at the radial outer periphery It is advantageous to have an axial width smaller than the axial width at the radially inner end of the step region.

In the above description, in addition to the peripheral grooves such as the main groove and the narrow groove extending continuously along the tread surface, a narrow notch and a sipe which are narrower than the peripheral groove are included. The tread pattern by them is not limited to the so-called circumferential straight groove parallel to the equator of the tire in appearance, but also includes well-known zigzag grooves, etc. It is needless to say that the divided land portions include so-called ribs, so-called blocks further divided by lateral grooves or auxiliary grooves, or a pattern including a rib-block composite including the so-called blocks.

FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b) show, in the case of a pneumatic tire for heavy load, in particular, a step region formed in a land portion divided between circumferential grooves, showing a main part of the development and cross section of a tread. 1 is a main groove, 2 is a land portion, and 3 is a step region,
4 is a narrow groove, 5 is a radial carcass, and 6 is a belt.

FIG. 2 shows an example in which a notch 7 is arranged in the edge of the land portion 2 facing the main groove 1 and the narrow groove 4 to reduce the shearing force at the groove edge. 3 (a)
, (B) reduces the number of cuts 7 in FIG. 2 to 7 'and, instead, arranges a recess 8 in the buttress portion of the tire to reduce uneven wear caused by lateral force acting on the tire. This is an example of taking measures.

In each of the above examples, the narrow groove 4 for dividing the step region 3 is used.
FIG. 4 illustrates the case where the land part 2 is divided into a center part and an intermediate part.
Is shown in the case where is divided into a side portion and an intermediate portion.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which the step region 3 is formed in the land portion 2 by a narrow notch 4 'instead of the narrow groove 4 shown in FIG.
(a) and (b), a step region 3 similar to that of FIG.
7 (a) and 7 (b) show an example in which the shear force of the stepped region 3 itself is reduced by the vertical groove 8 ', and FIGS. Show.

[0013]

Generally, when a tire rolls under a load, the tread surface undergoes tangential shear deformation, whereby a tangential shear force is generated on the tread surface. FIG. 8 shows the axial distribution of the shearing force in the land portion 2 of the tread, where the solid line is the shearing force distribution in the conventional tire, and the broken line is the step region 3.
Is a shear force distribution in a tire provided with (a step margin δ in a step region is set to 2 mm). Here, the positive side of the vertical axis is the shearing force on the driving side, and the negative side is the shearing force on the braking side. It has been confirmed by experiments that uneven wear occurring in the tire mainly occurs in a negative shear force region, and uneven wear easily occurs in a tread surface where a tangential shear force is larger in a negative direction.

When the solid line in FIG. 8 is compared with the shear force distribution distinguished by the broken line, the shear force at the land portion of the tire of the present invention having a stepped region clearly shifts to a positive direction as compared with the conventional tire. You can see that it is doing. That is,
It has been clarified that the uneven wear that should originally occur on the land portion 2 on the tread surface is replaced by the uneven wear sacrificed portion by arranging the step land portion 3. In order to provide this effect, the step region 3 must be grounded so that uneven wear does not occur in the land portion 2, and the step region 3 is sufficiently sacrifice as an uneven wear sacrificial portion. It must be a downhill allowance where a useful negative shear force is generated.

Therefore, it is important that the surface of the step region 3 is in contact with the road surface in the contact area of the tread surface which supports the load acting on the tire. Here, in order to effectively generate a negative shear force in the step region 3, the tire must be
The contact length l 'of the step region 3 under a load of 200%;
Similarly, the contact length 1 at the shorter side of the contact area of the land portion adjacent to the stepped area 3 is shown in FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (b) for each tire tread footprint. ,
It is necessary that the ratio of the two contact lengths be within the range of l '/ l <0.95. The effect of the value of l '/ l on the uneven wear sacrificing effect in the step region 3 is shown in FIG.
Is smaller than 0.95, the tangential shear force generated in the step region 3 'sharply increases in the negative direction, and increases as the l' / l value decreases. Also, the step margin δ in the step area (see FIG. 1)
Must be such that the step area 3 will come into contact under a load on the tire of between 50% and 200% of the normal load.

FIG. 10 (b) shows the tangential shearing force in the stepped region formed at the margin of step-down at which the contact occurs under each load rate, and FIG. 10 (b) shows that the contact is made at a load lower than 50% of the normal load. If the step allowance is too small to produce sufficient negative shearing force, and if the step allowance is too large to start contacting the ground under a high load exceeding 200%, the actual tire No effective shearing force can be obtained due to no contact during use. FIG. 10 (b) shows the tread gauge h.
(See Fig. 1) is 20mm and the elasticity E of tread rubber is 53kg / c
m ² and a tread, tread actual contact area under various load ratio standard load W (2700 kg) is S _0.3 (subscripts indicating the load ratio below the _{^{same.): 143cm 2, S 0}} .5: 191cm ² ,
_{^{S 1.0: 318cm 2, S 1.5}} : 398 cm 2, S 2.0: 445cm 2,
S _2.3 : Tangential shear force according to the load ratio for the case of 461 cm ² is plotted.

The following formula for the stepped down margin δ relative to the cross-sectional profile line of the tread in accordance with at shown in FIG. _{1, 0.5 · W / S 0.5} × h / E above lower limit or the _2.0 · W / S 2.0 × h Each upper limit is given by / E.

In order to sufficiently generate the negative shear force generated in the step region, the adjacent land portion must not prevent the step region 3 from being sheared and deformed in the tangential direction. It is desirable not to touch adjacent land parts during shear deformation.

Next, the axial width w of the step region 3 (see FIG. 1)
Is less than 5% of the tread contact width, a sufficient effect cannot be obtained. On the other hand, if it exceeds 25%, the abrasion resistance is significantly reduced, which is not preferable. Also,
If the actual contact area of the step region 3 under a load of 200% of the regular load is larger than 20% of the actual contact area of the tread, it is not preferable because the wear resistance is significantly reduced.

Further, in order to effectively generate a negative shearing force in the step region 3, the deformation of the step region must be caused not by bending deformation but by shear deformation. For this purpose, it is necessary to increase the rigidity in the rotational direction, and there is a restriction that the wear resistance is reduced when the step region is enlarged. Therefore, the step region 3 has a longer ground contact length l ′ than the axial width w. It is necessary to further increase the rigidity in the tangential direction, and a sufficient effect can be obtained if the axial width w is not more than 1/2 of each axial width b of the land portions adjacent on both sides.

[0021]

1 to 4 show a reference example 1 in which no uneven wear countermeasures are taken as shown in FIG. 11 and a reference example 2 in which the step allowance is 0 in the place shown in FIG. Table 1 shows the results of comparison of the relationship between the uneven wear width and the depth according to the step δ and the width w for the prototype tires of size 10.00 R20. All tires are loaded with normal load, and the mounting position is the front wheel of 2D-4 car, running distance of 80,000 km
At the time of the completion of the tread, the total width in the tread width direction of the defect 〜 generated at the edge of each land portion illustrated on the left half of the tread in FIG. 13 is taken as the uneven wear width, and similarly, each of the defects (a) to (e) The average depth was compared as the uneven wear depth.

[0022]

[Table 1]

Each of the sizes shown in FIG. 4 and FIG.
For the prototype tires of 10,00R20, there were prepared tires of Reference Example 1 in which the step-down margin δ was 0 mm according to FIG. 1 and Reference Example 2 which did not take any uneven wear countermeasures illustrated in FIG. Table 2 shows the specifications of each tire.

[0024]

[Table 2]

All the tires are loaded with a normal load, and their mounting positions are set at the front wheels of a 2D-4 car and the running distance is 80,000 km.
Was completed. After the running distance of 80,000 km, the magnitude of uneven wear generated on the land portion of each test tire was measured as shown in FIG. 13, and the comparative evaluation was performed based on the sum of uneven wear width and the sum of uneven wear depth. The results shown in Table 3 were obtained.

[0026]

[Table 3]

From the results in the above table, it is clear that the function of the step region 3 according to the invention can significantly reduce or effectively prevent the accumulated uneven wear during the almost complete wear life of the tire. is there.

The main groove 1 has a zigzag shape as shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b), and the lateral groove 10 has a shape as shown in FIGS. 15 (a) and (b).
16 (a) and 16 (b), a round shoulder as shown in FIGS. 16 (a) and 16 (b), and a groove depth of each narrow groove 4 sandwiching the step region 3 as shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b). When a similar test was performed on the above-mentioned test pieces, the same results as those in the example shown in FIG. 1 were obtained.

The step region 3 has a narrow groove 4 having a middle hole 11 or a single hole 12 as shown in FIGS. 18 to 20 in addition to the case illustrated and described above. , And a notch 4 ′ having a narrower width.

Further, when the pneumatic tire travels a long distance from the middle wear period to the late wear period, the cumulative acceleration of wear becomes remarkable as compared with the early wear period, so that the axial width of each step region is constant in the radial direction. In this case, the wear of the land portion in the middle and late stages of wear exceeds the ability to prevent the stepped region, and in some cases, uneven wear of the land portion may not be reliably prevented.

Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of each step region 3 is positioned radially inward from the cross-sectional contour of the tread surface, and the inner end in the radial direction, that is, the narrow groove or the narrow notch 4 is smaller than the axial width of the outer peripheral surface of each step region. It is desirable to increase the axial width at the bottom of the '.

For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the axial width w 'at the radially inner end of each step region 3 is not larger than the axial width x at the outer peripheral surface of each step region 3, and the ratio w' / x is 1.
Preferably it is between 2 and 5.0. The reason is that if the ratio w ′ / x is less than 1.2, the step region 3 is worn out,
This is because the uneven wear of the land portion 2 in the latter period cannot be sufficiently prevented. On the other hand, when the ratio w '/ x exceeds 5.0, the axial width x on the outer peripheral surface is so large that the initial uneven wear suppression effect is not obtained. Either it is too small, or the contact area of the entire tread becomes too small in the early stage of running, and the wear resistance itself deteriorates.

FIGS. 22 (a), 22 (b) and 22 (c) are views showing application examples of the formation of the step region. In this example, a pair of circumferential grooves 4a and 4b which are bent in a zigzag manner are formed in the land portion 2, and a step region 3a which is bent in a zigzag manner is defined between the circumferential grooves 4a and 4b. By doing so, when the width of the step region 3a is the same, the contact area is larger than that of the linear step region 3, and the effect of reducing uneven wear can be further improved. In this example, each of the peripheral grooves 4a, 4b is inclined in the same direction as the side surface of the step region 3a, and the amplitude of the deepest portion of each of the peripheral grooves 4a, 4b is smaller than the amplitude at the opening end of the peripheral grooves 4a, 4b. And

FIGS. 23 (a), 23 (b), and 23 (c) are diagrams showing other application examples. This example is the same as the above-mentioned application example, except that the amplitude at the deepest part of the circumferential grooves 4a, 4b is larger than the amplitude at the open ends of the circumferential grooves 4a, 4b.

FIGS. 24 (a), 24 (b) and 24 (c) show still another application example. In this example, in the land portion 2, the side surfaces separated from each other are bent in the same phase in a zigzag manner, and the side surfaces adjacent to each other form a pair of circumferential grooves 4c and 4d which are linear, and between the circumferential grooves 4c and 4d. A linear step region 3 is defined. As a result, the step region 3 periodically approaches and separates from the land portion 2.

[0036]

According to the present invention, uneven wear throughout the service life of a tire can be prevented by the action of a stepped region provided in a local portion of a land without significantly affecting the performance characteristics of the tire. Can be simply and appropriately realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a step region.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a step region.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a step region.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a step region.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a step region.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a step region.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a step region.

FIG. 8 is a tangential shear force distribution diagram.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a grounding behavior.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the effect of l '/ l and load ratio on tangential shear force.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a comparative tire.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a deformed step region.

FIG. 13 is a definition diagram of uneven wear.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of another step region.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of another step region.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of another step region.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of another step region.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of the embodiment.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of the embodiment.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of the embodiment.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of another step region.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of an application example.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram of an application example.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram of an application example.

[Description of Signs] 1 Main groove 2 Land part 3 Step region 4 Narrow groove 4 'Thin cut

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 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (31) Priority claim number Japanese Patent Application No. 63-241832 (32) Priority date September 27, 1988 (33) (33) Priority claim country Japan (JP)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A heavy-duty pneumatic tire having a main groove extending continuously along a tire tread surface and a land portion divided by the main groove, wherein the tread surface is sandwiched between the land portions. A stepped area that is independent of the land by a pair of grooves or a thin notch along the periphery of the tread, and the surface of the stepped area is a tread contact surface that supports the load acting on the tire. A heavy-duty pneumatic tire for preventing uneven wear, which is provided with an uneven wear sacrifice portion that comes into sliding contact with a road surface in an area.