Winter tire center tread pattern

US8757229B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company · US

Inventor

• Oliver Knispel · Gelnhausen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 29, 2010
• Grant date: Jun 24, 2014
• Expiry date: Mar 22, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S152/03
• WIPO field: Transport
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A vehicle wheel tire center tread region has a repeating circumferential array of first substantially V-shaped grooves positioned on the centerplane, each first V-shaped groove having divergent first groove side arms extending in a first circumferential direction, and a repeating circumferential array of second substantially V-shaped grooves positioned on the centerplane and having divergent second groove side arms extending in a second circumferential direction opposite to the first circumferential direction. Each first V-shaped groove is overlapped by multiple oppositely directed second V-shaped grooves. The first V-shaped groove arms have a varying lengthwise depth that varies between about 2 and 7 millimeters from a shallower depth proximate to a vertex arm region to an increased depth at a medial arm region to a decreased depth at a terminal arm region. The first V-shaped groove arms further vary in width as well as depth from a narrower vertex arm region to a wider medial arm region to a narrow terminal arm region so that the volume of the groove arms per length unit is substantially constant in the medial arm region.