A heavy truck tire tread (12) is provided that has a partially hidden longitudinal groove (22) with an undersurface channel (24) engaged by a longitudinal sipe (26). The partially hidden longitudinal groove (22) has a surface opening (28) that extends from a surface of the tread to the undersurface channel (24). The tread (12) has at least one of two features. The first feature is that the surface opening (28) extends from the surface to the undersurface channel (24) at an angle to the thickness direction such that the surface opening (28) at the surface is forward of the surface opening (28) at the undersurface channel (24) in the rolling direction (20). The second feature is that a lateral sipe (32) engages the surface opening (28) so that the first end is at the surface opening (28), and the second end is forward of the first end in the rolling direction (20).

A tire is provided having a tread region that includes continuous ribs which extend diagonally across the transverse direction of the tire. Partial sipes are provided at the trailing edges of the ribs. Full sipes can also be provided with the partial sipes. The ribs may form various patterns such as e.g., an S-shaped pattern, chevron pattern, and others. The tire provides improved traction performance over non-diagonal ribs while still providing desirable rolling resistance performance and control of irregular wear.

This pneumatic tire includes, on a tread surface, land portions defined by tread edges and by circumferential main grooves extending continuously in the tread circumferential direction; central sipes, in a central land portion on a tire equatorial plane, extending in the tread width direction and formed at a predetermined pitch length, the central land portion being continuous in the tread circumferential direction between adjacent central sipes; and intermediate sipes, in intermediate land portions adjacent to the central land portion on both sides in the tread width direction with the circumferential main grooves therebetween, extending in the tread width direction and being formed at a predetermined pitch length, each intermediate land portion being continuous in the tread circumferential direction between adjacent intermediate sipes. The pitch length of the intermediate sipes is longer than that of the central sipes, and both ends of the central sipes open into the circumferential main grooves.

A pneumatic tire comprises a tread portion 2 having an outside tread edge Teo and an inside tread edge Tei to be positioned outside and inside, respectively, with respect to a vehicle. The tread portion 2 is axially divided into land regions 4 by four main grooves 3 including an outside shoulder main groove 5, an inside shoulder main groove 6 and two crown main grooves 7. The outside shoulder main groove 5 has a width smaller than the inside shoulder main groove 6 and the crown main grooves 7. The land portions 4 include an inside shoulder land region 10 provided with inside shoulder lateral grooves 17. Each of the land regions 4 is provided with sipes 20 each extending across the entire width of the land region and having a width less than 3 mm.

A heavy truck tire directional tread is provided that has two successive asymmetrical sipes (14) in the longitudinal direction that share at least some of the same offset from a tread edge in the lateral direction. Each of the two asymmetrical sipes (14) has a body (28) and a tear drop (30). The surface of the bottom of the sipe (14) has a radius of curvature that is not the same along the entire surface of the bottom. The geometry of the sipes resists crack initiation and propagation and is governed by the equation R.sub.A.B-avg>1-4×R.sub.ref, wherein R.sub.a.B-avg is the average radius of a particular portion of the bottom of the sipe, and Rref is a reference radius of the bottom of the sipe.

This invention discloses a tire mold comprising a tread mold portion divided into mold segments having transverse edges which are movable between (i) an opened position, wherein the mold segments are spaced apart, and (ii) a closed position, wherein neighboring mold segments are in contact with each other, each of the mold segments comprising blades; wherein at least a first one of said mold segments has laterally extending blades located at a first transverse edge, wherein at least a second neighboring one of said mold segments has laterally extending blades located at a second transverse edge adjacent to the first transverse edge of the first one of said mold segments, and when in the closed position said laterally extending blades of the first one of said mold segments interlock between the laterally extending blades of the second one of said mold segments.

A heavy truck tire tread is provided that has a rolling direction that is in a longitudinal direction of the tread. A circumferential sipe (20) is present and extends in the longitudinal direction completely around the tread. The circumferential sipe does not bound a sacrificial rib. A plurality of micro sipes (22) engage the circumferential sipe and are located on opposite sides of the circumferential sipe in the lateral direction. The micro sipes extend from the circumferential sipe so as to terminate within rubber of the tread at a terminal end.

A tread (2) for the driven axle of an agricultural vehicle having tread pattern elements (21, 41) extending radially towards the outside from a bearing surface (22). The tread pattern elements have, in the central part of the tread, a series of blocks (41) juxtaposed with one another in the longitudinal direction and separated by transverse cuts (42), and having, in the rolling direction (15), a leading face, a contact face and a trailing face. The leading face having a radial height greater than the radial height of the trailing face. The contact face being oriented at an angle α with respect to radial direction Z, α being between 93 and 105° and radial depth PR of the transverse cuts (42) being at least 50% of the radial height of the leading face, the width of the blocks representing at least 15% of the width of the tread.

The present invention provides for a heavy truck tire tread having a shoulder edge, shoulder groove, and shoulder rib therebetween. A plurality of sipes are in the shoulder rib and are oriented less than 20 degrees to the lateral direction. The sipes are spaced from one another between 5 to 18 millimeters in the longitudinal direction. Additionally or alternatively, the sipes are arranged so that a reference plane extends through a sipe bottom point and a sipe top point at the average sipe line. A sipe inclination line extends from the sipe bottom point to the sipe top point, and a reference line extends through the sipe bottom point. A sipe inclination angle is defined by the reference line and the sipe inclination line and is greater than 0 degrees.

A tyre includes a tread portion including a land portion having a ground contact surface and at least one sidewall. The land portion is provided with a radial channel extending from a radially outer end opened at the ground contact surface to a radially inner end, an internal lateral channel extending under the ground contact surface within the land portion and having one end opened at the at least one sidewall and communicating with the radially inner end of the radial channel, and a sipe opened at the ground contact surface and communicating with the radial channel and the internal lateral channel. The radially outer end of the radial channel has an axial opening width in a range of from 5% to 20% of an axial width of the land portion.