TIRE COMPRISING AN OPTIMIZED ARCHITECTURE

Abstract

A tire (10) for a vehicle comprises a radially outermost working layer (41) which comprises at least one undulation (412) in line with a central rib (251) of the tread (2). The undulation (412) is radially on the outside of the points of the working layer (41) in line with the bottom face (243) of the circumferential groove (24) closest to the undulation (412) and has an amplitude of at least 1 mm. The undulation (412) is vertically in line above at least one local reinforcing layer (6) comprising reinforcing elements that are mutually parallel and make with the circumferential direction (XX′) of the tire an angle of which the absolute value is at most equal to 5°.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A tire, for a vehicle, comprising: a tread (2) intended to come into contact with a ground via a tread surface (21), a circumferential midplane (P) passing through the center of the tread (21), the tread surface comprising grooves, the grooves forming a space opening onto the tread surface (21) and being delimited by at least two main lateral faces (241, 242) connected by a bottom face (243), at least one and at most two central ribs (251), delimited by circumferential boundaries (252), the circumferential boundaries (252) of the central ribs being substantially circumferential grooves, the substantially circumferential grooves being circumferential grooves (24) or a circumferential set of grooves (24′), a central rib being such that the circumferential midplane passes between its two boundaries or, if the circumferential midplane passes through a circumferential groove, such that the circumferential midplane passes a distance at most equal to 15 mm from one of the boundaries of the central rib (25), the circumferential grooves or the grooves of the circumferential set of grooves (24′) that form the boundaries of the central rib or ribs having a width W defined by a distance between two lateral faces (241, 242) at least equal to 5 mm and a depth D defined by a maximum radial distance between the tread surface (21) and the bottom face (243) at least equal to 2 mm, a crown reinforcement (3), radially on an inside of the tread (2), comprising a working reinforcement (4), and a carcass reinforcement (8) radially on an inside of the crown reinforcement comprising at least one carcass layer (8), the working reinforcement (4) comprising at least one working layer (41, 42), each working layer extending radially from a radially interior curve (RIC) to a radially exterior curve (REC), each working layer comprising at least partially metal reinforcing elements coated with an elastomer material which are mutually parallel and make with the circumferential direction (XX′) of the tire an angle of which the absolute value is at least equal to 15° and at most equal to 50°, a radially outermost working layer (41) comprising at least one central undulation (412) in line with at least one central rib (26) with an amplitude at least equal to 1 mm, each central undulation (412) being such that a portion of the radially outermost working layer (41) of the central undulation (412) is radially on an outside of the portion of the radially outermost working layer (41) in line with the bottom faces (243) of the circumferential grooves or of the grooves of the circumferential set of grooves delimiting the central rib (251) in a vertical line above the central undulation (412) concerned, wherein at least one local reinforcement (6), comprising at least one layer of reinforcing elements that are mutually parallel and make with the circumferential direction (XX′) of the tire an angle of which the absolute value is at most equal to 5°, is vertically in line with at least one central undulation (412) of the radially outermost working layer (41).

17. The tire according to claim 16, wherein an amplitude of each central undulation (412) of the radially outermost working layer (41) is at least equal to 1.5 mm and at most equal to 5 mm.

18. The tire according to claim 16, wherein the local reinforcement (6) is radially on an outside of the carcass reinforcement (8), radially on an inside of a radially innermost working layer (42).

19. The tire according to claim 16, wherein the radially outermost working layer (41) comprises a central undulation (412) in line with each central rib (251), each central undulation being vertically in line above a local reinforcement (6).

20. The tire according to claim 16, wherein an axial width of each local reinforcement is at least equal to 5 mm and at most equal to an axial width of the central rib in vertical line above the local reinforcement (6).

21. The tire according to claim 16, wherein each local reinforcement (6) comprises a layer of reinforcing elements that are mutually parallel and form with the circumferential direction (XX′) of the tire an oriented angle of which the absolute value is at most equal to 0.5°.

22. The tire according to claim 16, wherein the reinforcing elements of each local reinforcement are made of textile and are mutually parallel.

23. The tire according to claim 16, wherein a force at break of the reinforcing elements of each local reinforcement (6) is at least equal to 20 daN, at most equal to 120 daN, and an elongation at break Acc of the reinforcing elements of each local reinforcement (6) is at least equal to 6%.

24. The tire according to claim 16, wherein each undulation (412) of the radially outermost working layer (41) is in vertical alignment above at most one local reinforcement (6), each local reinforcement (6) being produced by continuously winding a strip of at least two reinforcing elements to generate at most 3 layers of reinforcing elements.

25. The tire according to claim 24, wherein an axial distance between two contiguous reinforcing elements of the local reinforcement (6) is at least equal to 0.2 mm and at most equal to 0.4 mm.

26. The tire according to claim 16, wherein a first local reinforcement (61) is radially on an outside of the carcass reinforcement (8), radially on an inside of a radially innermost working layer (42) and a second local reinforcement (62) is radially on an outside of the radially innermost working layer (42) and radially on an inside of the radially outermost working layer (41).

27. The tire according to claim 16, wherein the reinforcing elements of the carcass layer or layers (8) have a meridian curvature of constant sign in line with a narrowest working layer of the crown reinforcement.

28. The tire according to claim 16, wherein an undulation (412) of the radially outermost working layer (41) is present only in line with the central ribs (251).

29. The tire according to claim 16, wherein an undulation (412) of the radially outermost working layer (41) is present in line with all the ribs (25, 251) of the tread (2).

30. The tire according to claim 16, wherein a local reinforcement (6) is present in line with all the undulations (412) of the radially outermost working layer (41).

Description

[0060] The features and the other advantages of the invention will be understood better with the aid of FIGS. 1 to 5, said figures not being drawn to scale but in a simplified manner so as to make it easier to understand the invention.

[0061] FIG. 1 depicts a meridian section through the crown of a tyre according to the invention, with an undulation (412) in line with the central rib (251) through which the median circumferential plane (P) passes. It illustrates the local reinforcing layer (6), positioned under the undulation (412) of the radially outermost working layer (41) and the various radial distances do, du, dc and df.

[0062] FIG. 2 depicts a meridian section through the crown of a tyre according to the invention, with an undulation (412) and a local reinforcement layer (6) in line with each central rib (251) on either side of the central groove through which the median circumferential plane (P) passes. It also illustrates the the distances W, D and dl.

[0063] FIG. 3 depicts a meridian section through the crown of a tyre according to the invention, with an undulation (412) and two local reinforcing layers (61, 62) in line with each central rib (251) respectively under each working layer (41, 42) on either side of the central groove through which the median circumferential plane (P) passes.

[0064] FIGS. 4 and 5 depict tread patterns of a tread, and notably a circumferential set of grooves (24′) forming one of the circumferential boundaries (252) of the central rib (251).

[0065] Numerous combinations of arrangements and dimensions of the undulations under the ribs, and of circumferential sets of grooves, are possible. The figures and the description do not attempt to describe all of these explicitly.

[0066] FIG. 1 schematically depicts the meridian section through the crown of the tyre 10 according to the invention. A Cartesian frame of reference (XX′, YY', ZZ') is associated with each meridian plane. The tyre 10 has a tread 2 intended to come into contact with the ground via a tread surface 21. Arranged in the tread are grooves and circumferential grooves 24 delimiting ribs 25 including the central rib 251 through which the median circumferential plane P passes. In at least one of the circumferential grooves 24, the tyre 10 comprises at least one wear indicator 7. The tyre 10 also comprises a crown reinforcement 3 comprising a working reinforcement 4 and in this case, for example, a hoop reinforcement 5. The working reinforcement comprises at least one working layer and here, for example, two working layers 41 and 42, each comprising mutually parallel reinforcing elements. The crown reinforcement 3 is radially on the outside of a carcass reinforcement 8. FIG. 1 also depicts, in line with this central rib 251, an undulation 412 of the radially outermost working layer 41 and, in line with this undulation, a local reinforcing layer 6. In this variant, only the radially outermost working layer 41 is undulated.

[0067] FIG. 2 depicts a variant of the invention with an undulation 412 and a local reinforcing layer 6 in line with each central rib 251, on either side of the circumferential groove through which the median circumferential plane P passes. The figure depicts the circumferential grooves which each have lateral faces 241 and 242 and a bottom face 243 and a width W, which is the maximum axial distance between the lateral faces, which possibly differs from one circumferential groove 24 to the other. In this variant, only the radially outermost working layer 41 is undulated.

[0068] FIG. 3 depicts a variant of the invention similar to that of FIG. 2, with 2 central ribs 251 although, in this variant, the two working layers 41 and 42 are undulating, and a local reinforcing layer is positioned under each undulation.

[0069] FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 depict the following radial distances: [0070] D: the depth of a groove, which is the maximum radial distance between the tread surface 21 and the bottom face 243 of the circumferential groove 24, [0071] dc: the radial distance between the radially exterior curve REC of the radially outermost working layer 41 and the tread surface 21, which is the distance in line with the bottom face 243 of the circumferential groove 24 closest to the said undulation 412. [0072] df: the radial distance between the tread surface 21 and the radially outermost point of the wear indicator 7. [0073] do: the radial distance between the radially exterior curve REC of the radially outermost working layer 41 and the tread surface at the undulation 412. [0074] du: the minimum radial distance between the radially exterior curve (REC) of the radially outermost layer of the crown reinforcement 3 and the tread surface 21. [0075] d1: the radial distance between the radially exterior curve REC of the radially outermost working layer 41 and the bottom face 243 of the circumferential grooves 25.

[0076] A meridian section through the tyre is obtained by cutting the tyre on two meridian planes. This or these sections serve to determine the various radial distances.

[0077] FIGS. 4 and 5 depict treads in which a rib 251 is delimited by a circumferential groove 24 one side, and by a circumferential set of grooves 24′ on the other side. FIG. 4 depicts a circumferential set of grooves 24′, for which the circumferential boundary 252 of the central rib is obvious. FIG. 5 depicts a circumferential set of grooves 24′ for which the axial position of the grooves of said set varies. In this case, the boundary 252 of the central rib is only substantially axial. In this case, just as in the case of a substantially circumferential groove, said boundary passing through those points on said boundary 252 that are closest to the centre of the central rib are extrapolated as a circumferential plane.

[0078] The invention was implemented on a tyre A of size 295/35R20 intended to equip a passenger vehicle. The depths D of the grooves of the tread pattern are comprised between 4 and 7 mm and equal to 7 mm in the case of the circumferential grooves, for widths W which are variable in the case of the grooves and equal to 15 mm in the case of the circumferential grooves. The crown reinforcement is made up of two working layers of which the reinforcing elements make an angle of + or −38° with the circumferential direction and of a hooping layer of which the reinforcing elements make an angle of + or −3° with the circumferential direction.

[0079] The radially outermost working layer is undulated under the central rib of the tread. The amplitude of the undulation under the central rib is 1.2 mm. The axial width of the undulation is equal to 21 mm. Positioned in the undulation is a local reinforcing layer with an axial width of 20 mm made up of a nylon-aramid hybrid with a diameter equal to 0.65 mm and a laying pitch of 0.85 mm. The radial distance dl between the radially exterior curve REC of the radially outermost working layer 41 and the bottom face 243 of the circumferential grooves 25 is between 2 mm and 3.5 mm.

[0080] Tyres A were compared with tyres B of the same size, having the same characteristics except that the working layers were not undulated, and had no local reinforcing layer.

[0081] The improvement in terms of rolling resistance was evaluated on a standard machine for measurements standardized in accordance with ISO 2850 :2009. The tests reveal a more than 2% improvement by comparison with the reference tyre B.

[0082] Furthermore, a measurement of the characteristic Dz of the Pacejka tyre behaviour model well known to a person skilled in the art reveals a 2-to-3% improvement in this characteristic for a pressure of 2.6 bar, hot. The improvement in dry grip varies between 0 and 1% depending on the stress loading conditions.

[0083] The improvement in breaking energy performance of tyre A in comparison with tyre B is 15% without an increase in mass.