Heavy duty tire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11440353-B2
Application number	US-202017108701-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2020
Priority date	Dec 27, 2019
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

In a tire 2, in a normal state, a profile of a tread surface 22 includes a crown circular arc as a circular arc representing a profile of a portion including an equator PC, and the crown circular arc has a radius of not less than 1600 mm and not greater than 2000 mm. On a ground-contact surface 52 obtained when a load is applied to the tire 2 in the normal state and the tread surface 22 is brought into contact with a flat road surface, an ultra-light load shape index F30 is higher than a light load shape index F60, the ultra-light load shape index F30 is not less than 1.10 and not greater than 1.20, and the light load shape index F60 is not less than 1.04 and not greater than 1.14.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heavy duty tire comprising a tread having a tread surface that comes into contact with a road surface, wherein
in the tire in a normal state where the tire is mounted on a normal rim, an internal pressure of the tire is adjusted to a normal internal pressure, and no load is applied to the tire, a profile of the tread surface includes a crown circular arc as a circular arc representing a profile of a portion including an equator, and the crown circular arc has a radius of not less than 1600 mm and not greater than 2000 mm, and
when a ratio of an equator ground-contact length measured along the equator, to a reference ground-contact length at a position corresponding to a width that is 70% of a maximum ground-contact width, on a ground-contact surface obtained when a load is applied to the tire in the normal state and the tread surface is brought into contact with a flat road surface, is defined as a shape index, the shape index obtained when the load is 30% of a normal load is defined as an ultra-light load shape index, and the shape index obtained when the load is 60% of the normal load is defined as a light load shape index,
the ultra-light load shape index is higher than the light load shape index, the ultra-light load shape index is not less than 1.10 and not greater than 1.20, and the light load shape index is not less than 1.04 and not greater than 1.14.

2. The heavy duty tire according to claim 1 , wherein
when the shape index obtained when the load is the normal load is defined as a heavy load shape index,
the heavy load shape index is lower than the light load shape index, and the heavy load shape index is not less than 1.00 and not greater than 1.10.

3. The heavy duty tire according to claim 1 , further comprising a belt located inward of the tread in a radial direction, wherein
the belt includes a plurality of layers stacked in the radial direction, and each of the layers includes a large number of belt cords aligned with each other,
the plurality of layers include a first reference layer having a largest width in an axial direction, and a second reference layer stacked radially outward of the first reference layer, and
an angle of the belt cords in each of the first reference layer and the second reference layer relative to an equator plane is not less than 14° and not greater than 17°.

4. The heavy duty tire according to claim 1 , wherein
at least four circumferential grooves aligned in an axial direction are formed on the tread, thereby forming at least five land portions,
among the at least five land portions, land portions including ends of the tread surface are shoulder land portions, land portions located inward of the shoulder land portions in the axial direction are middle land portions, and a land portion located inward of the middle land portions in the axial direction is a crown land portion,
a ratio of a width of each middle land portion to a width of the crown land portion is not less than 0.95 and not greater than 1.05, and
a ratio of a width of each shoulder land portion to the width of the crown land portion is not less than 0.85 and not greater than 0.95.

5. The heavy duty tire according to claim 4 , wherein
on each of the middle land portions and the crown land portion, a sipe is formed so as to traverse the land portion,
in the sipe, an edge shape of an opening open on the tread surface has a zigzag portion that extends in a zigzag manner by repeating peaks and valleys, and
in a depth direction of the sipe, the edge shape of the opening is substantially retained, and first displacement portions in each of which a position of the zigzag portion is displaced to one side in a longitudinal direction of the sipe and second displacement portions in each of which the position of the zigzag portion is displaced to another side in the longitudinal direction of the sipe are repeated.

6. The heavy duty tire according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a thickness of the tire at each end of the tread surface to a thickness of the tire at the equator is not less than 1.30 and not greater than 1.35.

7. The heavy duty tire according to claim 3 , wherein a direction in which the belt cords of the first reference layer are inclined relative to a circumferential direction is opposite to a direction in which the belt cords of the the second reference layer are inclined relative to the circumferential direction.

8. The heavy duty tire according to claim 3 , wherein a difference between a thickness from a profile of the belt to the profile of the tread surface at an end of the belt and a thickness from the profile of the belt to the profile of the tread surface at the equator plane is not less than 0.0 mm and not greater than 2.0 mm.

9. The heavy duty tire according to claim 4 , wherein
the profile of the tread surface includes a side circular arc as a circular arc representing a profile of each of portions axially outward of the portion including the equator, and
the ratio of a radius of the side circular arc to the radius of the crown circular arc is not less than 0.2 and not greater than 0.4.

10. The heavy duty tire according to claim 2 , further comprising a belt located inward of the tread in a radial direction, wherein
the belt includes a plurality of layers stacked in the radial direction, and each of the layers includes a large number of belt cords aligned with each other,
the plurality of layers include a first reference layer having a largest width in an axial direction, and a second reference layer stacked radially outward of the first reference layer, and
an angle of the belt cords in each of the first reference layer and the second reference layer relative to an equator plane is not less than 14° and not greater than 17°.

11. The heavy duty tire according to claim 2 , wherein
at least four circumferential grooves aligned in an axial direction are formed on the tread, thereby forming at least five land portions,
among the at least five land portions, land portions including ends of the tread surface are shoulder land portions, land portions located inward of the shoulder land portions in the axial direction are middle land portions, and a land portion located inward of the middle land portions in the axial direction is a crown land portion,
a ratio of a width of each middle land portion to a width of the crown land portion is not less than 0.95 and not greater than 1.05, and
a ratio of a width of each shoulder land portion to the width of the crown land portion is not less than 0.85 and not greater than 0.95.

12. The heavy duty tire according to claim 2 , wherein a ratio of a thickness of the tire at each end of the tread surface to a thickness of the tire at the equator is not less than 1.30 and not greater than 1.35.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Rubber Ind

Inventors

• Fujii Riho

Classifications

• B60C11/1204

  with special shape of the sipe · CPC title

• B60C11/005

  with cap and base layers · CPC title

• B60C2200/06

  for heavy duty vehicles · CPC title

• B60C9/28

  characterised by the belt or breaker dimensions or curvature relative to carcass (B60C9/30 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60C2009/2016

  comprising cords at an angle of 10 to 30 degrees to the circumferential direction · CPC title