JP6483967B2 - Pneumatic tire - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire.

Conventionally, a pneumatic tire (Patent Document 1) has a structure in which a plurality of sipes extending in the tire width direction are formed in a tread block (land portion) and the sipes are extended while being bent along the depth direction. See).
In the sipe having such a bent portion, when the block is deformed on the tire ground contact surface, the opposing wall surfaces of the block forming the bent portion come into contact with each other and mesh with each other. It is recognized that the ground contact property of the tire surface (tread surface) can be improved.

One of the reasons for improving the rigidity of the block and the ground contactability of the tire surface is to improve the tire's performance on the snow and ice surface, but it is necessary to separately secure the effect of biting and digging at the sipe edge. As an object, it is considered to provide a large number of sipes, and various shapes related to sipes have been proposed in order to suppress excessive block deformation caused by the sipes.
The meshing effect by the opposing wall surfaces of the block is also expected to contribute to the improvement of tire performance on road surfaces other than snow and ice.

JP 2013-189131 A

By the way, the meshing effect of a sipe having a bent portion is considered to bring about a beneficial effect even on a wet road surface. However, the wet road surface has a wide range of temperatures from around 0 ° C. to over 50 ° C. The elastic modulus temperature dependence has a great influence on the block deformation behavior.
For example, when the road surface temperature is low due to rain, or when the tire temperature is low such as when the vehicle starts running, the elastic modulus of the tread rubber is high, and the block contact surface reaches the friction limit with slight deformation, causing slippage. Therefore, the grip performance is likely to deteriorate. On the other hand, when the road surface temperature is high or the tire temperature is high, such as after a certain period of time has elapsed since the start of running, the elastic modulus of the tread rubber decreases and the block deformation increases, resulting in poor road surface grounding. Similarly, the grip performance tends to be lowered.
The fact that the grip performance is liable to decrease is particularly significant in high-performance tires that require high exercise performance even on wet road surfaces.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a pneumatic tire having high grip performance over a wide temperature range and high exercise performance even on a wet road surface.
It is.

In order to achieve the above object, a pneumatic tire according to the present invention is a pneumatic tire in which a plurality of sipes extending in a tire width direction are provided on a tread surface, and the sipes are arranged in a depth direction of the sipes. The tread rubber having at least two sipe portions separated by at least one bent portion and forming the tread portion has a frequency of 52 Hz, an initial strain of 6.0%, a dynamic strain of 0.1%, and a measurement temperature of 0. The dynamic storage elastic modulus E′0 measured at ₀ ° C. is 20 MPa or more, and at least one of the bending portion angles, which are the angles formed by the adjacent sipe portions across the bending portion, is 100 to 150 degrees. It is characterized by that. The pneumatic tire according to the present invention has high grip performance over a wide temperature range, and high exercise performance even on wet road surfaces.
In the present invention, the dynamic storage elastic modulus E ′ ₀ and the dynamic storage elastic modulus E ′ ₅₀ described later are measured using, for example, a spectrometer (dynamic viscoelasticity measuring tester) manufactured by Ueshima Seisakusho Co., Ltd. Measured.

In the pneumatic tire according to the present invention, it is preferable that an interval along the tire circumferential direction between the sipes adjacent in the tire circumferential direction is 2 to 10 times the depth of the sipe. According to this configuration, it is possible to sufficiently ensure the tread drainage without causing a shortage of the tread rigidity, and thus it is possible to prevent a decrease in steering stability.
In the pneumatic tire of the present invention, the sipe has at least three sipe portions separated by at least two bent portions in the depth direction of the sipe, and the bent portion angle is compared to the sipe bottom side. And it is preferable that it is large on the tread tread side. According to this configuration, it is possible to improve the wet performance by securing the drainage performance of the sipe while improving the rigidity of the block and the ground contact property of the tread surface.
In the pneumatic tire of the present invention, the length of the sipe in the depth direction of the sipe of the sipe portion closest to the tread surface is preferably 30% or less of the depth of the sipe. According to this configuration, the sipe meshing effect can be generated from a place closer to the tread surface.

In the pneumatic tire of the present invention, the bent portion is formed continuously in the extending direction of the sipe, and the bent portion angle in the continuous bent portion is larger than that of the central portion in the extending direction of the sipe. It is preferable that the edge is large. According to this configuration, it is possible to make the end portion in the sipe extending direction with a small bulge amount of the sipe portion easier to contact.
In the pneumatic tire according to the present invention, it is preferable that the distance between the opposing wall surfaces forming the sipe is narrower at the end than the center in the extending direction of the sipe. According to this configuration, it is possible to make the end portion in the sipe extending direction with a small bulge amount of the sipe portion easier to contact.
In the pneumatic tire of the present invention, the dynamic storage elastic modulus E ′ _{0 of} the tread rubber forming the tread portion measured at a frequency of 52 Hz, an initial strain of 6.0%, a dynamic strain of 0.1%, and a measurement temperature of 0 ° C. And the ratio E ′ ₀ / E ′ _{50 of} the frequency 52 Hz, initial strain 6.0%, dynamic strain 0.1%, and dynamic storage elastic modulus E ′ ₅₀ measured at a measurement temperature of 50 ° C. is 10 or more (E ′ ₀ / E ′ ₅₀ ≧ 10). The present invention is particularly effective when such a tread rubber is provided.

In the present invention, “sipe” is a thin incision cut inward in the tire radial direction from the tread surface, and a load corresponding to the maximum load capacity by filling the tire assembled to the applicable rim with a specified internal pressure. In the grounding condition to which is added, at least a part of the opposing wall surfaces has a width enough to contact (close) each other.
Further, the term “sipe extends in the tire width direction” means that the sipe includes not only those extending along the tire width direction but also those having a projection component in the tire width direction and extending obliquely with respect to the tire width direction. To do. However, from the viewpoint of improving wet performance during straight traveling, a range of 0 to 30 degrees with respect to the tire width direction is preferable, and it is more preferable to extend along the tire width direction (0 degrees).
The “sipe extending direction” means a direction parallel to the sipe width center line on the tread tread unless otherwise specified, and the “sipe depth direction” means on the tread tread. The direction perpendicular to the direction shall be indicated.
The “tread surface” is a tire that comes into contact with the road surface when a tire that is assembled to an applicable rim and filled with a specified internal pressure is rolled with a load corresponding to the maximum load capacity applied. Means the outer peripheral surface of the entire circumference.

Here, “applicable rim” is an industrial standard that is effective in the region where tires are produced and used. In Japan, JATMA YEAR BOOK of JATMA (Japan Automobile Tire Association), and in Europe, ETRTO (The European) STANDARDDS MANUAL of Tire and Rim Technical Organization, standard rims of applicable sizes described in YEAR BOOK of TRA (The Tile and Rim Association, Inc.) in the United States, etc. In YEAR BOOK, it refers to Design Rim).
The “specified internal pressure” means the air pressure corresponding to the maximum load capacity in the applicable size / ply rating described in the above JATMA YEAR BOOK etc., and the “maximum load capacity” The maximum mass allowed to be loaded.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pneumatic tire having high grip performance over a wide temperature range and high exercise performance even on a wet road surface.

It is a fragmentary sectional view of a tread part showing typically composition in a depth direction of a sipe provided in a tread surface of a pneumatic tire concerning a 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of a tread part showing typically composition in a depth direction of a sipe provided in a tread surface of a pneumatic tire concerning a 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of a tread part showing typically composition in a depth direction of a sipe provided in a tread surface of a pneumatic tire concerning a 3rd embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of a tread part showing typically composition in a depth direction of a sipe provided in a tread surface of a pneumatic tire concerning a 4th embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which expands and shows a part of tread surface of a verification tire.

Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The pneumatic tire of each embodiment described below is not illustrated, but a tread portion, a pair of sidewall portions extending inward in the tire radial direction from the tread portion to the outside in the tire width direction, and each sidewall A pair of bead portions that are respectively continuous on the inner side in the tire radial direction of the portion. Furthermore, each pneumatic tire extends in a toroidal shape between a pair of bead portions, and is provided on the outer side in the tire radial direction from the carcass ply including one or more carcass plies including a radial arrangement cord and the crown portion of the carcass. The belt includes at least one belt ply, a tread rubber provided on the outer side in the tire radial direction than the belt, and a bead core embedded in the bead portion. The outer surface of the tread rubber forms a tread surface. However, it is not limited to the said structure.

In the tread surface, a plurality of sipes extending in the tire width direction are provided at substantially equal intervals in the tire circumferential direction over the entire circumference in the tire circumferential direction in the embodiment described here. Besides the sipe, the tread surface includes a sipe extending along the tire circumferential direction, one or more main grooves (circumferential grooves) extending in the tire circumferential direction, a plurality of sub-grooves extending in a direction intersecting with the main groove, A plurality of blocks (land portions) or the like partitioned by the main groove and the sub-groove may be provided as appropriate. However, such a tread pattern is not particularly limited.
In addition, this pneumatic tire is used as a tire for passenger cars, a tire for trucks and buses, and the like, and in particular, it is assumed to be used in a wide range as a tire for passenger cars.
(First embodiment)

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a tread portion schematically showing a configuration in a depth direction of a sipe provided on a tread surface of a pneumatic tire according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a sectional view perpendicular to the extending direction of the sipe on the tread surface, and shows only one of the opposing wall surfaces of the sipe extending inward in the tire radial direction.
As shown in FIG. 1, the sipe 10 opens in the tread tread surface 11 and extends inward in the tire radial direction along the tire width direction. The opening width on the tread surface of the sipe 10 (applied rim mounting, specified internal pressure filling, no load) is preferably in the range of 0.2 to 0.5 mm, and is formed to 0.4 mm as an example. The depth, that is, the distance in the tire radial direction from the tread tread surface 11 to the sipe bottom is preferably in the range of 4 to 7 mm, and is, for example, 5.5 mm.

In addition, although description of the structure of this embodiment is performed only about one of the opposing wall surfaces that form the sipe 10, the other of the opposing wall surfaces has the same configuration and the like, and has the corresponding configuration. Description of the other of the wall surfaces is omitted. The same applies to the corresponding drawings.
Although not shown, the sipe 10 in this embodiment has, as an example, both ends in the tire width direction, which are extending directions, open in the circumferential grooves, and is perpendicular to the tread tread surface and the extending direction in the depth direction of the sipe. The measured sipe width is substantially constant, and the pitch between sipe adjacent in the tire circumferential direction is relatively larger than usual.

The sipe 10 in the present embodiment is provided on a tread portion 12 whose outer surface is a tread surface 11, and a tread rubber forming the tread portion 12 has a frequency of 52 Hz, an initial strain of 6.0%, and a dynamic strain of 0.1. %, The dynamic storage elastic modulus E ′ ₀ measured at a measurement temperature of 0 ° C. is 20 MPa or more. That is, the tread rubber on which the sipe 10 is formed has a dynamic storage elastic modulus E ′ ₀ of 20 MPa or more. In the case of such a tread rubber having a dynamic storage elastic modulus E ′ ₀ of 20 MPa or more, particularly grip performance can be improved. On the other hand, such a tread rubber generally has a large change in the dynamic storage elastic modulus E ′ in the operating temperature range. The dynamic storage elastic modulus E ′ ₀ is preferably 40 MPa or less.
The sipe 10 has six sipe portions 14a to 14f separated by five bent portions 13a to 13e in the sipe depth direction d. In other words, the opposing wall surfaces forming the sipe 10 are continuously arranged zigzag from the tread tread 11 toward the inside of the tire radial direction which is the depth direction d of the sipe, that is, alternately projecting directions toward the tire circumferential direction. Six inclined surfaces (sipe portions 14a to 14a) having five corner portions (bending portions 13a to 13e) which are reversed and arranged to be inclined to each other on both sides in the tire radial direction of the corner portions forming the corner portions. 14f).

In this embodiment, as an example, six sipe portions 14a to 14f separated by five bent portions 13a to 13e are shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the sipe 10 is formed in the sipe depth direction d. It is only necessary to have at least two sipe portions 14 separated by at least one bent portion 13. At least of the bending portion angles α (α1 to α5) that are angles formed between the six sipe portions 14a to 14f adjacent to each other with the five bending portions 13a to 13e interposed therebetween (an angle not exceeding 180 degrees). One, for example, the bent portion angle α3 is formed in the range of 100 to 150 degrees. More specifically, in the example of FIG. 1, α1 to α5 are all the same and are in the range of 100 to 150 degrees.
By having the said structure, it can have high grip performance in a wide temperature range, and can also have high exercise performance on a wet road surface.

  A characteristic of a tread rubber having a high dynamic storage elastic modulus is that, in general, a change in elastic modulus in an operating temperature range becomes large. On the other hand, by setting the bending portion angle α of the sipe 10 to the angle (100 to 150 degrees) set in the present embodiment, the effect is exhibited under each changed condition even with a change in elastic modulus. In addition, the exercise performance can be improved without depending on the operating temperature condition.

First, under conditions where the operating temperature is low (a condition where the elastic modulus is high), the sipe wall surfaces do not mesh strongly, ensuring a void volume (sipe volume) between the sipe wall surfaces, and improving drainage, that is, wet performance. Can be made. In addition, since the contact between the sipe wall surfaces is small, the tread portion 12 can be easily deformed, so that the tread temperature can be raised, and as a result, the elastic modulus can be lowered and the wet performance can be enhanced. Next, under conditions where the operating temperature is high (conditions where the elastic modulus is low), the degree of contact between the sipe wall surfaces is increased, so that deformation of the tread portion 12 is suppressed. Performance can be improved.
In this way, considering the tread rubber elastic modulus-temperature dependence, it ensures drainage and suppresses excessive block rigidity at high elasticity and low temperatures, and secures block rigidity and road surface contact at low elasticity and high temperatures. Therefore, in particular, in a high-performance tire, it is possible to achieve both the drainage performance of the sipe 10 and the ground contact performance of the tread tread 11 in a wide temperature range, thereby improving the wet performance.

More specifically, the present invention relates to the dynamic storage elastic modulus E of the tread rubber forming the tread portion 12 measured at a frequency of 52 Hz, an initial strain of 6.0%, a dynamic strain of 0.1%, and a measurement temperature of 0 ° C. and _'0, frequency 52 Hz, initial strain 6.0%, a dynamic strain of 0.1%, the ratio _E'0 / _E'50 of the dynamic storage modulus _E'50 measured at a measurement temperature of 50 ° C., 10 or more when it is _{(E'0 / E'50 ≧ 10} ), is particularly effective, further, _E'0 / _E'50 is in the range of _{12~126 (12 ≦ E'0 / E'} 50 ≦ 126) Is most effective.

Further, the sipe 10 provided at substantially equal intervals in the tire circumferential direction is a tire circumferential direction because of the balance between the rigidity of the tread portion 12 forming the tread tread surface 11 and the drainage performance corresponding to the sipe volume of the sipe 10. The separation distance (sipe interval) between adjacent sipes 10 is formed in a range of 2 to 10 times, preferably 4 to 6 times the depth of the sipes, for example, 5 times. In this embodiment, as an example, the sipe depth is about 5.5 mm and the sipe interval is 20 to 30 mm.
If the depth of the sipe is less than twice, the tread rigidity may be insufficient, and if it exceeds 10 times the sipe depth, the tread drainage may not be sufficiently secured. Insufficient tread rigidity leads to a decrease in steering stability.

In the present embodiment, the sipe 10 is formed such that the length of the sipe portion 14 a closest to the tread tread surface 11 in the sipe depth direction d is 30% or less of the depth of the sipe 10. By doing in this way, the sipe meshing effect can be produced from a place closer to the tread tread 11.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the sipe portion 14a closest to the tread tread surface 11 is inclined with respect to the sipe depth direction, but from the viewpoint of manufacturing (missing of the sipe forming blade). Is preferably extended in the sipe depth direction (perpendicular to the tread surface).
(Second Embodiment)

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a tread portion schematically showing a configuration in a depth direction of a sipe provided on a tread surface of a pneumatic tire according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a sectional view perpendicular to the extending direction of the sipe on the tread surface, and shows only one of the opposing wall surfaces of the sipe extending inward in the tire radial direction.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the sipe 10 has at least three sipe portions 14 separated by at least two bent portions 13 in the depth direction of the sipe 10, and the bent portion angle α is The tread surface side is larger than the sipe bottom side. Other configurations are the same as those of the sipe 10 of the first embodiment.

  The sipe 10 in the present embodiment has six sipe portions 14a to 14f separated by five bent portions 13a to 13e in the sipe depth direction d. In other words, the opposing wall surfaces forming the sipe 10 are continuously arranged zigzag from the tread tread 11 toward the inside of the tire radial direction which is the depth direction d of the sipe, that is, alternately projecting directions toward the tire circumferential direction. Six inclined surfaces (sipe portions 14a to 14a) having five corner portions (bending portions 13a to 13e) which are reversed and arranged to be inclined to each other on both sides in the tire radial direction of the corner portions forming the corner portions. 14f).

In this embodiment, as an example, six sipe portions 14a to 14f separated by five bent portions 13a to 13e are shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the sipe 10 is at least in the depth direction of the sipe. It suffices to have at least three sipe portions 14 separated by two bent portions 13.
Then, the bend angle α (α1 to α5) which is an angle (an angle not exceeding 180 degrees) between the six sipe portions 14a to 14f adjacent to each other with the five bend portions 13a to 13e interposed therebetween is sipe. It is formed larger on the tread surface (α1) than on the bottom side (α5).

For example, the sipe bottom side bend angle α5 located on the innermost side in the tire radial direction, the bend angle α3 on the sipe depth direction substantially in the center, and the tread tread 11 side bend located on the outermost side in the tire radial direction. The magnitude relationship regarding the angle α1 is α1>α3> α5. Similarly, in the present embodiment, α1>α2>...> Α5, which is most preferable, but at least α1> α5 and αn ≧ α (n + 1) (1 ≦ n ≦ 4) may be satisfied. That is, there may be a portion where the bending portion angles of adjacent bending portions are the same.
The bent portion angle α is preferably set in the range of 80 to 160 degrees, and more preferably in the range of 100 to 120 degrees. This is because the contact between the sipe wall surfaces facing each other is sufficiently increased, and the block rigidity and the ground contact property of the tread surface are improved.
Note that at least one of the five bent portion angles α (α1 to α5) is formed in a range of 100 to 150 degrees.

In the sipe 10 having the above-described configuration, the sipe portion 14 is brought into close contact with and brought into contact with the sipe portion 14 due to the bulging deformation of the sipe portion 14 caused by the load on the tread tread 11 caused by the ground contact. A sipe meshing effect occurs in which the zigzag sipe portions 14 in the direction d are combined with each other and overlap.
The swelling deformation of the sipe portion 14 is the largest in the central portion in the sipe depth direction d of the opposing wall surface of the sipe 10, which is an aggregate of the sipe portions 14, and is far from the central portion in the sipe depth direction d. I see, it gets smaller. In addition, when the bending portion angle α is small, the distance between the opposing sipe portions 14, which is the distance between the opposing wall surfaces of the sipe 10 measured in parallel to the tread surface 11, is substantially increased. A contact amount will fall. The distance between the opposing sipe portions 14 measured in parallel to the tread surface 11 varies depending on the bending portion angle of the bending portion 13, and becomes shorter as the bending portion angle increases.

Therefore, in the sipe 10 according to this embodiment, the bulge of the sipe portion 14 is increased by increasing the bent portion angle α, which is an angle between the sipe portions 14, from the sipe bottom toward the tread surface 11 side. In addition to the small amount, the sipe contact amount in the vicinity of the tread tread surface 11, which is a place close to the ground contact surface, is increased. As a result, the grounding property of the tread tread 11 that exhibits tire grip performance can be improved.
On the other hand, the sipe bottom side where the bent portion angle α is smaller than the tread tread 11 side has a small amount of sipe contact and leaves a gap between the opposing sipe portions 14, so that the drainage function of the sipe 10 can be secured. it can.

  As described above, of the two or more bent portions 13 in the sipe 10, the bent portion angle of the bent portion 13 on the tread tread surface 11 side is relatively larger than the bent portion angle of the bent portion 13 on the sipe bottom side. Thus, the bent portion 13 on the tread tread surface 11 side increases the contact state with the road surface on the tread tread surface 11 side, that is, the grounding property, and the sipe volume on the sipe bottom side is increased by the bent portion 13 on the sipe bottom side. Wet performance can be improved comprehensively by ensuring sufficient space for drainage.

In the sipe 10 having the above-described configuration, by increasing the bending portion angle α of the sipe 10 from the central portion in the sipe depth direction d toward the tread tread surface 11 side, the sipe portion 14 has a small bulging deformation amount. The sipe portions 14 facing each other on the tread surface 11 side can be easily brought into contact with each other, and the grounding property (block grounding property) of the tread tread surface 11 can be further improved. Further, by locally shortening the distance between the opposing sipe portions 14 on the tread tread 11 side, the sipe portions 14 in the region where the bulge amount of the sipe portion 14 is the smallest in the sipe depth direction d. Contact can be realized and the ground contact of the tread tread 11 can be further improved.
Thus, by making it easy to contact the sipe portions 14 facing each other, the meshing effect between the sipe portions 14 can be enhanced, and as a result, excessive deformation in the tread portion 12 in which the sipe 10 is formed is suppressed. be able to.
(Third embodiment)

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view of the tread portion schematically showing the configuration in the depth direction of the sipe provided on the tread surface of the pneumatic tire according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a sectional view perpendicular to the extending direction of the sipe on the tread surface, and shows only one of the opposing wall surfaces of the sipe extending inward in the tire radial direction.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the bent portion 13 of the sipe 20 is formed continuously in the sipe extending direction, and the bent portion angle in the continuous bent portion 13 is the center in the sipe extending direction. The end portion is formed larger than the portion. Other configurations are the same as those of the sipe 10 of the second embodiment.

  The bending portion 13 of the sipe 20 has its bending portion angle continuously changed along the sipe extending direction, and compared with the bending portion angle β (β1 to β5) of the central portion in the sipe extending direction. The bent portion angle α (α1 to α5) at the end is larger, that is, for one bent portion 13, the center portion in the sipe extending direction is the top portion (or bottom portion), and both sides of the top portion (or bottom portion) are sipe-extended. It is formed in a mountain shape (or valley shape) that inclines toward the end in the current direction.

  By having the said structure, since it can make it easy to contact the edge part of the sipe extension direction with few bulging amounts of the sipe part 14, the grounding property of the tread tread surface 11 can be improved more. That is, in general, the contact pressure of the sipe portion 14 (that is, the opposing wall surface of the sipe 10) is larger in the center portion than the end portion in the sipe extending direction, while the end portion in the sipe extending direction is in contact. Since it is known that it is difficult, the bending portion angle α (α1 to α5) at the end portion in the sipe extending direction is set to the bending portion angle β (β1 to β5) in the substantially central portion in the sipe extending direction. By making it relatively large, it is easy to make contact at the end portion in the sipe extending direction that is difficult to contact, and the grounding property of the tread surface 11 can be further enhanced.

Note that the top (or bottom) formed by the bent portion 13 of the sipe 20 is preferably located at the center of the sipe extending direction. Here, the “center portion” in the sipe extending direction is not necessarily a complete center, and may be shifted toward the end portion.
Moreover, the top part (or bottom part) which all the bending parts 13 form does not need to be located in the center part of the sipe extending direction, for example, some bending parts 13 are in the center part of the sipe extending direction. It may be located.
(Fourth embodiment)

  FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view of a tread portion schematically showing a configuration in a depth direction of a sipe provided on a tread surface of a pneumatic tire according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a sectional view perpendicular to the extending direction of the sipe on the tread surface, and shows only one of the opposing wall surfaces of the sipe extending inward in the tire radial direction.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the sipe 30 protrudes from the surface of the sipe portion 14 at both ends of the sipe portion 14 b of the sipe portion 14 near the tread surface 11 in the sipe extending direction. A portion 31 is provided. That is, due to the protrusion 31, the opposing wall surface distance of the sipe 30 becomes narrower at the end than the central portion in the extending direction of the sipe 30. The protrusion 31 may be provided on any sipe portion 14 of the sipe 10 of the second embodiment or the sipe 20 of the third embodiment. Other configurations are the same as the sipe 10 of the second embodiment or the sipe 20 of the third embodiment. The “central portion” is the same as that described in the third embodiment.

  In other words, the sipe 30 is provided with the protrusion 31 that forms the opposing wall surface distance of the sipe 30 (distance between the sipe portions 14 facing each other) narrower at the end than the center in the sipe extending direction. Yes. This protrusion 31 can shorten the distance between the opposing sipe parts 14 in the sipe part 14 provided with the protrusions 31, so that there is little bulging deformation and the opposing sipe parts 14 are difficult to contact each other. Even in such a place, the sipe portions 14 can be easily brought into contact with each other, that is, can be easily engaged with each other.

  The protrusion 31 needs to be disposed at a place where the opposing sipe portions 14 are not easily in contact with each other, and the inner end of the protrusion 31 in the sipe extending direction extends from the end of the sipe portion 14 in the sipe extending direction. It is desirable to arrange it in the range of 1/5 to 1/2 of the distance to the center, for example, 1/3 from the end in the sipe extending direction. In addition, the sipe portion 14a closest to the tread surface 11 that grips the road surface is most desirable for the arrangement of the protrusions 31; however, other sipe portions 14 (in this embodiment, the sipe portion 14b) may be used as necessary.

By having the said structure, the contact pressure originally small at the edge part compared with the center part of the sipe extension direction can be enlarged, the grounding property (block grounding property) of the tread tread 11 can be improved, and wet performance can be improved.
The protrusion 31 only needs to be capable of shortening the distance between the opposing sipe portions 14 in the sipe portion 14 provided with the protrusion 31, and the shape thereof is a rectangular plate shape (see FIG. 3). Not limited to this, various shapes such as a circular plate shape, a columnar shape, and a horizontally long plate (bar) shape are applicable. For example, when the protrusion 31 is formed in the shape of a horizontally long plate (bar) extending along the sipe extending direction, it is disposed at both end portions of the sipe portion 14 excluding the central portion in the sipe extending direction. The place of arrangement may be a plurality of sipe portions 14 above and below the sipe depth direction. In this case, the sipe portion 14 on the tread tread surface 11 side has a longer length in the sipe extending direction. The length of the sipe extending direction is adjusted according to the bulging deformation state of the sipe portion 14.

  Further, when the sipe 30 is formed on the tread portion 12 by the mold, after the formation, the entire sipe portion 14 on the tread tread surface 11 side and both end portions in the sipe extending direction excluding about 1/3 of the bottom side of the sipe depth By placing a thin blade on the part to be formed and vulcanization molding, the part where the thin blade is located, that is, the entire sipe part 14 on the tread tread 11 side, and approximately 1/3 of the sipe depth on the bottom side is removed. The distance between the opposing sipe portions 14 can be made narrower at both ends of the sipe extending direction than at other portions (portions where the thin blade is not located). The sipe width can be arbitrarily adjusted by changing the thickness of the blade. Thereby, instead of arrange | positioning the protrusion 31, the distance between the sipe parts 14 which oppose can be shortened.

  In order to verify the effect of the pneumatic tire according to the present invention, the steering stability on the road surface in the wet state with respect to the sipe 10 of the first embodiment and the tire having the sipe corresponding thereto (see Tables 1 and 2). A sensory evaluation test was performed on (wet handling stability). As for the pneumatic tire (verification tire) to be tested, Comparative Examples 1 and 7 are sipe that does not have a bent portion in the sipe depth direction (corresponding to a bent portion angle of 180 degrees), and the others are the same in the sipe depth direction. A sipe having a bent portion with a bent portion angle α (α1 to α5) is provided. Further, the tire size is 225 / 45R17 in both the example and the comparative example.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a part of the tread surface of the verification tire. As shown in FIG. 5, the tread tread 11 has four main grooves (circumferential grooves) 11 a extending in the tire circumferential direction and a plurality of widthwise lugs provided in the shoulder and extending in a direction intersecting with the main grooves 11 a. The sipe 10 is provided in each land part 11c with the several land part 11c divided by the groove | channel 11b, the main groove 11a, and the width direction lug groove 11b.
The width direction lug grooves 11b are spaced apart by a distance of 45 mm in the tire circumferential direction. The sipe 10 is spaced apart from each land portion 11c by a distance of 22.5 mm in the tire circumferential direction, and the depth thereof is 6 mm, which is the same as the depth of the main groove 11a. The closest distance between the sipe portions 14 facing each other is 0.4 mm.

The test conditions are as follows.
The test was conducted by actual vehicle evaluation on the test course, and the wet handling stability was scored by the driver's sensory evaluation. The test run was carried out on a wet handling road equipped with a watering environment, and the road surface temperature in the wet state was 10 ° C., 25 ° C., and 40 ° C.

As a test object, the dynamic storage elastic modulus E ′ ₀ measured at a measurement temperature of 0 ° C. for six types of sipe bend angles α of 180 degrees, 160 degrees, 150 degrees, 125 degrees, 100 degrees, and 90 degrees, A tread rubber A not included in the setting range according to the present invention and a tread rubber B included in the setting range according to the present invention were prepared. More specifically, the tires of Comparative Examples 1 to 6 shown in Table 1 used the tread rubber A in which E ′ ₀ = 15 MPa, E ′ ₅₀ = 10 MPa, and E ′ ₀ / E ′ ₅₀ = 1.5. In the tires of Comparative Examples 7 to 9 and Examples 1 to 3 shown in Table 2, the tread rubber B having E ′ ₀ = 30 MPa, E ′ ₅₀ = 1 MPa, and E ′ ₀ / E ′ ₅₀ = 30 is used. It is what was used.
Tables 1 and 2 below show the results of a sensory evaluation test conducted on the steering stability on the wet road surface under the above conditions.
Evaluation is performed in 10 stages. The larger the numerical value, the better the wet steering stability.

  As a result of the sensory evaluation test, as shown in Tables 1 and 2, when the dynamic storage elastic modulus E and the sipe bend angle α are included in the setting range of the present invention (Examples 1 to 3), they are the present invention. It was confirmed that high wet steering stability was obtained in a wide temperature range as compared with the case where the set range was not included (Comparative Examples 1 to 9).

If the sipe bend angle α is larger than the setting range of the present invention (Comparative Examples 1, 2, 7, and 8), the occurrence of hydroplaning and the feeling of rigidity when a high input is applied to the tire Declined. This is considered to be caused by the fact that when the sipe bend angle α is large, the sipe volume decreases and the sipe meshing effect in the high input range is low.
In addition, when the sipe bend angle α is smaller than the set range of the present invention (Comparative Examples 6 and 9), it is pointed out that the rigidity feeling is lowered mainly when a high input is applied to the tire. This is because the sipe walls come into close contact with each other due to the bulging deformation caused by the load on the tread tread 11, and the meshing effect of each other is produced. This is considered to be because the inter-distance (distance between the sipe portions 14 facing each other) increases and the amount of contact between the sipe walls decreases.

  10, 20, 30: sipe, 11: tread surface, 11a: main groove, 11b: width direction lug groove, 11c: land portion, 12: tread portion, 13, 13a-13e: bent portion, 14, 14a-14f: Sipe portion, 31: protrusion, d: depth direction of sipe, α, α1 to α5, β, β1 to β5: bent portion angle

Claims (6)

A pneumatic tire provided with a plurality of sipes extending in a tire width direction on a tread surface,
The sipe has at least two sipe portions separated by at least one bend in a depth direction of the sipe;
Wherein the tread rubber forming the tread portion, frequency 52 Hz, initial strain 6.0%, a dynamic strain of 0.1%, measured temperature dynamic storage modulus _E'0 measured at 0 ℃ is not less than 20 MPa,
At least one of the bending portion angles, which is an angle formed between the sipe portions adjacent to each other across the bending portion, is 100 to 150 degrees.
A pneumatic tire characterized by that.   The pneumatic tire according to claim 1, wherein an interval along the tire circumferential direction between the sipes adjacent in the tire circumferential direction is 2 to 10 times the depth of the sipe. The sipe has at least three sipe portions separated by at least two bends in a depth direction of the sipe;
The pneumatic tire according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bent portion angle is larger on a tread surface side than on a sipe bottom side.   The pneumatic according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a length of the sipe in the sipe depth direction of the sipe portion closest to the tread surface of the sipe is 30% or less of the depth of the sipe. tire.   The bent portion is formed continuously in the extending direction of the sipe, and the bent portion angle in the continuous bent portion is larger at the end portion than the central portion in the extending direction of the sipe. The pneumatic tire according to any one of 1 to 4. The pneumatic tire according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a distance between opposing wall surfaces forming the sipe is narrower at an end portion than a center portion in an extending direction of the sipe.

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