TIRE TREADS HAVING DISCONTINUITIES EXTENDING DEPTHWISE ALONG NON-LINEAR PATHS

摘要

The invention includes a tire tread having one or more lateral discontinuities (26), each discontinuity extending into the tread thickness along a non-linear path. The lateral discontinuity extends from a first terminal end (40) to a second terminal end (42), the first terminal end being located closest to an outer, ground-engaging side relative to the second terminal end. The non-linear path can be described as extending from a first portion (A1, A2, A3), to an intermediate portion (B1), and then to a third portion (C1) when extending towards the second terminal end. The first portion has a low average inclination angle, the intermediate portion has a negative average inclination angle, and the third portion has a positive average inclination angle, each angle being measured relative to the depthwise direction of the tread. A positive angle is angled in the direction of intended tire rotation (R) as the tread thickness extends outward towards the outer, ground-engaging side.