Patent ID: 6450221
Filing Date: 2002-09-17
Classification: B60C,Y10S

Abstract:
A non-directional pneumatic agricultural tire having a medium section width (W), an axis of rotation, an equatorial plane perpendicular to the axis, a casing having a carcass reinforced with rubber coated cord, a rubber tread disposed radially outwardly of the carcass, the tread including an inner tread and a plurality of tread lugs, the lugs respectively having a surface with a length (ll) and a width (lw) defined as the distance between a first edge and a second edge wherein the length (ll) is at least three times the width (lw) and the length (ll) of the lugs being respectively at least 20% of the maximum section width (W), each lug having a lug center, the tread having a first and a second tread edge and a net-to-gross ratio, the net-to-gross ratio being defined as the ratio of the surface area of the tread rubber that makes contact with a hard, flat surface when the tire is normally loaded and normally inflated, divided by the area of the tread, including non-contacting portions as measured around the entire circumference of the tire, the tread having sets of three lugs, each set comprising a first shoulder lug and a second shoulder lug having substantially parallel lug centerlines, and one central lug having a centerline substantially perpendicular to the centerlines of the shoulder lugs, the set being repeated a plurality of times circumferentially about the tread, the set extending along a line approximately through the lug centers of the lugs of the set in a substantially straight line across the tread from the first tread edge to the second tread edge, the line passing approximately through the center of each lug of the set forming an acute angle &thgr;c with the equatorial plane of about 45Â° or more, the tread being characterized by a net-to-gross ratio of 30% or less wherein the lugs have a ratio of the lug width (lw) to lug radial height (1h) being less than two-thirds over at least 70% of the lug length (ll) and the first shoulder lugs are circumferentially offset relative to the second shoulder lugs by a distance X as measured between an axial line tangent to end of the first shoulder lug and an axial line tangent to end of the second shoulder lug, X being a circumferential distance of less than the width of the lugs (lw) and wherein the set is oriented such that the axially inner ends of the first shoulder lugs when extended by the dashed lines to an end of the center lug creates an asymmetric chevron having an apex and the second shoulder lug has an end when extended by dash lines to the other end of the center lug forms an asymmetric chevron having an apex lying primarily on an opposite tread half and oriented in an opposite direction than the chevron, and each lug centerline of the lugs are approximated by a line intersecting midway through, thus bisecting halfway between the first edge and second edge, the centerline extending parallel to the edges of each lug.