TIRE WITH A SIPE HAVING AREAS WITH REDUCED THICKNESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING THE SAME.

摘要

A tire has a sipe with areas of reduced thickness. The sidewalls of the sipe may have undulations that extend both in the radial and transverse directions of the tire and the areas of reduced thickness are found in between a peak to peak or a valley to valley coincidence of the undulations. Twice the value of the amplitude of the undulations in the radial direction of the tire is greater than 95% of the value of the half pitch of those undulations. The ratio of the area of the regions of the sipe having reduced thickness to the area of the thicker regions of the sipe may meet a minimum threshold. The apparatus may also include a sipe blade that extends from a curing member that for tire molding or retreading.