HEAVY TRUCK TIRE TREAD AND HEAVY TRUCK TIRE WITH ASYMMETRICAL TEAR DROP SIPES

A heavy truck tire directional tread is provided that has two successive asymmetrical sipes (14) in the longitudinal direction that share at least some of the same offset from a tread edge in the lateral direction. Each of the two asymmetrical sipes (14) has a body (28) and a tear drop (30). The surface of the bottom of the sipe (14) has a radius of curvature that is not the same along the entire surface of the bottom. The geometry of the sipes resists crack initiation and propagation and is governed by the equation R>1-4×R, wherein Ris the average radius of a particular portion of the bottom of the sipe, and Rref is a reference radius of the bottom of the sipe.