Abstract: A tread for a heavy vehicle tire, comprising at least one tread design component (3) delimited by at least two grooves, each component comprising a contact face (4) limited by edges (7, 8); the contact face (4) having, viewed in a cross-sectional plane substantially perpendicular to the contact face of the tread and cutting two of the edges of the motif at A1 and A2, a plot whose geometrical profile P between the points A1 and A2 has at least one bump (9, 10) in relief relative to a virtual straight line D passing through the points A1 and A2, the point B1, B2 of each bump (9, 10) that is furthest from the straight line D being located a height Hi from this straight line and a distance Di from the point A1 or A2 that is the closer, with 0.1<Di/L<0.25, where L is the distance separating the points A1 and A2, and 0.1 mm<Hi<2.5 mm.

Abstract: A tread (1) for a tire with a preferred rolling direction, the tread having grooves (2) of substantially circumferential orientation which delimit ribs (30, 31, 32, 33, 35), at least one of which is provided close to each of its traverse edges with a plurality of incisions of width smaller than 1.5 mm. The incisions open onto the contact surface of the tread, are essentially parallel to one another, and having a mean inclination &agr; different from zero relative to the direction perpendicular to the rolling surface (S) of the tread.

Abstract: A tread for a tire has a tread pattern embodying a plurality of blocks which are defined by cutouts of longitudinal and transverse general orientation, each block having a contact face and lateral faces, the intersection of each lateral face with the contact face forming a ridge, the ridge(s) which is (are) first to come into contact forming the leading edge of the element, the lateral face intersecting the contact face along the leading edge constituting the leading face, a plurality of blocks having leading faces which a taper at an angle at most equal to 5°. Each block is provided with a plurality of wells opening on to the contact face of said block, the average direction of each well forming an angle &bgr;1 at least equal to 10° with a line perpendicular to said contact face, the wells having average sections of between 0.2 and 12 mm2.