Abstract:
A vehicle wheel on which can be mounted a pneumatic tire, with the wheel being suitable for use during emergency operation of the tire. The tire is essentially made of rubber or rubber-like synthetic material, and has a carcass which is anchored in beads of the tire by being looped around bead cores. The inside of the tire is provided with an air-impermeable layer. The tire can also be reinforced with a belt. The wheel is provided with a rigid rim, including a rim ring, and with an emergency-operation element upon which the inner surface of the tire is supported during emergency operation of the latter. The emergency-operation element can be formed by the rim ring itself, or by a separate support element secured to the rim. In order to guarantee that emergency operation can be undertaken over a longer period of time without damaging the inner surface of the tire, at least one friction strip is disposed on the radially outer side of the emergency-operation element. This friction strip extends further radially outwardly than do any parts of the rim and emergency-operation element, so that during emergency operation of the tire, the latter is supported by the friction strip. Each friction strip is rotatably supported on the emergency-operation element.
Abstract:
An assembly comprising a wheel rim and an annular safety support member mounted on the rim portion between the rim bead seats and extending radially outwards beyond the rim bead retaining flanges to support a tire mounted on the rim when in a deflated condition. The support member rotates with the rim in the non load-bearing condition but rotates relative to the rim in the load-bearing condition to compensate for circumferential differences between the tire tread and the radially outer surface of the support member. The confronting surfaces on the support member and rim portion are profiled to axially locate the support member on the rim. Preferably the radially inner surface of the support member is of shallow convex profile and the confronting surface on the rim portion is of shallow concave profile.
Abstract:
A unitary run-flat insert for inflatable tires is provided in the form of a split ring having sufficient flexibility, through separation at the split portion thereof, to pass over the rim flanges of a tire mounting rim and having an inner periphery closely and circumferentially engaging the rim when the split portion is closed, with lock means at said split portion adapted for automatic engagement as the ends forming said split portion are moved into juxtapositioned alignment. As closed by the lock means, the insert engages the rim in a manner to rotate therewith in normal operation, but to slip circumferentially thereof when riding on a deflated tire. The flexibility required can be provided by fashioning the insert from material having sufficient deformability to permit flexing of the full cross-section of the insert or, when less deformable material is needed for load bearing purposes, the insert can be provided with a plurality of slits, circumferentially spaced and extending part way through the radial dimension. The unitary insert can have a substantial radial dimension when intended for load bearing under run-flat conditions, or can have a smaller, non-load bearing radial dimension when intended primarily to maintain bead-seating between the tire and rim under run-flat conditions, thereby facilitating the use of standard, one-piece drop center wheels with tires especially designed for "run-flat operation", and which provide their own load bearing support when running flat.
Abstract:
This is an elastomeric safety insert for a pneumatic tire assembly. The insert when installed has a toroidal configuration and has protuberances extending therefrom to space the body portion of the insert from the rim and tire casing, permitting the insert to dynamically balance itself when the tire is rotated.
Abstract:
A safety insert or roller for inflatable tires comprising a plurality of arcuate members having detachable and pivotal clamping engagement adapted to form a ring closely engaging the drop center of a tire mounting rim and protruding beyond said rim a substantial distance in the direction of the tread of an inflated tire mounted thereon. At least the inner and outer peripheries of the assembled ring are of rigid plastic material, preferably having lubricant properties, such for example as highdensity polyethylene. Connecting structure between said inner and outer peripheries can be of the same material or a different material such as formed metal, and is fashioned to provide a combination of low weight and high tensile and compression strength. Overlapped end portions of the arcuate members when loosely joined together permit relative swinging movement facilitating assembling the device within a tire while half mounted on a rim; and the fastening means for adjacent ends of the arcuate members including bevelled means for providing circumferential clamping of the assembled ring in the tightening thereof.
Abstract:
A core assembly for a pneumatic tire, which is fitted annularly to an outer peripheral surface of a well portion of a rim, and which rotates should the pneumatic tire collapse owing to a decline in its internal pressure, as an outer surface of the core assembly comes into contact with an inner peripheral surface of a crown portion of the pneumatic tire and an inner peripheral surface of the core assembly slides over the outer peripheral surface of the well portion of the rim. The core assembly includes a sliding portion formed of a resin material having good sliding properties and high heat resistance, and a main body to which the sliding member is secured and which is formed of a material having a high rigidity and a low specific gravity. Accordingly, since the surface of the core assembly contacting the rim is constituted by the sliding member, the core assembly is rotated smoothly when the internal pressure of the pneumatic tire declines, and the overal weight of the core assembly is reduced.
Abstract:
The liner includes a generally C-shaped, flexible band of bearing material disposed to be placed around the drop center of a tire rim. Two, complimentary, generally semi-circular members made from a polyester elastomer are then mounted as a ring coaxially around the outside of the band with the inner peripheral surfaces thereof slidably seated in a circumferential groove that is formed in the outer periphery of the band. The confronting ends of the members are releasably secured together by a pair of rigid links, each of which is releasably and pivotally mounted at one end in a recess in one end of a member, and has its opposite end connected to a rotatable eccentric that is mounted in the confronting end of the other member. When the associated eccentric is rotated, it causes the attached link to be reciprocated further into, or out of, the end of the associated member, thereby causing the link selectively to shift confronting ends of the members toward or away from each other. In one embodiment the C-shaped band is a one-piece element, while in another a layer of metal (for example galvanized steel) is mounted in the outer groove of the band to be interposed between the band and the ring members.
Abstract:
A pneumatic tire and wheel rim assembly of the type in which support means extends circumferentially around the rim between the bead seats to support the tire when in a deflated condition.The support means is rotatable relative to the rim when the tire is in a deflated condition and lubrication means is provided to release lubricant to facilitate said relative rotation.The lubrication means comprises a sealed container located in a recess in the radially inner surface of the support means which ruptures to release lubricant between the radially inner surface of the support means and a confronting running surface on the rim when the tire is in a deflated condition.
Abstract:
A pneumatic tire and wheel rim assembly capable of being driven with the tire deflated comprising at least one circumferential band of magnetized rubber or plastics material on an interior surface of the assembly which contacts and is required to move relative to a further such surface when the tire is deflated and a magnetized liquid lubricant maintained in position by the band to facilitate relative movement between the contacting surfaces within the assembly when the assembly is driven with the tire deflated.
Abstract:
A preform of oriented plastic coated fibers is shaped by closing of a mold on the preform. The mold contains a molding space having substantially the final shape of the finished product. A peripheral space is provided in the mold at the edges of the molding space permitting substantially unrestricted movement of the preform into the molding space during the closing operation and providing a space for the edges of the preform during curing. The mold has mating mold members and one of the mold members has sloped lead-in surfaces at the edges of the molding surface for facilitating the movement of the preform into the molding space without distortion of the oriented fibers. The shaping may be done with at least part of the mold being heated and the curing in the mold is accomplished by locking the mold members together and applying heat to the mold.