Claims
- 1. A device for retaining the beads of a tire against the flanges of a multi-piece rim comprising:
- a ring body having a substantially axial split forming first and second circumferential ends, a pair of axial ends for engaging the beads of a tire, the ring body having a minimum inside diameter at each of its axial edges and a larger inside diameter in its axially central portion;
- a mechanical means for fastening and unfastening the first and second circumferential ends of the ring body;
- the ring body being manually deformable, when the first and second circumferential ends are not fastened to one another, into a helical configuration for insertion between the tire beads, the diameter of the ring body being manually deformable to a diameter which is smaller than the diameter of the tire beads, the ring body also being manually deformable in the axial direction and being substantially manually non-deformable with the first and second circumferential ends fastened together.
- 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the pair of axial ends for engaging the beads are deformable.
- 3. The device of claim 1 wherein the pair of axial ends for engaging the beads of the tire are elastomeric.
- 4. The device of claim 2 wherein the ring body comprises a single material.
- 5. The device of claim 1 wherein the ring body has an axial width "W" which is equal to or greater than "S", wherein S is defined as:
- RM-BW1-BW2 and wherein RM is the distance between the flanges and BW1 and BW2 is the bead width of the first and second bead portions of the tire.
- 6. The device of claim 5 wherein "W" is less than 107% of "S".
- 7. The device of claim 6, wherein "W" is in the range of 101% to 105% of S.
- 8. The device of claim 7 wherein "W" is in the range of 101% to 102.5% of S.
- 9. The device of claim 7 wherein the bead retainer is axially compressible less than 1% of its axial width "W" under axial force which is equal to the axial force that the device would encounter when mounted on a tire/rim assembly which is at normal load and inflation pressure.
- 10. The retainer device of claim 1 wherein the annular body has substantially a bow tie cross-section in the axial direction.
- 11. The bead retainer of claim 1 wherein the annular body has substantially a "H" shaped cross-section in the axial direction.
- 12. The bead retainer device of claim 1 wherein the radially inner end of the ring is spaced from the radially outer surface of the rim.
- 13. The bead retainer device of claim 1 wherein the central portion of the ring body has an air passageway.
- 14. An assembly comprising a multi-piece rim, a tire mounted upon the rim with a pair of tire beads engaging the rim and a device interposed between the beads of the tire for retaining the tire beads in a desired position, the assembly comprising:
- (a) a multi-piece rim having a cylindrical base, a pair of axially opposed bead seating surfaces with bead retaining flanges extending radially outwardly from the axial outer ends of the bead seating surfaces; (b) a tire mounted on the rim and having a crown portion, a pair of sidewall portions extending radially inwardly from the crown portion to a bead portion, each bead portion being disposed adjacent to a bead seating surface and the respective bead retaining flange of the rim; and (c) a device disposed between the bead portions of the tire for retaining the bead portions in engagement with the bead seating surfaces and in engagement with the bead retaining flanges of the rim, the bead retaining device comprising:
- a ring body having a substantially axial split forming first and second circumferential ends, a pair of axial edges, a minimum inside diameter at each of its axial edges and a larger inside diameter in an axially central portion, a pair of axial opposed bead retaining surfaces at each of its axial edges of the ring body engaging the bead portions of the tire, a fastening means for releasably attaching the ends of the ring body together, the fastening means attached to one of the circumferential ends and releasably attached the other circumferential end, and the axially central portion of the bead retaining device being radially spaced apart from the cylindrical base of the rim.
- 15. The bead retainer device of claim 14 wherein the bead retainer extends radially outwardly to a point equal or less than the radially outermost portion of a bead bundle disposed within the bead portions of a tire.
- 16. A bead retainer comprising:
- An annular non-metallic body having a substantially transverse split therein, forming first and second ends, a pair of axial ends for engaging axially outwardly against beads of a tire, and said body being manually deformable in the axial direction while being substantially incompressible in the axial direction; and
- a fastening means carried by one of said first or second ends for releasably securing the first and second ends together.
Parent Case Info
The application is a continuation of Application Ser. No. 07/348,832 filed May 8, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,240.
US Referenced Citations (28)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0159274 |
Oct 1985 |
EPX |
2550441 |
May 1976 |
DEX |
3439949 |
May 1986 |
DEX |
2234147 |
Jan 1975 |
FRX |
2427918 |
Jun 1979 |
FRX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Fires & Equipment for Military Vehicles, 8/1943. |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
348832 |
May 1988 |
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