Patent Application
20140084670
None
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates motor vehicle wheel and tire assemblies. More particularly, it relates to solid tire wheel assemblies for coaxial mounting with conventional, pneumatic tire wheel assemblies.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.
Most over-the-road trucks and tractor-trailers are equipped with one or more axles having multiple wheels per side. However, the front axle of such trucks typically has only a single wheel per side. By way of example, the common “18-wheeler” configuration features a tractor having a front steering axle with two wheels (one on each side) and two, driven rear axles each having a total of four wheels. The trailer has two rear axles with four wheels each.
In this configuration, all axles but the front axle have some degree of redundancy—a blowout of one tire will not leave the axle unsupported. This, however, is not true for the front axle. The blowout of a front tire can result in a loss-of-control accident. With the advent of radial tires (taking over from the older cross-ply or bias ply type), it has been found that the tire is much more prone to detach from the rim in the event of a puncture or blowout which can make a bad situation even worse.
To address this problem, various “safety wheels” have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,712,322 describes an auxiliary or emergency vehicle wheel that is “automatically brought into play or ground contact upon partial deflation of the regular motor vehicle tire and also upon complete collapse of the latter for the purpose of supporting the motor vehicle and permitting continued travel thereof with liability of injury to the deflated pneumatic tire structure eliminated.”
U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,125 describes a safety wheel assembly that uses spacer mounting nuts to allow the mounting of a spare or second wheel and tire on an existing motor vehicle wheel mount assembly. The primary wheel and tire of a vehicle are normally mounted using lug or mounting bolts. These bolts are then used to secure the primary tire with the spacer mounting nut which thereby provides for mounting the spare wheel and tire outwardly of the primary wheel relative to the vehicle. The two tires and wheels are spaced such as not to contact one to the other. The spare tire is a smaller diameter than the primary wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,762 describes an auxiliary wheel assembly for supporting a vehicle wheel having a flat tire. The device includes an auxiliary wheel of smaller diameter relative to the vehicle wheel. A mounting assembly secures the auxiliary wheel concentrically adjacent to the vehicle wheel and includes a plurality of brackets permitting movement of the auxiliary wheel in a plane parallel to the vehicle wheel while precluding axial movement of the auxiliary wheel relative to the vehicle wheel during cornering.
In one particular representative embodiment, the invention comprises a metal wheel having a center disk and an outer, perimeter flange with a solid rubber tire mounted thereon. The wheel and tire assembly has an outside diameter slightly less than that of a conventional pneumatic wheel and tire assembly with which it may be co-mounted on a vehicle's axle. If the pneumatic tire deflates due to a puncture or blowout, the axle will be supported by the solid tire and wheel assembly with a loss in height of only half the difference in the tires' outside diameters. The vehicle may, therefore, be driven safely at reduced speed without loss of control.
In another embodiment of the invention, a wheel is provided with two rims—one for mounting a conventional, pneumatic tire and another for mounting a solid rubber tire outboard of the pneumatic tire. The solid rubber tire has an outside diameter which is less than the outside diameter of the pneumatic tire when properly inflated. If the pneumatic tire suffers a puncture or blowout, the solid rubber tire will support the axle on which the assembly is mounted.
The invention may best be understood by reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing figures.
Referring to
The embodiment illustrated in
Perimeter flange 116 is located at the outer circumference of wheel 102. Perimeter flange 116 may be integral with the disk portion of wheel 102 or may be a separate piece attached to the disk portion of wheel 102.
Wheel 102 may be fabricated of any suitable material using techniques well-known in the art. In one particular preferred embodiment, wheel 102 is formed by machining an aluminum alloy blank. Forging, stamping, casting and welding are other representative forming techniques that may be used for metal wheels according to the invention. In certain embodiments, polymer and/or composite materials may be employed to fabricate wheel 102.
Tire 104 is mounted on the outside of perimeter flange 116. In the illustrated embodiment, tire 104 is a solid rubber tire and has an interference fit with flange 116. Solid tire 104 may be pressed onto flange 116. In certain other embodiments, an adhesive may be used to attach or additionally secure tire 104 to flange 116. One particular preferred adhesive is a cyanoacrylate adhesive. In yet other embodiments, solid tire 104 may be molded to flange 116. Tire 104 may be formed of a synthetic polymer such as polyurethane.
Certain dimensions of a representative embodiment are shown in
Referring now to
Metal wheel 202 comprises a disk having a central opening 206 which may be sized to accommodate the projecting hub of a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle's axle. A plurality of lug holes may be arranged in a generally circular array around hub opening 206. Lug holes 208 may be sized and spaced to accommodate lug studs 234 projecting from a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle's axle or lug bolts which engage threaded bores on a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle's axle.
Pneumatic tire rim 208 is attached to the central disk portion of wheel 202 by connector 212.
Solid tire 204 is mounted on rim 214 and secured by clamping ring 220. Rim 214 may include threaded bores 224 and annular protuberance 218 which engages surface 232 of clamping ring 220 when clamping ring 220 is attached to rim 214 by machine screws 226 which are inserted in through holes 238 in clamping ring 220 and engage threaded bores 224. Surface 232 of clamping ring 220 may transfer load from solid tire 204 to rim 214 by bearing against annular protuberance 218. In this way, loading of machine screws 226 in shear may be avoided.
Rim 214 includes inner annular rib 216 and clamping ring 220 includes opposing, outer annular rib 222. Solid rubber tire 204 has inner annular groove 228 on its inner sidewall and opposing outer annular groove 230 on its outer sidewall. Grooves 228 and 230 are sized and spaced to engage annular ribs 216 and 222, respectively, when solid tire 204 is secured to rim 214 with clamping ring 220.
In the embodiment illustrated in
As shown in
Wheel 202 may be fabricated of any suitable material using techniques well-known in the art. In one particular preferred embodiment, wheel 202 is formed by machining an aluminum alloy blank. Forging, stamping, casting and welding are other representative forming techniques that may be used for metal wheels according to the invention. In certain embodiments, polymer and/or composite materials may be employed to fabricate wheel 202.
Referring now to
Wheel and tire assembly 300 includes wheel 302 which comprises split rim 314 and clamping ring 320. Rim 314 and clamping ring 320 are configured to engage solid tire 304. Solid tire 304 may be formed of natural or synthetic rubber or a synthetic polymer such as polyurethane.
Metal wheel 302 comprises a disk having a central hub opening 306 which may be sized to accommodate the projecting hub of a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle's axle. A plurality of lug holes 307 may be arranged in a generally circular array around hub opening 306. Lug holes 308 may be sized and spaced to accommodate lug studs projecting from a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle's axle or lug bolts which engage threaded bores on a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle's axle.
Solid rubber tire 304 is mounted on rim 314 and secured by clamping ring 320. Rim 314 may include threaded bores 324 and annular protuberance 318 which engages surface 332 of clamping ring 320 when clamping ring 320 is attached to rim 314 by machine screws 326 which are inserted in through holes 338 in clamping ring 320 and engage threaded bores 324. Surface 332 of clamping ring 320 may transfer load from solid tire 304 to rim 314 by bearing against annular protuberance 318. In this way, loading of machine screws 326 in shear may be avoided.
Rim 314 includes inner annular rib 316 and clamping ring 320 includes opposing, outer annular rib 322. Solid rubber tire 304 has inner annular groove 328 on its inner sidewall and opposing outer annular groove 330 on its outer sidewall. Grooves 328 and 330 are sized and spaced to engage annular ribs 316 and 322, respectively, when solid tire 304 is secured to rim 314 with clamping ring 320.
In the embodiment illustrated in
As shown in
Wheel 302 may be fabricated of any suitable material using techniques well-known in the art. In one particular preferred embodiment, wheel 302 is formed by machining an aluminum alloy blank. Forging, stamping, casting and welding are other representative forming techniques that may be used for metal wheels according to the invention. In certain embodiments, polymer and/or composite materials may be employed to fabricate wheel 302.
A fourth representative embodiment of the invention is illustrated in
Wheel and tire assembly 400 includes wheel 402 which comprises split rim 414 and clamping ring 420. Rim 414 and clamping ring 420 are configured to engage solid tire 404. Solid tire 404 may be formed of natural or synthetic rubber or a synthetic polymer such as polyurethane.
Solid tire 404 is mounted on rim 414 and secured by clamping ring 420.
In the embodiment illustrated in
As shown in
Wheel 402 may be fabricated of any suitable material using techniques well-known in the art. In one particular preferred embodiment, wheel 402 is formed by drawing and machining an aluminum alloy blank. Forging, stamping, casting and welding are other representative forming techniques that may be used for metal wheels according to the invention. In certain embodiments, polymer and/or composite materials may be employed to fabricate wheel 402.
Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, they are not intended to limit what this patent covers. One skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as literally and equivalently covered by the following claims.
