Method of producing a non-pneumatic support structure

A method of manufacturing a wheel and tire assembly for a mobile vehicle comprises the steps of:

• extruding a cylindrical sprocket structure out of a first polymer;
• sliding the structure over a cylindrical tire building drum;
• forming an annular reinforcement layer by wrapping a ply alternately around an inside surface of an inflatable bladder and an outside surface an adjacent inflatable bladder;
• transferring the reinforcement layer and bladders to a sprocket structure;
• positioning the bladders and ply to correspond to curved indentations of the sprocket structure;
• inflating the bladders to tension and appropriately position the ply;
• extruding a cylindrical ring structure out of a second polymer;
• sliding the ring structure over the tire building drum;
• positioning the bladders and ply to correspond to curved indentations of the ring structure;
• forming cylindrical cavities by the curved indentations of the sprocket structure and ring structure;
• securing an annular layer about an outer surface of the ring structure;
• deflating the bladders;
• contracting the tire building drum;
• removing the bladders and tire build drum from a complete structure including the sprocket structure, the ply, the ring structure, and the layer;
• curing the complete structure;
• and
• mounting the complete, cured structure on a vehicle wheel.