Wire wheels sealing structure
AssigneeDunlop Limited
InventorWilliam E. Mitchell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wire wheel is provided in which some of the array of spokes extending between the hub and the rim penetrate the latter in the outboard bead seat. This bead seat is of smaller diameter than the inboard bead seat but is covered by a ribbon of a plastics material the outer diameter of which corresponds to the bead seat. The plastics ribbon is trapped in the channel of the outboard bead seat and seals the spoke holes penetrating the outboard bead seat. Nevertheless a metal step is exposed above the plastics ribbon for abutment by the toe of the outboard tire bead (not shown).
Claims6
A wheel of the spoked type comprising a metal rim having radially outwardly extending tire bead retention flanges at opposite axial ends of a base of the rim and tire bead seat regions of the base adjacent the flanges, at least theat bead seat region which will be on the outboard side in use of the wheel lying between the associated flange and a radially outwardly protruding hump in the base so that said one bead seat is of a shallow channel configuration and at least some of the spokes of the wheel extending to and penetrating the rim in said one bead seat region with respective nipple heads on the radially outer side of the rim in said channel, wherein said one bead seat is of smaller diameter than the other bead seat at corresponding positions along the axial lengths of the bead seats and said nipple heads are embedded in a plastics material strip on the rim confined within said channel, the radially outer surface of the strip exposed from said channel being of substantially equal diameter to the other bead seat at corresponding positions along the axial lengths of the bead seats.
A method for the production of a spoked wheel which has a metal rim comprising radially outwardly extending bead retention flanges at opposite axial ends of a base having tire bead seat regions adjacent said flanges, at least that one of the bead seats which will be on the outboard side of the rim in use of the wheel being of channel configuration and lying between the associated flange and a radially outwardly protruding hump in the rim, the method comprising locating spoke nipple heads in said channel to hold spokes which penetrate the rim in the region of said one bead seat and applying a ribbon of a plastics material to the radially outer side of the rim to be confined within said channel with said nipple heads embedded in said plastics material, the radial thickness of said ribbon being such that its radially outer surface is of equal diameter to the other bead seat at corresponding positions along the axial lengths of said bead seats.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.