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US 4,324,279 AGranted
Vehicle tire comprising pneumatic tire inserts
OwnerRichard B. McFarlaneinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and article of manufacture is herein disclosed for eliminating the need for pressurized air in a vehicular pneumatic tire. A resilient tubular insert is inserted and carried within a tire casing to simulate pneumatic conditions. The resilient material possesses a longitudinal bore which in combination with a particular range of durometers, enhances the "pneumatic" characteristics of the tire insert. Preferably, the tire insert is discontinuous and is designed to have a diameter greater than the internal diameter of the tire casing under deflated conditions.
Claims40
In combination:
- (a) a wheel rim;
- (b) a pneumatic tire casing mounted on said wheel rim;
- and
- (c) a tire insert, said tire insert comprising a resilient annular member having an internal annular bore means dimensioned such that said bore means defines an empty volume from 0.1444 to 0.3136 of the total volume of said member, said insert having a durometer hardness of between 30 to 65 as measured by a type A Shore durometer testor, wherein if L is the total length of the mean circumference of said annular member and C is the total length of the mean circumference of said pneumatic tire casing on said rim, L is larger than C prior to insertion of said insert in said pneumatic tire casing by an amount between 0.005C and 0.013C and wherein if D is the mean diameter of a cross section of the resilient annular member, W the width and T the wall thickness of the tire casing under normally inflated conditions, then D=W-2T whereby said insert is frictionally retained within said pneumatic tire casing against circumferential sliding movement relative to said tire casing when in use.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.