Tracked vehicle road wheel
AssigneeMotor Wheel Corporation
InventorJames B. Weeks
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A road wheel for a track-laying vehicle which comprises a metal disc wheel including a wheel mounting disc, a rim extending axially from the periphery of the disc and a strengthening flange projecting radially inwardly from the disc-remote edge of the rim. An overlay body of foamed elastomeric material is molded onto the disc wheel to fill the area between the disc, rim and flange, and thereby prevent accumulation of mud in this area. The outboard surface of the overlay body is pitched axially from the disc to the rim to self-clean as the wheel is rotating. A solid rubber tire is carried externally of the rim.
Claims15
A composite wheel for tracked vehicles and the like comprising a generally cup-shaped disc wheel including a disc and an annular rim extending axially from the periphery of said disc, and a body of elastomeric material affixed to said wheel internally of said rim and having a pitched outer surface of closed cellular water-resistant construction extending axially and radially from said disc at a radially inner surface edge to adjacent the disc-remote edge of said rim at a radially outer surface edge and being sealed to adjoining surface portions of said disc and rim at said edges, said surface being concave and having a slope at said radially inner surface edge which is at a greater angle with respect to the axis of said wheel than is the slope at said radially outer edge, and with no portion of said surface facing radially outwardly.
A composite wheel for tracked vehicles and the like comprising a generally cup-shaped disc wheel including a disc, an annular rim extending axially from the periphery of said disc and strengthening flange means affixed to said rim and projecting radially inwardly from said rim at a position spaced axially from said disc so as to form with said disc and rim an annular channel internally of said rim, and a body of elastomeric material affixed to said wheel internally of said rim so as to fill said channel and having a pitched outer surface of closed cellular water-resistant construction extending axially and radially from said disc to said flange means and being sealed to adjoining surface portions of said disc and flange means.
In a wheel for a tracked vehicle and the like comprising a disc wheel including a disc and an annular rim affixed to the periphery of said disc and extending axially therefrom to form a generally cup-shaped internal wheel cavity, a method of preventing accumulation of mud and the like within said cavity comprising the steps of filling said cavity internally of said rim and adjacent the rim-disc juncture with a body of low density elastomeric material, covering said body with a higher density skin of closed cellular elastomeric construction which extends from an inner skin edge contiguous with said disc to an outer skin edge adjacent to the disc remote edge of said rim, and sealing said skin edges to adjoining surfaces of said disc and rim.
In a wheel for tracked vehicles and the like comprising a cup-shaped metal wheel including a disc, an annular rim affixed to and extending axially from the periphery of said disc, and flange means spaced from said disc and extending radially inwardly from said rim, the improvement for preventing accumulation of mud and dirt internally of said rim between said disc and said flange means comprising a body of elastomeric material affixed to said wheel internally of said rim and having a pitched outer surface of water-resistant construction which extends axially and radially from said disc to the free edge of said flange means and being sealed to adjoining surfaces of said disc and said flange means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.