Automotive vehicle tire and mounting system therefor

In combination, (A) a pneumatic tire which has a generally toroidal shape defining a circumferential crown region, a tread overlying the crown region, a pair of sidewalls extending generally radially inwardly from the tread and terminating in a pair of circumferential interiorly reinforced beads, a reinforcing carcass underlying the tread and sidewalls of the tire, the carcass including a ply of tire cords disposed in substantially radial planes of the tire and extending from one bead to the other, the opposite end regions of the ply being turned up around the interior reinforcements of the beads, and a tread-reinforcing belt of tire cords underlying the tread in the crown region of the tire, and (B) a mounting system for the tire;

• characterized in that the mounting system includes:
• (a) a drum having a body adapted to be secured to the hub of a vehicle axle, and a peripheral skirt secured to said body and extending therefrom in the inboard direction of the vehicle when the drum is properly mounted on the hub of the vehicle axle, said skirt being provided at its inboard lateral boundary with a circumferential flange section and being devoid of any flange section at its outboard lateral boundary;
• (b) two ring members each defining a respective bead seat, an associated bead restraining flange and an associated sidewall-supporting extension of the latter are adhered to the tire at the inboard and outboard sides of the tire, respectively, the zone of adhesion in each case extending over the surface of the foot and the outer side of the respective bead and thence over the surface of the portion of the associated sidewall located just radially outwardly of and contiguous to that bead, and the inboard one of said ring members having contours tours corresponding substantially to those of said flange section of said skirt;
• (c) first attachment means releasably secure the inboard one of said ring members to said skirt along said flange section;
• (d) second attachment means releasably secure the outboard one of said ring members to said drum body adjacent the outboard lateral boundary of said skirt, said outboard ring member being contoured to dispose the outboard bead seat, beat restraining flange and sidewall-supporting extension defined by said outboard ring member at locations relative to the axis of the tire corresponding to the locations of the inboard bead seat, bead restraining flange and sidewall-supporting extension defined by said inboard ring member;
• and
• (e) respective quantities of a sealant having self-sealing properties are located at the circumferential regions of juncture between said ring members and said skirt for rendering the interior of the tire airtight;
• and further characterized in that in the tire the turned-up portions of said carcass ply terminate within the respective zones of adhesion between said sidewall-supporting extension of said ring members and the portions of the associated sidewalls juxtaposed thereto, thereby to ensure the absence of any mechanical discontinuities in the portions of the sidewalls which are located radially outwardly of said supported sidewall portions and are subject to flexure during operation of the tire.

A mounting system for mounting a pneumatic tire on a vehicle axle;

• the mounting system being characterized in that it includes:
• (a) a drum having a body adapted to be secured to the hub of a vehicle axle, and a peripheral skirt secured to said body and extending therefrom in the inboard direction of the vehicle when the drum is properly mounted on the hub of the vehicle axle, said skirt being provided at its inboard lateral boundary with a circumferential flange section and being devoid of any flange section at its outboard lateral boundary;
• (b) two ring members each defining a respective bead seat, an associated bead restraining flange and an associated sidewall-supporting extension of the latter, said ring members being adapted to be adhered at said bead seats, said bead restraining flanges and said sidewall-supporting extensions to the corresponding outer surfaces of the respective inboard and outboard beads and sidewalls of the tire, and the inboard one of said ring members having contours corresponding substantially to those of said flange section of said skirt;
• (c) first attachment means for releasably securing the inboard one of said ring members to said skirt along said flange section;
• and
• (d) second attachment means for releasably securing the outboard one of said ring members to said drum body adjacent the outboard lateral boundary of said skirt, said outboard ring member being contoured to dispose the outboard bead seat, bead restraining flange and sidewall-supporting extension defined thereby at locations relative to the axis of the tire corresponding to the locations of the inboard bead seat, bead restraining flange and sidewall-supporting extensions defined by said inboard ring member.

A drum for use as part of a mounting system for mounting a pneumatic tire on a vehicle axle:

• characterized in that the drum has a body adapted to be secured to the hub of a vehicle axle, a peripheral skirt secured to said body and extending therefrom so as to be oriented in the inboard direction of the vehicle when the drum is properly mounted on the hub of the vehicle axle, said skirt being provided at its inboard lateral boundary with a circumferential flange section and being devoid of any flange section at its outboard lateral boundary, said flange section of said skirt having a circumferential laterally outwardmost portion provided with first adjunct means constituting a part of an attachment system for releasably securing the inboard one of a pair of tire-supporting ring members to said skirt along said flange section, said drum body adjacent the outboard lateral boundary of said skirt having a circumferential radially outwardmost portion provided with second adjunct means constituting a part of an attachment system for releasably securing the outboard one of a pair of tire-supporting ring members to said radially outwardmost portion of said drum body and said first adjunct means includes a plurality of openings in said laterally outwardmost portion of said flange section each corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of openings in the inboard one of said ring members and each adapted to receive a respective one of a plurality of fastening members.