Method of manufacturing a totally coated tire rim
AssigneeInternational Marketing, Inc.
InventorsRobert D. Fogal, Albert A. Taber
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of manufacturing a rust-proof, leak-proof and air-impervious welded tire rim by providing a pair of rim bodies each of which includes a peripheral bead and at least one of which includes a valve seat defined by an opening and with the rim bodies being welded to each other along an exterior circumferential weld; liquid-cleaning the welded rim; and applying to the entirety of all exposed surfaces of the rim an air-impervious coating of resilient copolymeric material whereby any porosity of the circumferential weld is sealed against air migration and the rim beads and valve seat are all totally coated with a resilient air-impervious coating for effectively sealing against air migration in association with a tire bead and an air valve body, respectively.
Claims47
A method of manufacturing a rust-proof, leak-proof and air-impervious welded tire rim comprising the steps of providing a pair of rim bodies each of which includes a peripheral bead and at least one of which includes a valve seat defined by an opening with the rim bodies being welded to each other along an exterior circumferential weld;
- liquid-cleaning the welded rim;
- and applying to the entirety of all exposed surfaces of the rim an air-impervious coating of resilient copolymeric material whereby any porosity of the circumferential weld is sealed against air migration and the rim beads and valve seat are all totally coated with a resilient air-impervious coating for effectively sealing against air migration in association with a tire bead and an air valve body, respectively.
The method as defined in claim 19 wherein the coating-applying step is performed utilizing a styrene-acrylate copolymer.
A method of manufacturing a tire rim having rim beads, a valve seat and associated welds coated with a resilient coating of copolymeric material to thereby render the entire rim rust-proof and impervious to air leakage/migration at the welds, the rim beads and associated tire beads, and an associated air valve at the valve seat comprising the steps of providing a shaft and a pair of annular rim bodies each of which includes a peripheral bead and at least one of which includes a valve seat defined by an opening;
- assembling the shaft within the annular rim bodies;
- welding each rim body to the shaft by an external peripheral weld and welding the rim bodies to each other by an internal circumferential weld thereby forming a welded rim;
- supporting the welded rim upon its rim beads;
- lowering the welded rim into a heated bath of cleaning solution including a blend of caustic alkalies, sequestrants and surfactants;
- elevating the cleaned welded rim above the cleaning solution bath and thereat spray rinsing the cleaned welded rim with water and simultaneously therewith collecting the sprayed water in the cleaning solution bath to replace vaporized cleaning solution;
- lowering the cleansed rim into an air-impervious coating bath including a blend of styrene-acrylate copolymer, methyl alcohol, aqua ammonia and water with the copolymer constituting a major portion of the coating, removing the coated rim from the coating bath;
- and drying the coated rim whereby substantially the entirety of the rim is coated with a relatively thin resilient coating creating a resilient sealing seat at each rim bead and valve seat opening and an air-impervious coating over the welds.
A method of reconditioning a rust-proof, leak-proof and air-impervious tire rim comprising the steps of providing a rim body including a pair of peripheral beads and at least one valve seat defined by an opening;
- cleaning the rim;
- and applying to the entirety of all exposed surfaces of the rim an air-impervious coating of resilient copolymeric material whereby any porosity of the rim is sealed against air migration and the rim beads and valve seat are all totally coated with a resilient air-impervious coating for effectively sealing against air migration in association with a tire bead and an air valve body, respectively.
A method of refinishing a rim/wheel comprising the steps of placing a rim/wheel in a first chamber, maintaining the axis of the rim/wheel in a generally horizontal plane while the rim/wheel is in the first chamber, performing a hot liquid cleaning operation upon the rim/wheel while the rim/wheel is in the first chamber, transferring the rim/wheel after the hot liquid cleaning from the first chamber to a second chamber, maintaining the axis of the rim/wheel in a generally horizontal plane while the rim/wheel is in the second chamber, applying an air-impervious coating of resilient protective synthetic material upon all surfaces of the rim/wheel while the rim/wheel is in the second chamber, and removing the rim/wheel from the second chamber for subsequent processing.
A method of refinishing a rim/wheel comprising the steps of conveying a rim/wheel along a generally first path of travel in a first direction between a starting position and finishing position, conveying the rim/wheel along a second generally reciprocal path of travel in a second direction generally transverse to the first path to and from a cleaning station, maintaining the axis of the rim/wheel in a generally horizontal plane while the rim/wheel is at the cleaning station, performing a hot liquid cleaning operation upon the rim/wheel while the rim/wheel is at the cleaning station, after performing the hot liquid cleaning operation continuing the conveyance of the rim/wheel generally along the first path of travel to a coating station, applying a coating of protective material upon at least selected surfaces of the rim/wheel while the rim/wheel is at the coating station, and removing the rim/wheel from the second station.
A method of refinishing a rim/wheel comprising the steps of conveying a rim/wheel having a valve opening along a generally first path of travel in a first direction between a starting position and a finishing position, conveying the rim/wheel along a second generally reciprocal path of travel in a second direction generally transverse to the first path to and from a cleaning station, maintaining the axis of the rim/wheel in a generally horizontal plane while the rim/wheel is at the cleaning station, performing a hot liquid cleaning operation upon the rim/wheel while the rim/wheel is at the cleaning station, after performing the hot liquid cleaning operation continuing the conveyance of the rim/wheel generally along the first path of travel to a coating station, applying an air impervious coating of resilient protected synthetic polymeric/copolymeric material upon at least selected surfaces of the rim/wheel including completely coating the valve opening periphery, removing the rim/wheel from the second station and inserting a valve stem into and in sealing relationship with the resilient coating of the valve opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.