Non-pneumatic spare tire

An improved nonpneumatic tire of the type having a rim and one or more elastomeric materials bonded to the rim or to one another, the tire having an equatorial plane, an axis perpendicular to the equatorial plane, an annular tread rotatable about the axis, an annular elastomeric body made from a material having a Shore A hardness in the range of 60 to 100, the body having first and second spaced lateral sides equidistant from the equatorial plane and extending between the tread and the rim, the body having at least 48 openings positioned equidistant from the axis, at least 24 of which extend from the first side and at least 24 of which extend from the second side to form first and second sets of openings extending from the respective sides toward the equatorial plane, the openings forming equally-spaced columns of elastomeric material in the body, the columns formed by the first set of openings being generally inclined to the radial direction of the tire, the columns formed by the second set of openings being generally inclined to the radial direction of the tire but opposite in inclination with respect to the columns formed by the first set of openings, the improved tire being characterized by:

• the columns of the first and second set sets having respective cross-sections, the cross-sections of the columns of the first set having a minimum thickness t1s1 located radially inwardly of the tread and radially outwardly of a radially innermost portion of the annular body, t1s1 being measured as a line passing through the circumferential centerline of the openings and being the shortest distance between adjacent openings of the first set, the thickness of the columns of the first set increasing as they extend radially outwardly from the minimum thickness t1s1 to a maximum radially outer thickness t2s1 at a radially outermost portion of the columns of the first set, t2s1 being measured along a line that is tangent to the radially outer extremes of adjacent openings, and the thickness of the columns of the first set increasing as they extend radially inwardly from the minimum thickness t1s1 to a maximum radially inner thickness t3s1 at a radially innermost portion of the column as measured along a line that is tangent to the radially inner extremes of adjacent openings, and the ratio of t2s1 to t1s1 and the ratio of t3s1 to t1s1 both being at least 150% in the cross-section, the cross-section of the columns of the second set having a minimum thickness t1s2 located radially inwardly of the tread and radially outwardly of a radially innermost portion of the annular body, t1s2 being measured as a line passing through the circumferential centerline of the openings and being the shortest distance between adjacent openings of the second set, the thickness of the columns of the second set increasing as they extend radially outwardly from the minimum thickness t1s2 to a maximum radially outer thickness t2s2 at a radially outermost portion of the columns of the second set, t2s2 being measured along a line that is tangent to the radially outer extremes of adjacent openings, and the thickness of the columns of the second set increasing as they extend radially inwardly from the minimum thickness t1s2 to a maximum radially inner thickness t3s2 at a radially innermost portion of the column as measured along a line tangent to the radially inner extremes of adjacent openings and the ratio of t2s2 to t1s2 and the ratio of t3s2 to t1s2 both being at least 150% in the cross-section and wherein the openings of the first set communicate with the openings of the second set, the openings taper downwardly as the openings extend axially inwardly, the openings having a maximum size at a side of the tire.