Composite wheel
AssigneeTRINC, Tire & Rim, Incorporated
InventorPierre J. Augier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A composite wheel (20) including two tire bead retention members (38,40). The tire bead retention members (38,40) are compressible eliminating the requirement of a well in the drum skirt (34). Anti-roll-off humps (50,52) prevent the tire beads (24) of the tire (26) from rolling away from the tire bead retention members (38,40). The anti-roll-off humps (50,52) are retractable allowing the tire beads (24) to pass thereover when mounting the tire (26) to the wheel (20). Locking interconnectors (62,64) are used to hold the anti-roll-off humps (50,52) in the retracted position while the tire (26) is being mounted on the wheel (20).
Claims25
A composite wheel for a pneumatic tire including a tire bead, said composite wheel comprising:
- a drum defining an axial length and having an elongated skirt defining a circular cross-section along said axial length;
- and
- a tire bead retention member being resiliently compressible, said tire bead retention member bonded to said elongated skirt such that said tire bead retention member positions the bead of the pneumatic tire outside said circular cross-section and provides the sole restraint of the bead against axial and radial separation from said composite wheel.
A composite wheel attachable to a vehicular wheel hub and adapted for receiving two tire beads of a pneumatic tire, said composite wheel comprising a drum having an elongate skirt and a pair of tire bead retention members spaced along the outer surface of said skirt for receiving the beads of a tire;
- and
- anti-roll-off humps disposed a predetermined distance from said tire bead retention members to prevent the tire beads from rolling away from said tire bead retention members, said anti-roll-off humps being resiliently compressible between an operating position and a retracted position.
A tire bead retention member comprising:
- an upwardly extending flange for retaining a tire bead thereagainst;
- a base portion for receiving the tire bead rim thereon;
- an anti-roll-off hump disposed adjacent said base portion to prevent the tire bead from rolling off said base portion, said anti-roll-off hump including a spacing surface allowing said anti-roll-off hump to be retracted from an operating position to a retracted position when moving the tire bead over said tire bead retention member;
- and
- a locking interconnector for locking said anti-roll-off hump in said retracted position.
A method for mounting a tire having two tire beads on a composite wheel wherein the composite wheel includes a drum body, drum skirt and a tire bead retention member and a resiliently compressible tire bead retention member with an anti-roll-off hump extending out from the drum skirt, the method comprising the steps of:
- placing a portion of two tire beads on a drum skirt between the tire bead retention member and the resiliently compressible tire bead retention member;
- applying a compressing force to the resiliently compressible tire bead retention member to compress the resiliently compressible tire bead retention member from an extended position to a compressed position;
- moving the remaining portion of the tire beads on the drum skirt over the compressed resiliently compressible tire bead retention member between the two tire bead retention members;
- and
- releasing the compressing force on the resiliently compressible tire bead retention member allowing the resiliently compressible tire bead retention member to return to the extended position.
A method for fabricating a composite wheel, the method comprising the steps of:
- pressing sheet metal into a substantially cylindrical drum;
- applying glue to a bottom surface of a tire bead retention member;
- positioning the tire bead retention member on the drum skirt such that the glue is contacting the tire bead retention member and the drum skirt;
- and
- curing the glue to bond the tire bead retention member to the drum skirt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.