Central tire inflation wheel assembly and valve

A valve cartridge adapted to be utilized with a rim incorporating at least one internal passage within the rim forming part of a central tire inflation system for a vehicle and an aperture extending through the rim and intersecting the at least one internal passage, the valve cartridge comprising:

• a) a main body including an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion including a number of air inlet shafts directly engageable with a pressurized air supply on the vehicle, a number of air outlet shafts directly engageable with the at least one internal passage in the rim, and at least one peripheral sealing member engageable within the aperture with the rim;
• b) a valve mechanism disposed within the upper portion and extending into the lower portion to selectively open and close communication between the air inlet shaft and the air outlet shaft, the valve mechanism comprising:
• i.) a valve seat slidably engaged within the upper end of the main body so as to be slidably removable from the main body, the valve seat having at least one exterior passageway disposed adjacent the upper end of the main body and in communication with the air inlet shaft and a number of air flow tubes adjacent and in selective communication with the air outlet shaft the air outlet shaft;
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• ii.) a valve stem slidably and sealingly engaged within the valve seat and configured to selectively connect the air flow tubes in the valve seat with the air outlet shaft in the lower end of the main body;
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• c) a cap releasably engageable with the main body over the valve mechanism, wherein the cap directs airflow from the air inlet shafts through the at least one exterior passageway against the valve stem.

A method for altering the internal pressure of a tire of a vehicle using a central tire inflation system on the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a vehicle including central tire inflation system having a pressurized air reservoir connected to a dispensing outlet located on a hub of the vehicle and a control mechanism operably connected to the reservoir to dispense pressurized air through the dispensing outlet;
• b) providing a wheel rim including a valve aperture extending through the rim and at least one internal air passageway located within the rim and extending between the aperture and an exterior surface of the rim;
• c) providing a valve cartridge including a main body having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion including at least one air inlet shaft directly engageable with the dispensing outlet, at least one air outlet shaft directly engageable with the at least one internal air passageway, and at least one peripheral sealing member engageable with the rim within the aperture, a valve mechanism disposed in the upper portion and extending into the lower portion to selectively enable fluid communication between the at least one air inlet shaft and the at least one air outlet shaft, and a cap secured to the main body over the valve mechanism to hold the valve cartridge in the main body and to direct air flow through the valve cartridge from the at least one air inlet shaft to the at least one air outlet shaft;
• d) inserting the valve cartridge within the aperture in the rim to align the at least one air outlet shaft with the at least one internal air passage;
• e) securing the rim to the hub to align and engage the at least one air inlet shaft with the dispensing outlet on the hub;
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• f) operating the control mechanism to dispense air from the reservoir into the valve cartridge to operate the valve and alter the internal pressure of the tire secured to the rim.