Elastomer tire sealing ring

An elastomeric tire sealing ring for installation against a rim of a wheel to provide a sealing surface with a tire bead of a tire when a tire is installed on the wheel over the sealing ring, the sealing ring comprising a thermoplastic elastomer and having a cross-sectional contour that is conformable to the outer surfaces of the rim when exposed to air pressure when the tire is inflated over the wheel;

• wherein the thermoplastic elastomer has a durometer reading of between 36 and 50 on the Shore D scale as per ISO 868;
• and a tensile strength of 7.0 MPa to 8.9 MPa at 10% elongation as determined with ISO 527 method;
• wherein the average wall thickness of the sealing ring before installation is in the range of 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm;
• wherein the thermoplastic elastomer has a melt temperature of 190 to 210° C., as determined with ISO Method 11357-1/-3;
• wherein the rim has three or more rim drops;
• two outer rim drops having equal cross-sectional contours and an inner rim drop, said outer rim drops having in connecting-sequence from the outer edge of the rim:
• a rim vertical surface plane used in seating the tire bead, an outer drop bottom having an angled surface line, and a protrusion;
• wherein said outer drop bottom has a drop bottom minimum wherein said drop bottom minimum defines the intersection of an outer rim drop bottom tangent line that also is parallel to the rotational axis of the wheel;
• wherein the intersection of the angled surface line and the outer rim drop bottom tangent line defines an rim outer drop bottom angle (Alpha);
• and said tire sealing ring has at least three sealing ring drops, at least two outer sealing ring drops and an inner sealing ring drop;
• at least one of said outer sealing ring drops having in connecting sequence:
• a sealing ring seating surface used in seating the tire bead;
• a sealing ring outer drop bottom having a surface line;
• said surface line intersecting with the outer rim drop bottom tangent line and defining an angle (Beta);
• wherein said angle (Beta) is 1.5 to 4 times larger than angle (Alpha), and
• wherein the inner rim drop has an inner rim drop bottom minimum positioned at a depth D1 from said outer rim drop bottom tangent line;
• and said inner sealing ring drop has a inner sealing ring bottom minimum positioned at a depth D2 from the outer rim drop bottom tangent line;
• wherein the ratio of D2:D1 is 0.2 to 0.95.