New tire technology saving rubber tire made puncture free and live long
The new wheel assembly is a combination of a rim, tire and a hoop member that encircles outer periphery of the tire. The hoop member is a composite structure forming two rigid circular bands of metal spaced apart coaxially and restrained by a rigid bracing. The outer periphery of the hoop member is having a tread layer to be in contact with road surface while inner periphery of the hoop member accommodates outer circumference of the tire.
Accordingly, the rim, tire and hoop member are fitted coaxially around the hub such that the tire interposed between the rim and hoop member. The tire is inflatable and provides cushioning effect to the vehicle and its loads.
The rim accommodates a valve to pump pressurized air in to enclosed space between tire and rim. The tire may be consists a tube depending on the requirement and preference. The inner barrel of the hoop member will provide a firm grip with the tire outer circumferential surface, so that tire does not slip against the inner band of the hoop
member. Only the tread profile on outer circumference is required to replace when it is
worn out. Since inflated tire of the wheels situated above and away from the road surface,
chances of damaging the tire due to road hazard is avoided.
The present invention is a wheel assembly and a method of making the wheel assembly for
vehicles, carriages and other types of wheeled conveyances.
Inventor : Leelananda Jayasuriya
Patents Granted in
Sri Lanka: Patent#16479
Problems met with conventional wheel assembly:
The tires are in direct contact with the road or ground. The flexible fabrication of tire
is always liable to damage due to road unevenness and other hazard during mobility. Tire replacement also an expensive work.
Also with the present wheel arrangement the tires are flatten to a certain extent at the
bottom while they roll. This contact patch rebounds to its original shape once it is no
longer in contact with the ground. When this process continues repeatedly, certain
friction is generated resulting heat thereby the rubber that holds the tire's cords
together tend to melt and the tire fails.
According to the present invention tire
flattening at contact patch is prevented by allowing the tire to flex on side walls, while
outer circumference of the tire grip with the internal surface of the hoop member.
On the other hand the raw material for tires and manufacturing process are expensive.
Also, disposal of tires continue to present environmental and safety hazards.
Assembly of parts for wheel combination is as shown in Figure 10. Details shown in the Figure are : 1- Wheel hub & Axel, 2-Brake drum, 3-Wheel rim, 4-Tire with grooves to accommodate inner hoop member, 5- Inner hoop member made in two halves to seat over the tire, 6- outer hoop member made in two halves, 7-Tread belt, 8-Gasket between two mating surfaces
Thus the outer rim has made as two identical parts mating two flat surfaces together, accompanied by a gasket.
Usually the rim and the hoop member are made with aluminum, steel or other combination of alloys. The inner tire tread patterns accommodate the grooves and cavities provided on the inner surface of inner hoop member.
The bond between inner tire and outer rim is formed by using an appropriate manufacturing process. During the manufacturing process after the carcass is produced the tire has to place in a special mold that comprises the hoop member (the outer rim) of the wheel also as part of mold.
Then the bladder has to be inflated to push the carcass against the mold for forming the tire outer shape. When the mold take out from the tire the hoop member remains bonded together.
In practice the inner tire may be made with an metallic outer profile without a tread belt, while the disposable outer tire accompanied by tread belt being able to attach to this metallic profile.
New wheel arrangement provides longer life span to tire and minimizing disposable material usage, without changing the overall size of the wheel.
When the tire is worn out, tire has to dismantle from the vehicle and it is a time
consuming and difficult process. With the new arrangement, only the worn out layer of
treads is replaced instead of replacing the entire tire.
Air is pumped into the enclosed
space through an air valve, so that the tire is inflated and can support the load of the
vehicle for its running.
With the present arrangement tire prevent direct contact with the road surface.
The tire outer circumference has tread blocks to grip the road, the tread remain rigid while side walls of the inner tire are allowed to flex. Most of the all bicycle
tires, many motorcycle tires, and many tires for large vehicles such as buses, heavy
trucks, and tractors are designed for use with inner tubes. Inner tubes
are torus-shaped balloons made from an impermeable material, such as soft, elastic
synthetic rubber, to prevent air leakage and inserted into the tire and inflated to retain
air pressure.
The tread potion of the tire is arrested by two identical caps as shown in the figure 11 and the two mating surfaces are fitted together by fasteners with H shape section to form a single hoop member over which desired tread belt is installed. The inner surface of hoop members define the foot print of the mating tire tread pattern.
The most comprehensive wheel design that would meet all requirements.
Brief Description of the invention
The present invention is a device and a method of assembly for wheels of the vehicles
and carriages.
Basically the tire serves two purposes. It provide cushioning
effect to the vehicle and its loads while it provide traction with its’ treaded surface.
The cushioning effect is due to the compressed air inside inflated tire. The traction
effect is due to the hard surface around the tire. Although the tire is deformable
component it has to perform as a rigid member as well, to provide traction at the same
time.
The present invention assign the cushioning and damping effect to
tire while a newly introduced hoop member is placed around the tire outer periphery to
provides traction effect, so that the overall combination of tire, rim and the hoop member
functions the same manner of prior art wheel arrangement of tire and rim combination, but
with additional benefits. Also the new wheel can be manufactured to accommodate same space
the prior art wheel accommodate.
So that new wheel arrangement is a multi-piece assembly consist
basically a rim, a tire and a hoop member coaxially arranged around the hub of the axle.
The hoop member is having an inner circular band of
metal and an outer circular band of metal joined by rigid bracing that restrain the said
two circular metal bands. To meet with this requirement the hoop member is made with rigid
material, prevent from bending, capable of withstanding the loads and torsion acted upon
the wheel.
The inner circular band
of the said hoop member accommodates the outer periphery of the tire to provide a firm
grip with the tire, so that tire does not slip against the inner core of the hoop member.
The outer metal band of the hoop member is accompanied with hard rubber band around its
girth composed of treads to provide traction and to support on ground.
With this arrangement the elastically deformable
inflated tire of the wheels is positioned above and away from road surface, thereby, the
liability of damaging the tire due to punctures is avoided. The tread surface of the outer
rim is replaceable. Therefore it is having the advantage of replacement of only the tread
layer instead of the entire tire.
The rim can be fitted to the hub of the axle. The tire is
inflatable and it is a doughnut shaped ring made out of inflatable material such like
rubber or synthetic and reinforced. The tire fitted between the rim and the hoop member.
The rim is having provision for valve to pump air in to the inflatable tire.
The outer hoop
member having tread layer supports the vehicle on ground, and during running. Tire may be
consisting, a tube if desired. Air is pumped into the enclosed space through a valve
positioned on the periphery of the rim, so that the tire can be inflated with an external
source.
Deformation due to loads and shocks imposed on tire is allowed on side walls of the tire.
The hub of the axle is fitted to the rim over which tire is laid. So that, the wheel is
fitted to the hub, by bolts located around the bore. The tire is fitted to the rim, while
outer surface of the tire is fitted to the inner band of the hoop member. The contact
surface of the tire and the rim are tightly fitted, preventing air migration between rim
and beads of the tire.
Thus the inner barrel of hoop member made to accommodate the
contact surface of the tire. The inner barrel may consist a lip so that the assembly of the tire into the wheel is made easy. The outer barrel of the hoop member is composed of treads to
be in touch with road surface. A tread pattern is formed with resilient material such as
rubber, neoprene or combination of such materials over the outer covering fitted to outer
metal band of hoop member, consisting treads and belt that will be in touch with road
surface and support the load of the vehicle for its running.
Both the rim and hoop member are rigid preventing deformation against the loads and shocks
on wheel. The hub and the barrel of the rim are brazed by the metal filling and toughen to
prevent bending during traction and loads on wheel. Preferably the tire outside in
contact with the hoop member is having treads while the contact surface of inner hoop
member is manufactured to accommodate the trade pattern of the tire.
The tire is inflatable and capable of absorb shocks and bear the loads of the vehicle on
the cushion of compressed air so that tire deform and bounce back on side walls due to
loads and shocks. Tires provide a gripping surface for traction and serve as a cushion for
the wheels of a moving vehicle. Advantageously tire outer surface is inserted with metal
protrusions fitted with studs to penetrate through holes formed in the inner hoop member
of outer rim to prevent slip during traction.
The tread layer around the outer rim may be composed of circular
segments of tread strips connected by adhesive bonding or reverting to the metal surface
of outer rim. This will enable to remove a selected portion of treaded surface when a
damage take place.
Alternatively, dislodgment of the tire from inner barrel of the hoop member is
positively prevented by penetrating the tire material into formation of grooves in the
circumference of the inner barrel of the hoop member, to provide an interlock between the
tire and hoop member.
The hoop member may be available as combination of two semicircular segments fasten
together to form a single hoop member.
Tire inflation valves may be fitted through rim shell. Since the rubber parts of the
wheels situated above and away from the road surface, liability of damaging the tire due
to punctures is eliminated. This overall compliance of wheel assembly provides a
cushioning capability so that wheel assembly can absorb bumps and other road
irregularities.
If the wheel is small the rim combination doesn't have sufficient space to accommodate the brake drum or disk brake components. Then the mounting surface of the rim is offset towards inside, and the wheel may be extending beyond the body of the vehicle. Under such situations some body work has to do by fixing a fender skirts (spats) to wheel well to prevent wheel projecting outwards of the vehicle body. The fender skirt should be made detachable to do any underside maintenance work.
If the tire is projecting outwards the protrusions of tire with fender extension should be within the highway regulation limits, particularly not more that 3" beyond the body.
Case Study 1
For tires having the diameter 500 mm or higher, the rim can accommodate the space required for brake drum or rim and leverage for steering arms. Problem of accommodation space for brake drums met only with rims having comparatively small diameter. When the brake drum (or disk) cannot accommodate inside the rim the tire will project almost half the width of the tire. For heavy vehicles adequate space is available inside the rim.
Case Study 2
If the originally manufactured wheel rim and brake drum combination is having redundant space between brake drum and rim inner periphery, then we can reduce the rim width until the rim is reduced to allowable size. For example if brake drum outer diameter is 200 mm and the rim inner diameter is 300 mm we can replace the original rim with a new custom rim having inner diameter of 250 mm. Thus we can reduce the tire diameter also by gain 100 mm. So that our new tire having diameter of 250mm now. Also a tire with 300 mm would replace the tire of 400 mm diameter.
Therefore we can gain about 100 mm to interpose the outer rim.
Notes on Snow socks and chains:
To prevent tires contacting the ground, snow socks or chains can be applied. But these do not adhere to the tire outer surface. Usually tires flatten certain amount on the ground. Therefore the cover will not always in touch with the tire surface.
Contact us for : Trade Inquiries
For more information contact : Leelananda Jayasuriya
leel6391@google.com Phone : 0094 112915390
by Leelananda Jayasuriya.
08/04/2012