Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02261492 1999-04-08
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FIELD OF SOLID/ NONPNEUMATIC TIRES
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
l.Field of the invention
This invention relates to the field of solid and/or non pneumatic tires. More
particularly ,this invention relates to a way to put together the tire on the
core of the wheel
or on the axis assembly of the vehicle which can be a rim or a core of the
wheel without
adhesives or sheer pressure.
2.Prior Art
The prior art is based on tires which are applied on the hub by adhesives or
pressure. These techniques have the disadvantage of being complicated
involving precise
chemical solutions and close tolerances and usually large forces to hold the
tire in working
position. Also in time, the tires assembled in these ways, are exposed to the
dangers of
detaching from the hub or exposed to premature fatigue or effect of permanent
deformations which combined with the hysteresis can be catastrophic.
1 S It is an object of this invention to provide a way to put together the
tire on the hub
without using adhesives for bonding or pressure to keep together the hub
assembly and
the tire.
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2
It is a further object of this invention to reduce the time necessary to put
together
the hub and the tire to form a wheel .
It is a still further object of this invention to eliminate completely the
dangers
associated with debonding of the tire from the hub or the effects of permanent
deformation introduced by the pressures involved in keeping together the tire
and the hub
assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The class of tires according with the invention is eliminating the above
disadvantages by the fact that involves/ comprises the following:
-an exterior torus made of an elastic material and having an inside diameter
and an
outside diameter and having a thickness and having a width and having an
inside and an
outside surface and having an inner part starting with its the inner surface
and having an
axis of rotation and having a width and this width having edges;
- a supporting structure for the exterior torus having means to keep the
exterior
torus in a fixed position but letting it to expand radially;
-an interior torus made of an elastic material but harder than the elastic
material of
the exterior torus, this interior torus having an inside diameter and an
outside diameter and
having a thickness and having an inside and an outside surface and having an
axis of
rotation and having a width and this width having edges;
-whereby the inner diameter of the exterior torus being equal or close to the
outside diameter of the inner torus;
-whereby the interior torus having on its outside surface protruding locking
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protuberances of generally convex shape and being disposed on the surface in a
regular or
irregular pattern and being or not being identical with each other form the
point of view of
form ,these protruding locking protuberances protruding radially outside of
the outside
surface of the inner torus; any point on the surfaces of the said protruding
locking
protuberances having a radial outside dimension in relation with the axis of
rotation of the
inner torus;
-whereby the said protruding locking protuberances having their corresponding
negative hollow images or prints imprinted or formed in the inner part of the
exterior torus
starting with the inner surface of the exterior torus, these corresponding
prints being
generally concave to be able to accommodate without any play the said
protruding locking
protuberances; any point on the surfaces of the said negative hollow images or
prints
imprinted or formed in the inner part of the exterior torus having a radial
inside dimension
in relation with the axis of rotation of the exterior torus;
-whereby the radial outside dimensions of the inner torus and its protruding
locking protuberances being either equal or bigger than the radial inside
dimensions of the
exterior torus and its negative hollow images or prints imprinted or formed in
the inner
part of the exterior torus;
-or in another variant , the situation being reversed and the protruding
locking
protuberances are associated with the outside torus and its inner surface and
the
corresponding negative hollow images or prints imprinted or formed being
associated with
the inner torus and its outside surface, the relation between the radial
dimensions
remaining the same as above;
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-the said protruding locking protuberances and their corresponding negative
hollow prints having a bevelled /filleted or rounded form at their extremities
close to the
edges of the toruses to permit penetration/engagement/mating;
-the way of operation of the above arrangement being as follows:
- the exterior torus made of an elastic material is supported on the
supporting
structure;
-the inner torus is positioned in such a way that its axis of rotation is
coincident
with the axis of rotation of the exterior torus; the inner torus is pressed
against the exterior
torus along the coincident axis of rotation, and because the exterior torus is
more elastic
than the inner torus, the exterior torus will expand letting the inner torus
to
penetrate/engage/mate with the exterior torus , by this the protruding locking
protuberances and their negative imprinted hollow forms coming together in a
tight elastic
grip keeping together the exterior torus with the interior torus by this being
possible to use
this assembly as a wheel with an elastic rolling part outside and a harder
core inside
eliminating the need of adhesives and bonding agents or pressure by specially
configured
flanges;
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS
These and other objects,features,and advantages of the invention will be
better
understood by reading the following detailed description of an example of
application of
the invention in conjunction with the attached illustrations , in which:
Fig. l-representing a 3D view of an example of application of the invention
where
the protruding locking protuberances are placed on the inner torus.
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Fig.2-representing a 3D view of an example of application of the invention
where
the protruding locking protuberances are placed on the exterior torus;
Fig.3- an illustration of an example of application of the invention where the
protruding locking protuberances are placed on the inside of the exterior
torus;
S Fig.4-an illustration of how the protuberances an the exterior torus are
coresponding with the associated formed negative prints on the interior torus;
Fig.S- an illustration showing a segment of the exterior torus mated with the
inner
torus via the protruding locking protuberances and the corresponding negative
prints;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES OF APPLICATION OF THE
INVENTION
As is seen in the illustrations, the new class of tires involves/comprises:
-an exterior torus 1 made of an elastic material and having an inside diameter
2
and an outside diameter 3 and having a thickness 4 and having a width 5 and
having an
inside 6 and an outside 7 surface and having an inner part 8 starting with its
the inner
surface 6 and having an axis of rotation 9 and the said width having edges 10,
11;
- a supporting structure for the exterior torus having means to keep the
exterior
torus in a fixed position but letting it to expand radially;
-an interior torus 12 made of an elastic material but harder than the elastic
material of the exterior torus, this interior torus having an inside diameter
13 and an
outside diameter 14 and having a thickness 15 and having an inside 16 and an
outside 17
surface and having an axis of rotation 18 and having a width 19 and this width
having
edges 20 ,and having a median circle 21 passing through the middle of the said
width;
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-whereby the inner diameter of the exterior torus being equal or close to the
outside diameter of the inner torus;
-a central retaining ring 22 having an inside smooth surface 23 and a smooth
outside surface 24, the inside surface having a circular cylindrical form
characterized by
the fact that has a diameter 25 and axis of rotation 26 and symmetry and a
width 27 and all
radial sections 28 of the ring contained in a plane perpendicular on the
inside surface and
containing the axis of symmetry of the inside surface having the form of a
closed convex
smooth profile 29 containing the straight line 30 belonging to the inside
surface, and the
totality of the said radial sections forming the smooth outside surface and
the ring having a
median circle 31 passing through the middle of the width of the ring;
-whereby the inside diameter of the ring being equal with the outside diameter
of
the inner torus;
-whereby the said ring being unitized/attached to the interior torus that is
being
part of the inner torus in such a way that the inner diameter of the ring is
coincident with
the outside diameter of the interior torus and their centres of gravity
coincide;
-a retaining elongated body 32 having a basis 33, this basis being
contoured/bordered by a closed curve 34 , this curve having a cross length 35
this cross
length being the maximum cross longitudinal dimension, and also the said
closed curve
having a cross width 36 , this cross width being the maximum cross transversal
dimension
and this cross width being perpendicular on the cross longitudinal dimension;
-the sections 37 of the said retaining elongated body generated by the
intersections
of planes perpendicular on the cross longitudinal dimension having a smaller
height 39 at
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the ends of the cross longitudinal dimension than in the median area 40 of the
cross
longitudinal dimension ;
- a number of retaining elongated bodies as described above
-a polar array of the said retaining elongated bodies arranged in such a way
that
their basis is contained in the exterior surface of the inner torus and
implicitly on the
median circle of the ring and the cross longitudinal dimension is
perpendicular on the
median circle of the exterior surface of the inner torus and the cross
longitudinal
dimension is crossing the median circle in the middle of the cross
longitudinal dimension;
the centre of the polar array being the centre of gravity of the inner torus
and the axis of
the polar array being the axis of rotation of the inner torus;
-the said elongated retaining bodies making the said polar array intersecting
the
said ring, by this being possible to obtain a protruding retaining structure
formed of a
central retaining ring and a circular succession of retaining elongated bodies
arranged in a
polar array:
-and any point on the surfaces of the retaining elongated bodies and the
central
retaining ring having a radial outside dimension in relation with the axis of
rotation of the
inner torus;
-whereby the said central retaining ring and the said polar array of retaining
longitudinal bodies having their corresponding negative hollow images or
prints imprinted
or formed in the inner part of the exterior torus starting with the inner
surface of the
exterior torus, these corresponding prints being generally concave so that to
be able to
accommodate without play the said retaining ring and the polar array of
retaining
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elongated bodies, any point of the said negative hollow images or prints
imprinted or
formed in the inner part of the exterior torus having a radial inside
dimension in relation
with the axis of rotation of the exterior torus;
-the retaining ring and retaining elongated bodies being called hereinafter
protruding locking protuberances ;
-whereby the radial outside dimensions of the inner torus and its protruding
locking protuberances being either equal or bigger than the radial inside
dimensions of the
exterior torus and its negative hollow images or prints imprinted or formed in
the inner
part of the exterior torus;
-or in another variant , the situation being reversed and the protruding
locking
protuberances are associated with the outside torus and its inner surface and
the
corresponding negative hollow images or prints imprinted or formed being
associated with
the inner torus and its outside surface, the relation between the radial
dimensions
remaining the same as above;
-the said protruding locking protuberances and their corresponding negative
hollow prints having a bevelled /filleted or rounded form at their extremities
close to the
edges of the toruses to permit penetration/engagement/mating;
- a supporting structure for the exterior torus having means to keep the
exterior
torus in a fixed position but letting it to expand radially;
-the way of operation of the above arrangement being as follows:
- the exterior torus made of an elastic material is supported on the
supporting
structure;
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-the inner torus is positioned in such a way that its axis of rotation is
coincident
with the axis of rotation of the exterior torus; the inner torus is pressed
against the exterior
torus along the coincident axis of rotation, and because the exterior torus is
more elastic
than the inner torus, the exterior torus will expand letting the inner torus
to
penetrate/engage/mate with the exterior torus , by this the protruding locking
protuberances and their negative imprinted hollow forms coming together in a
tight elastic
grip keeping together the exterior torus with the interior torus by this being
possible to use
this assembly as a wheel with an elastic rolling part outside and a harder
core inside
eliminating the need of adhesives and bonding agents or other means of
securing the inner
and outer toruses together;
-or in another variant ,having a multitude of retaining rings and each ring
having its own
array;
-or in another variant, the retaining ring is missing but the retaining
elongated bodies are
placed inclined in relation with a plane perpendicular on the axis of rotation
of the toruses;
Extensive experiments made by the author proved that it was almost impossible
to
detach the inner torus from the exterior torus mated according with the
invention; the
extraction force excedeed over 7 metric tonnes applied axially which is more
than enough
for all classes of applications of these wheels. Also when the toruses were
finally detached,
after a continuous rolling on the dynamometer simulating years of continmuous
operation,
the condition of the protuberances and their corresponding imprints proved to
be
absolutely perfect -proving that in the contact area we have an elastic grip
without any
movement or fretting.
