초록 ▼

A take-apart tire and wheel assembly including a multi-piece wheel rim having axially spaced bead flanges, a rim base, and a pneumatic tubeless tire, preferably adapted to removably receive in its tire inflation chamber a safety runflat insert. The wheel assembly also includes a safety vent for prev

A take-apart tire and wheel assembly including a multi-piece wheel rim having axially spaced bead flanges, a rim base, and a pneumatic tubeless tire, preferably adapted to removably receive in its tire inflation chamber a safety runflat insert. The wheel assembly also includes a safety vent for preventing inflation of the tire cavity in the event of improper assembly or disassembly of the safety tire and wheel assembly, including an O-ring seal disposed between opposing portions of rim segments of the wheel assembly, and mounting studs and associated nuts that releasably clamp the rim segments together with the O-ring captured in compression therebetween. The outboard wheel rim segment includes a wheel mounting disc and also a safety inflation valve coupling fixed to the outboard rim segment. The rim segment and coupling each have a through passageway and together define an interior air passage which communicates with the tire cavity. At least one of the through passageways is permanently connected to the rim segment and has a safety control cross sectional configuration adapted to prevent passage therethrough of an air inflation valve provided on an inner tube of sufficient size to fit within said tire cavity and capable when inflated of rendering said wheel and tire assembly normally operable for supporting its normal vehicle load in a run-mode of the vehicle. The safety inflation valve coupling and rim segment are thus operable to prevent insertion of such an inner tube valve through the one passageway permanently rim-connected. The coupling itself may be permanently or removably connected to the rim segment.

대표청구항 ▼

A take-apart safety tire and wheel assembly comprising a vehicle wheel including a wheel rim having axially spaced bead flanges, and a rim base; a pneumatic tubeless tire having axially spaced bead toes and a circumferential tire tread spaced radially outwardly of said rim base to define a tire infl

A take-apart safety tire and wheel assembly comprising a vehicle wheel including a wheel rim having axially spaced bead flanges, and a rim base; a pneumatic tubeless tire having axially spaced bead toes and a circumferential tire tread spaced radially outwardly of said rim base to define a tire inflation chamber cavity; said wheel and tire being adapted to removably receive in said chamber a safety runflat insert means including an axially incompressible first portion adapted to extend circumferentially around said rim and having axially spaced side edges adapted to clamp said bead toes against said bead flanges, said wheel rim including means for inflating said tire cavity and means for preventing inflation of said tire cavity in the event of improper assembly of said safety tire and wheel assembly; said wheel rim comprising a first rim segment including one of said bead flanges, a second rim segment including the second of said bead flanges adapted to be axially assembled to said first rim segment, annular sealing means adapted to be disposed between opposing portions of said first and second rim segments and means for releasably clamping said second rim segment onto said first rim segment with said annular sealing means captured in compression between said portions of said rim segments for sealing said tire cavity, said means for preventing inflation comprising air bleed passage means in one of said first and second rim segments for venting said cavity to atmosphere in the event of loss of sealing engagement at said sealing means; said clamping means being adapted to engage and exert clamping stress on said second rim segment over a dimension in the axial direction of said first rim segment which is sufficient to permit loss of sealing pressure at said sealing means prior to loss of clamping engagement at said clamping means, permitting air leakage past said sealing means through said air bleed passage means to atmosphere, said means for inflating said tire cavity comprising a safety inflation valve coupling member operably coupled in air sealing relation to the one of said first and second rim segments facing outboard of said assembly when mounted on a vehicle, said member and said one rim segment each having a through passageway and means cooperable to form an interior air passage for communicating tire inflation means with said tire cavity, at least one of said through passageways being permanently connected to said one rim segment and having a safety control cross sectional configuration adapted to prevent passage therethrough of an air inflation valve provided on an inner tube of sufficient size to fit within said tire cavity and capable when inflated of rendering said wheel and tire assembly normally operable for supporting its normal vehicle load in a run-mode of the vehicle whereby such inner tube valve cannot be inserted through said one through passagway.