Tension-based non-pneumatic tire
First Claim
1. A non-pneumatic tire for supporting an applied load comprising:
- a generally annular inner surface that engages a hub having an axis of rotation,a generally annular outer ring,an interconnected web between said generally annular inner surface and said generally annular outer ring comprising at least two radially adjacent layers of elements at every radial cross-section of said tire defining a plurality of generally polygonal openings, the interconnected web including a plurality of tangential web elements that are generally aligned with a tangent to a circle centered about the axis of rotation;
said generally annular outer ring and said interconnected web being deformable when said tire is subjected to said applied load;
wherein a plurality of said web elements are angled relative to a plane containing said axis of rotation to facilitate buckling of said web elements, wherein, when the applied load is applied, web elements in a region above the axis of rotation are subjected to a tensile force while web elements in a region between the applied load and a footprint region are subjected to a smaller portion of the applied load as compared to the remaining portions of the web elements.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A non-pneumatic tire for supporting a load by working in tension comprising a generally annular inner surface, a generally annular outer ring, and an interconnected web having a plurality of web elements and comprising a plurality of generally polygonal openings. Web elements are sized, oriented and comprised of a material that facilitates buckling when subjected to a compressive load. By buckling, those elements in a deformed portion of the tire between a hub and a footprint region where the tire contacts a surface may assume a significantly reduced portion of the load, if any. This causes web elements in other portions of the interconnected web to operate in tension to support the load. Since the tire is non-pneumatic, it may be easier to maintain and may have a longer life than standard pneumatic tires since it eliminates the possibility of blowouts, flat tires, or tires operating with low air pressure. By virtue of the portion of the tire in the footprint region not bearing a significant portion of the load, non-pneumatic tire may also exhibit a more comfortable ride subject to less noise and vibration and improved handling capabilities.
192 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A non-pneumatic tire for supporting an applied load comprising:
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a generally annular inner surface that engages a hub having an axis of rotation, a generally annular outer ring, an interconnected web between said generally annular inner surface and said generally annular outer ring comprising at least two radially adjacent layers of elements at every radial cross-section of said tire defining a plurality of generally polygonal openings, the interconnected web including a plurality of tangential web elements that are generally aligned with a tangent to a circle centered about the axis of rotation; said generally annular outer ring and said interconnected web being deformable when said tire is subjected to said applied load; wherein a plurality of said web elements are angled relative to a plane containing said axis of rotation to facilitate buckling of said web elements, wherein, when the applied load is applied, web elements in a region above the axis of rotation are subjected to a tensile force while web elements in a region between the applied load and a footprint region are subjected to a smaller portion of the applied load as compared to the remaining portions of the web elements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A non-pneumatic tire comprising:
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a generally annular inner surface that attaches to a hub, a generally annular outer ring, an interconnected web between said generally annular inner surface and said generally annular outer ring, and an axis of rotation; said interconnected web defining a plurality of openings circumferentially spaced around said tire and radially spaced at varying distances from said axis or rotation, so as to support an applied load by working in tension, said interconnected web including a plurality of web elements and a plurality tangential web elements that are generally aligned with a tangent to a circle centered about the axis of rotation, said plurality of tangential web elements defining, at least in part, at least some of the plurality of openings circumferentially spaced around said tire, wherein, when the applied load is applied, web elements in a region above the axis of rotation are subjected to a tensile force while web elements in a region between the applied load and a footprint region are subjected to a smaller portion of the applied load as compared to the remaining portions of the web elements.
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25. A non-pneumatic tire comprising:
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a generally annular inner surface that attaches to a hub, a generally annular outer ring, a radially external surface engaging a tread-carrying layer, an interconnected web between said generally annular inner surface and said generally annular outer ring, and an axis of rotation said interconnected web comprising web elements and tangential web elements that are generally aligned with a tangent to a circle centered about the axis of rotation, the interconnected web defining a plurality of generally hexagonally shaped openings circumferentially spaced around said tire and radially spaced at varying distances from said axis of rotation, a first plurality of generally quadrilaterally-shaped openings adjacent said generally annular inner surface and a second plurality of generally quadrilaterally-shaped openings adjacent said generally annular outer ring, each of said first plurality of generally quadrilaterally-shaped openings and each of said second plurality of generally quadrilaterally-shaped openings circumferentially separated from each other of said first plurality of generally quadrilaterally-shaped openings and each other of said second plurality of generally quadrilaterally-shaped openings, respectively, by at least one of said plurality of hexagonally shaped openings, so as to support a load by working in tension, wherein web elements positioned above the axis of rotation and directly aligned with the direction of the applied load bear the greatest portion of the load. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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Specification