CA1238354A

CA1238354A - Vehicle wheel

Info

Publication number: CA1238354A
Application number: CA000462221A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Gerhard Mauk; Heinz-Dieter Rach; Udo Frerichs
Original assignee: Continental Gummi Werke AG
Current assignee: Continental AG
Priority date: 1983-09-03
Filing date: 1984-08-31
Publication date: 1988-06-21
Also published as: PL249430A1; YU150084A; HU192432B; SU1281165A3; EG16295A; DD228217A5; ES290148Y; PL143042B1; AU567577B2; EP0139905A2; AU3220384A; FI843338A; EP0139905A3; CS241097B2; ZA846268B; ES290148U; DE3331870A1; KR850002565A; IL72718A; JPS6071301A

Abstract

TITLE OF THE INVENTION:
VEHICLE WHEEL
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE:
A vehicle wheel having a rigid drop-center or well rim on which can be mounted a tire. The rim has rim flanges which extend essentially radially inwardly.
Next to the rim flanges, on the radially inner periphery, the rim is provided with seating surfaces for the tire;
next to the seating surfaces are provided recessed mount-ing portions (deep bed ) which are delimited by the side walls of the well. Emergency operation support surfaces are provided radially outwardly next to the well. To increase the inherent stability of the rim, and as a pro-tection for the tires, a shielding ring proceeds from at least one of the walls of the well. In the transverse direction, the wall of the shielding ring extends essen-tially axially outwardly and shields the tire bed from thermal radiation from the brakes.

Description

~238354 Background of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle wheel on which can be mounted a pneumatic vehicle tire which i8 made of rubber or rubber-like synthetic material, and which has a carcass which is anchored in the beads of the tire by being looped around pull resi~tant and com~
pression resistant bead cores. The wheel ha~ a drop_ center or well rim, which is provided with rlm flanges which extend essentially radially inwardly. On the radially inner periphery of ~he rim, next to the rim flanges, ~here are provided seating surfaces for the tire, and next to these recessed mounting portions (deep beds) which are delimited by the side walls of the well.
On the radially outer side, thosQ parts of the rlm ring which form the recessed mounting portions are embodied as emergency operation support surfaces. Tne tire walls initially extend essen~ally horizontally outwardly from the bead cores.
A vehicle wheel of thi~ general type i~ di~closed in German Offenlegungs5chrift 30 00 428. ~he pre~ent invention concerns a vehicle wheel which i8 well suited for emergency operation, i,e. even upon damage to or failure of the tire, the lat~er ean be used to a limited extent without receiving permanent damage.

~P~

~23~354 It i8 an object of the present invention to opti-mize the heretofore known vehicle wheel to such an ex~
tent that the driving characteristics o the tire and rim are not adversely affected during normal driving operation due to the embodiment of the wheel for emer-gency operation. In par~icular, care is to be taken that the tire beads, which are located radially in-wardly on the rim, are not damaged by the effect of exces~ive brake heat.
Brief Description of the Drawings The&e object~, and other objects an~ advantages of the present invention, will appear more clearly from the following specification in conjunction with the accompany~ng drawing~, in which:
Figure 1 is a radial partial section of one inventive embodiment of a vehicle wheel, according to which the rim has a shielding ring with a laterally disposed central rim portion, and slightly curved emer-gency operation support surfaces;
Figure 2 i~ a radial partial section of another inventive embodiment of a vehicle wheel, ac-cording to which the rim is provided with a shielding ring and a centrally di~posed central rim portion;
Figure 3 is a side view of the wheel of Fig. 2 taken along the line III-III thereof in the region of the base of the well and the central rim portion;

- 2 123835~

~ igure 4 is a radial partial section of a further inventive embodiment of a vehicle wheel hav-ing shielding rings on both sides of the rim; and Figure S is a radial partial 3ection of another inventive embodiment of a vehicle wheel ? ac-cording to whi~h the edges of the rim are folded over and the tire is provided with a thicker inner wall portion which aerves a~ a guide; the rim haæ a ~uitable well and a shielding ring dispo~ed on one side of the rim.
Summ~ry of the Invention By one aspect of this in~ention, there i~ pro-~ided a vehicle wheel having a rigid drop-center or well rim on which can be mounted a pneumatic vehicle tire of rubber or rubber-like synthetic material; the tire has a carca~ which i8 anchored in the tire beads by being looped around pull-resistant and compression-resistant bead cores; the walls of said tire, in the mounted ~tate, initially extend essPntially horizontally outwardly from said bead cores; the rim has a rim ring which is inter-rupted by a well which is open radially outwardly and i8 formed b~ ~wo circum~erentially ex~ending side walls and a base which is disposed therebetween; the rim ring includes two rim flang~s, which extend essentially ra-dially inward~y, on it8 radially inner periphery, 1~383~;4 axially inwardly of, and next to, each of said rim flanges, said rim ring includes respective seatir.g surfaces for the tire bead~; on its radially inner periphery, next to, and a~ially inwardly of, each seating surface, said rim ring further includes re-spectiv~ recessed unting portions, which are de-limited on the axially i~ner side by said side walls of said well; on their radially outer sides, those por-tions of said ri~ ring which form said recessed mounting portions are embodied as emergency operation support surfaces; the improvement comprises respective shielding rings, one proceeding from at least one of ~aid side walls of said well; each shielding ring has ~ wall which in the transverse direction extends esæentially axially outwardly and ~hield~ an ad~acent tire bead from thermal radiation from a brake unit.

- 3a -lZ3~354 In addition to a reliable protection against heat for the greatest endangered tire bead, or for both of the tire beads, the present invention ha~ the ad-vantage of providing increased inherent stability for the rim. The high inherent stability, with ~imul-taneous low weight, furthermore reQults from the p~o-vision of a relatively flat well having essentially vertical side walls and a well base which i~ inclined in ~he transverse direction, especially with an angle of inclination of up to 15.
Due ~o the shallowness of ~he well, which is not necessary for mounting the tlre, a large mounting space is provided for the brakes; this ~pace can be further optimized by disposing ~he central rim portion at one side at the level of the rim flange, with the shielding ring, as an extension of the well base, merging directly into thi~central rim portion. In particular, the shiel~
ing ring can merge axially outwardly directly into this rim por~ion, which extends sub~tantially v~rticallyO
The well base, on the radially inner side, may have its greatest diameter such that it approximately equals the radial inner tire diameter in the region of the tire bead~. The central rim portion may be mounted on the base of the well, ~nd may be provided, in the region where it contacts the base, wi~h openings which are distributed over the periphery thereof.
Pursuant to a furthar preferred embodiment, the 12~33~4 rim may be provided with a shielding ring on both sides, so that both tire bead~ are ~hielded from the bra~e linings or brake disks, and are hence protected from thermal radiation, stray ~parks, brake linîng re~idue, etc. Counte~weights may be applied to the shielding rings. In order to assure si~ple mounting of the tire, the shielding rings should be radially spaced from the respective or adjacent rim flanges, wlth this distance corresponding to 1.5 to 3 time~ the thickne~ of the bead. Recegsed por~ions ~deep beds) serve for mwunting the tire. These recessed portions are disposed next to the ~eating surfaces for the tire.
An adequate width is one which corresponds to the width of the seating ~urfaces. As a continuation of the in-clination of the sesting surfaces, the recessed portions can be inclined at ~he same angle. This angle can, in the transverse direc~ion, rise axially inwardly. Due to the use of a rim havi~g folded-over rim ring edge~, with the rim flanges and the seating surface~ ~eing formed by these edges, there can be achieved the ad-vantage, while maintaining the width of the support sur-faces for the deep bed~, of obtaining a greater depth, thus simplifying mounting of ~he tire.
In order to prevent lateral deflection of the tire during emergency operation, it is further proposed pursuant to the present invention to provide that inner - 5 ~

~2~835~

wall region of the tire which during emergency operation i8 disposed between ~he support surfaces, with a thicker wall portion which serves as a guide and which during an emergency operation can ~ettle into the shallow well.
In order to obtain adequately wide emergency operation support surfaces while maintaining the radially outwardly disposed and relative shallow well, it i8 proposed that those parts of the rim ring which form the seating surfaces for the tlre and the rim flanges also be embodied on the radially outer side a~
e~ergency operation support surfaces. Taken as a whole; the emergency operation ~upport surfaces can be 81~ ghtly curved sr can extend linearly in the trans-verse direction. If they e~tend linearly, they should extend horizontally or should drop slightly as they extend outwardly, Since the tire is mounted on the radially inner side o~ the rim, and fur~hermore ex ends from its bead cores essentially horizontally toward the outside, i~ is po~sible for the side walls to deflect during emergency operation wi~hout sharp folds result-ing anywhere.
Description of Preferred Embod~ments Referring nsw to the drawings in detail, Fig. 1 shows a vehicle wheel in the mDunted state. The pneu-matic vehicle tire which is utilized, and which essen-tially comprises rubber sr rubber-like material, com-~231~354 prises a radial carcass l; this caxcass could al~o bea diagonal carcass. The ends of the carcass 1 are anchored in the beads 3 by being looped around pull re-sistant and compression resistant bead cores 2. Located below the tread 4 between the latter and the carcass 1 i5 a belt 5 which i8 pull resistant in the circumfer-ential direction and comprises ~wo or more cord plies.
The belt 5 provides the lateral stability fox the tire body, The tire body is furthermore provided, on its inner surface approximately ln the region of the tread 4, with a thin slide layer ~ which makes po~sible a low-friction support upon the rim during emergency operation. Furthermore, the slide layer 6 can also serve a~ a sealing layer in the event the tire is punctured.
The rim ring, which is preferably made of metal, serves to hold the tire beads 3 and to ~upport the tire during an emergency operation. When viewed in cross section, the rim ring i8 provided laterally outwardly 20 with respective xim flanges 7 which essentially extend radially inwardly. Disposed on the inner periphery of the rim ring, axially inwardly next to each rim flange 7, is a seating ~urface 8 for the tire bead 3, When viewed in cross ~ection in tranæverse direction, each ~ea~ing surface 8 extend~ linearly; when viewed relative to the axial direction, each seating surface 8 extends at an angle of from 5 to 15, and in particular in such a manner that the smaller diameter is located nex~ to the rim flange 7, whereas the greatest inner ri~ diameter is located ln the region of the seating surface 8 exactly where it merges into an ad;acent rece~ed portlon 9 (deep bed).
In the direction ~oward the central plane of the wheel, the inner wall of the rim ring ~an ~moothly and without interruption merge from the seating surface 8 into the adjacent reces~ed portion 9 at the same angle of inclination relative to the axial direction;
the recessed portion 9 should not have a ~maller tran~-ver3e dimension than does the seating surface 8. The reeessed portion 9, which with the aforementioned di~
mensions provides a minimal mounting space for the tire, allows the tire, with its pull re6istant and com~ression resistant wire cores 2, to be mounted even with one-piece rims. After the tire has been mounted, the re~
cessed portion 9 can be filled i~ by means of a filler 20 ring 10 of rubber, synthetic material, or s~me other suitable material in order to prevent dirt and water from acoumulating at that locatlon. In the mounted state, the tire walls ini~ially extend essentially horizontally outwardly from the bead cores 2, and lat-erally outwardly from the rim ring merge via a curvature into the side walls 11.

~2'38354 The recessed mounting portions 9 (deep beds) are delimited axially inwardly by e~sentially vertical side walls 12 of a radially outwardly disposed well 13.
The base 14 of the well 13 extends at an angle in the transverse direc~ion, with the angle of incli-nation ranging up to 15 relative to the horizontal.
Radially inwardly the greatest diameter of the well baRe 14 correspond~ approximately ts the radially inner ~ire diameter in the vicinity of the tire beads 3.
Opposite this greatest diameter, there i8 disposed axially outwardly as an extension of the well base 14 a shielding ring lS which i~ a part of the rim and merges directly into the r~m por ion 16. At the level of the adjacent rim flange 7, a gap should exist between the shielding ring 15 and thi~ rim ~lange 7. This gap should be approx~mately l.S to 3 tim~ the th~ckne~s of the ~ire bead in order for purposes of mounting to make po~sible in an unimpeded manner the introduction of the tire bead 3 and possi~ly also of tool~.
Due to ~he very ~hallow well 13, and due to the lateral arrangement of the rim portion 16, an optimum unting 8paee is prov~ded for the brake unit. Due to the extreme laterally outward placement of the rim por-tion 16, the brake units (not illu~trated) located in the vicinity of the rim portion 16 are paced far enough from the tire bead 3 located acros~ from them that additional heat protection measures which might _ g _ 1;~3~3Sq~

otherwise be necessary for these brake unit~ are no longer necessary. The tire bead 3 adjacent to the rim portion 16 i6 protected as well as possible from thermal radiation from the brake by means of the large metallic shielding ring 15 with its high heat conductivity. By providing a shallow well 13 having vertical side walls 12, and an inclined well base 14, the inherent stability of the rim i~ considerably increased.
Slightly curved emergency opera~ion support sur-face~ 17 are located radially and axially sutwardly of the vertical side walls 12 of the well 13. In the event of damage or failure, the tire can be supported on these support surfaces 17. In order, while maintaining a well 13, to obtain support surfaces 17 which are as wide as possible, t~e latter are embodied in such a way that in addition to the parts of the rim which form the recessed portions 9, also those portions which form the seatlng surfaces 8 and the rim flanges 7 contribute radially outwardly to the enlargement of the support surfaces 17.
The vehicle wheel of Fig. 2 differs from that o Fig. 1 primarily in that the rim portion 16' i8 cen-trally disposed on the well base 14, The ri~ portion 16' can be welded to the rim ring, or can be cast as one piece with the rest of the rim, A shielding ring 15' for one of the tire beads 3 is again located as an extension of the well base and ~23~354 is integrally produced with the remainder of the rim ring. If necessary, the shielding ring lS' can, of course, also be detachably unted to the rim ring as a separate part, for example by being screwed thereon.
In order to prevent water from accumulating in the vicinity of the shielding ring 15', the latter can either extend at a slight angle relative t~ the hori-zontal, ox can be provided with holes. So that no water can collect on the radially inner side of the rim ring, openings 18 (see also Fig. 3) are provided over the periphery of the rim portion 16 in the area where it contacts the well base 14.
With the rim of Fig. 2, the emergency operation support surfaces 17 extend linearly in the transver~e direc~ion, and rise from axially outwardly toward ~he inside, in particular with the same inclination as do the ~eating surfaces 8 and the recess portions 9, 80 that the thickness of the rim ring is con~tant in the transverse direction. The remaining parts of the rim ~nd tire corre~pond to those illustrated and described in connection wit~ the embodiment of Fig. 1.
In Fig. 4, a Yehicle wheel is proposed that axially outwardly on bo~h ~ide~ has a shieldin~ ring 15, 1~' as extensions of the well base 14. In order to also obtain a sufficient space for mwunti~g for tha second tire bead 3, the well walls 12 are extended sligh~ly, and the slope of the well base 14 i8 reduced, 12~335~

50 that the second ~hieldin~ ring 15' i5 spaced ~uf-ficiently from the adjacent rim flange 7. As was the case with the wheel of Fig. 1, the firRt shielding ring 15 merges directly into the laterally outwardly disposed rim por~ion 16. Due to their stability and their smooth surfaces, the two shieldin~ ring 15, 15' sezve to re-ceive counterweights 19 which can be glued on or clamped on by means of clamps 20.
The emergency operation support surfaoes 17 are also embodied the same as those of the wheel of Fig. 1, though they are additionally provided wi~h a ~lide or lubricant layer 21.
With the wheel of Fig. 5~ the radially inner part of the rim, with the well 13, the Rhielding ring 15, and the lateral rim portion 16, is embodied in the same way as the embodiment of Fig. 1. In contrast, however, the emerge~cy operation suppsrt surfaces 17 extend linearly and horizontally, and the rim flanges 7 and the seating surfaces 8 for the tire are formed by inwardly folded-2~ over portions of the edge of the rim ring, so thatrelatively deep recessed mounting portions 9 result.
The same rim shape could, of course, also be obtained by folding over the edge portions outwardly.
In the inner wall regio~ which during an emergency operation is located between the support ~urface. 17, the tire i8 provided with a thicker wall portion 22 ~238354 which serve~ as a guide and whioh proJect slightlyinto the well 13. The ~hicker portion 22 ensures that the tire is held centrally upon the rim during an emer-gency operatisn. Instead of the relatively wide thicker portion 22, two narrow, circumferen~ial strips at the edges of the well can, of course, be used in order to reduce the weight.
It should be noted that the inventive wheel is not limited to the previously described embodiments, for example, the shielding rings 15, 15' can also be disposed at other locations, and can be mounted either detachably ox fixedly to the rim. The rim can either be in one piece or in several pieces, and the wheel can be designed for passenger cars as well a~ for trucks.
Finally, the invention is not limited to the use of ~he belted tires.
The tire i8 mounted pursuant to a procedure practiced by the assignee of the present invention, according to which, with the tire beads fclded outwardly, the rim i~ first moved toward the tire at right angles thereto, and is then turned within the interior of the tire. The mounting proc~eds as described in connection with the wheel of German Offenlegungs6chrift 30 00 428.
The presPnt in~ention is, of cour~e, ln no way restricted to ~he ~pecific disclosure of the specifica-tion ~nd drawings, but al~o encom~asses any modifica-tions within the scope of the appended claim~.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A vehicle wheel having a rigid drop-center or well rim on which can be mounted a pneumatic vehicle tire of rubber or rubber-like synthetic material; the tire has a carcass which is anchored in the tire beads by being looped around pull-resistant and compression-resistant bead cores; the walls of said tire, in the mounted state, initially extend essentially horizontally outwardly from said bead cores; the rim has a rim ring which is interrupted by a well which is open radially outwardly and is formed by two circumferentially ex-tending side walls and a base which is disposed there-between; the rim ring includes two rim flanges, which extend essentially radially inwardly; on its radially inner periphery, axially inwardly of, and next to, each of said rim flanges, said rim ring includes respective seating surfaces for the tire beads; on its radially inner periphery, next to, and axially inwardly of, each seating surface, said rim ring further includes respec-tive recessed mounting portions, which are delimited on the axially inner side by said side walls of said well;
on their radially outer sides, those portions of said rim ring which form said recessed mounting portions are embodied as emergency operation support surfaces; the improvement comprises:

respective shielding rings, one proceeding from at least one of said side walls of said well; each shielding ring has a wall which in the transverse di-rection extends essentially axially outwardly and shields an adjacent tire bead from thermal radiation from a brake unit.

2. A vehicle wheel according to claim 1, in which said base of said well extends in the transverse direction at an angle of up to 15° relative to a line which is perpendicular to the central plane of a tire mounted on said wheel; each of said shielding rings is in the form of an extension of said base of said well.

3. A vehicle wheel according to claim 2, in which said rim includes a central portion which is lo-cated radially inwardly of said rim ring and extends essentially parallel to the central plane of a tire mounted on said wheel; and in which one of said shield-ing rings has an axially outer end which merges directly into said central rim portion.

4. A vehicle wheel according to claim 2, in which the greatest diameter of the radially inner side of said base of said well is approximately equal to the radially inner tire diameter in the vicinity of said beads thereof when said tire is mounted on said wheel.

5. A vehicle wheel according to claim 1, in which said rim includes a central portion which is located radially inwardly of said rim ring and extends essentially parallel to the central plane of a tire mounted on said wheel; said central rim portion is mounted to, and radially inwardly of, said base of said well, and is provided over its periphery with openings which are disposed in the vicinity of where said central rim portion contacts said well base.

6. A vehicle wheel according to claim 1, in which said shielding rings are radially spaced from an adjacent rim flange by a distance which corresponds to 1.5 to 3 times the thickness of one of said tire beads.

7. A vehicle wheel according to claim 1, in which one of said shielding rings proceeds from each of said side walls of said well.

8. A vehicle wheel according to claim 1, in which the diameter of said seating surfaces for said tire, when viewed in the transverse direction, increases axially inwardly; and in which said seating surfaces merge into said recessed mounting portions, which have essentially the same width and angle of inclination as do said seating surfaces.

9. A vehicle wheel according to claim 1, in which, on their radially outer sides, those portions of said rim ring which form said seating surfaces for said tire are also embodied as emergency operation support surfaces.

10. A vehicle wheel according to claim 1, in which, on their radially outer sides, those portions of said rim ring which form said rim flanges are also embodied as emergency operation support surfaces.

11. A vehicle wheel according to claim 1, in which said emergency operation support surfaces are slightly curved in the transverse direction.

12. A vehicle wheel according to claim 1, in which said emergency operation support surfaces extend linearly in the transverse direction.

13. A vehicle wheel according to claim 12, in which said emergency operation support surfaces extend substantially perpendicular to the central plane of a tire mounted on said wheel.

14. A vehicle wheel according to claim 12, in which said emergency operation support surfaces have a diameter which decreases slightly axially outwardly.

15. A vehicle wheel according to claim 1, is which said rim ring includes folded-over portions which form said rim flanges and said seating surfaces for said tire,

16. A vehicle wheel according to claim 1, in which said tire includes an inner wall portion which during an emergency operation is adapted to be disposed between said emergency operation support surfaces and in the region of said well; and in which said inner wall portion is provided with a thicker wall portion which serves as a guide.

17. A vehicle wheel according to claim 1, which includes counterweights for placement on said shielding rings.