JP2005225400A - Wheel rim and tire assembly using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wheel rim capable of enhancing the ride quality during a blowout is flat by basically including an impact absorbing body in contact with a support ring in at least a part of a support ring mounting part with the support ring attached thereto, and mitigating and absorbing the vibration or the like applied to the support ring from the road surface by the impact absorbing body. <P>SOLUTION: A wheel rim 3 includes a pair of bead mounting parts 8 with a bead part of a tire 2 fitted thereto, and a rim body 6 having a rim main part 9 therebetween and a disk part 7. The rim main part 9 has a support ring mounting part 10 with an annular support ring attached thereto which is abutted on a cavity surface of a tread of the tire to support the load during a blowout. The support ring mounting part 10 includes an impact absorbing body 13 in at least a part thereof. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a wheel rim that is useful for improving ride comfort during puncture travel.

  In recent years, there has been proposed a tire assembly that can safely travel several hundred kilometers at a high speed of, for example, about 80 km / H even when the internal pressure of the tire decreases due to puncture or the like. Prior patent documents include the following.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-6721 Japanese National Patent Publication No. 8-504389 JP 2001-354002 A Special table 2003-502200 gazette

  As shown in FIG. 6, the tire assembly a includes a tire rim, a wheel rim c that assembles the tire b, and a tire rim c surrounded by the tire b and the wheel rim c. An annular support ring e that is mounted and supports the load by contacting the inner surface of the tread portion d when the internal pressure of the tire b decreases. The support ring e is attached to the support ring mounting portion c1 of the wheel rim c by an interference fit.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when traveling in a punctured state (hereinafter, such traveling may be referred to as run-flat traveling), vibrations from the road surface are transmitted from the support ring e through the wheel rim c. It is conveyed to the suspension. The support ring e is made of an elastic material such as resin or rubber, but has a relatively high rigidity in order to enable high speed and continuous running. Also, the wheel rim c is entirely made of a metal material. For this reason, during the run-flat running, the impact from the support ring is directly transmitted to the wheel rim c, causing a problem that the ride comfort is poor.

  The present invention has been devised in view of the above problems, and is based on the fact that at least a part of the support ring mounting portion to which the support ring is attached includes an impact absorber that contacts the support ring. The main object of the present invention is to provide a wheel rim that can reduce and absorb vibrations applied to the support ring from the road surface with this shock absorber to improve riding comfort during puncture.

  The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is a rim body having a pair of bead mounting portions which are provided on both outer side portions in the axial direction and into which bead portions of tires are fitted, and a rim main portion therebetween. And a wheel rim composed of a disk portion connected to the inner peripheral surface of the wheel rim, wherein the rim main portion is mounted with an annular support ring that abuts against the tire tread lumen surface during puncture and supports a load. The support ring mounting portion includes at least a part of an impact absorber that contacts the support ring.

  In the invention according to claim 2, the support ring mounting portion includes a cylindrical base portion made of a metal material and the annular shock absorber integrally fixed to an outer side in the radial direction. 2. A cylindrical central portion extending in the axial direction, and a flange piece provided on both sides thereof and protruding in the tire radial direction at a small height to prevent displacement of the shock absorber. It is a wheel rim of description.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the shock absorber has a width in the tire axial direction smaller than an axial distance between the flange pieces, so that at least one of the flange pieces and the shock absorber. The wheel rim according to claim 2, wherein a circumferential groove into which a convex portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the support ring can be inserted is formed therebetween.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the shock absorber, a circumferential groove into which a convex portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the support ring can be inserted is formed on the outer surface thereof. It is a wheel rim as described in above.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the rim main portion has an outer diameter between the support ring mounting portion and the at least one bead mounting portion, and an outer diameter of the support ring mounting portion and the one bead mounting portion. At least one well portion having an outer peripheral surface smaller than the outer diameter of the portion, and the inner peripheral surface of the rim main portion has an inner diameter substantially from the disk portion toward the at least one well portion side. The wheel rim according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a drainage surface that prevents water accumulation on the inner peripheral surface is formed by being the same or increased.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is a tire assembly in which a tire and a port ring are mounted on the wheel rim according to any of the first to fifth aspects.

  The support ring mounting portion to which the support ring is attached includes an impact absorber that contacts at least a part of the support ring. Therefore, vibrations applied to the support ring from the road surface can be reduced and absorbed by this shock absorber, and the amount of transmission to the suspension system is reduced. Therefore, the ride comfort during puncture can be improved.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a tire assembly 1 of the present embodiment. The tire assembly 1 includes a tire 2, a wheel rim 3 that assembles the tire 2, and a tire lumen i enclosed by the tire 2 and the wheel rim 3. And an annular support ring 4 for supporting a load when the internal pressure is reduced.

  The tire 2 includes a tread portion 2a that contacts the road surface, a pair of sidewall portions 2b and 2b extending inward in the tire radial direction from both ends thereof, and radially inner ends of the sidewall portions 2b and 2b. And bead portions 2c and 2c formed on the surface. The tire 2 is a tubeless type pneumatic tire in which an inner liner rubber that does not easily transmit air is disposed on the inner surface of the tire 2. The tire 2 includes a carcass 2e formed of at least one carcass ply reinforced by a cord extending in the radial direction and locked to the bead core 2d of the bead portion 2c from the tread portion 2a through the sidewall portion 2b, and the carcass 2e. Main reinforcement is made by a belt layer 2f made of at least two layers of belt plies made of, for example, a steel cord, arranged on the outer side in the tire radial direction and inside the tread portion 2a.

  FIG. 2 illustrates the entire support ring 4 of the present embodiment as a perspective view. The support ring 4 has an annular shape as a whole, and more specifically, an outer ring body 4a that can be in contact with the inner surface of the tread portion 2a, and an outer ring body 4a that is located radially inward and is attached to the wheel rim 3. The inner ring body 4b having the inner peripheral surface 5 to be mounted and the inner ring body 4b and the outer ring body 4a extend in the tire radial direction and are zigzag in the tire circumferential direction in the present embodiment. The thing comprised from the extended support wall part 4c is illustrated.

  In the tire meridian cross section, the outer peripheral surface of the outer ring body 4a of this embodiment has a smooth outer peripheral surface that is parallel to the tire axial direction. However, in order to dissipate heat during traveling, a circumferential groove is appropriately used. Etc. can be recessed. Further, the inner peripheral surface 5 of the inner ring body 4b includes a smooth surface 5a along the tire axial direction and a convex portion 5b projecting inward in the tire radial direction. Although the convex part 5b of this example is shown continuously extending in the tire circumferential direction, it may be appropriately interrupted. Further, the specific shape of the support wall 4c and the like can be appropriately modified.

  The support ring 4 is in contact with the tread portion 2a and supports the load from the road surface at the time of puncture. For this reason, it is comprised with the elastic material with moderate softness | flexibility. On the other hand, it is necessary to prevent excessive distortion in order to enable continuous high-speed traveling even during puncture. From this point of view, the specific material used for the support ring 4 is preferably an elastic body such as rubber, polyurethane or EPDM, and particularly an elastic material having a JISD hardness of about 45 to 60 degrees or a foam thereof. desirable. In order to increase the strength, the support ring 4 may be formed by combining a fiber cord or short fiber such as aromatic polyamide, glass fiber, or steel with a matrix material.

  The wheel rim 3 includes a rim body 6 to which the tire 2 is mounted, and a disc portion 7 that is connected to an inner peripheral surface of the tire rim 3 and is mounted on an axle (not shown). The wheel rim 3 of the present embodiment is exemplified by a one-piece wheel rim in which the rim main body 6 and the disk portion 7 are integrally formed by forging or casting, but is limited to such a specific form. It is not a thing.

  The rim body 6 includes a pair of bead mounting portions 8 and 8 which are provided on both outer side portions in the axial direction and into which the bead portions 2c and 2c of the tire 2 are respectively fitted, and a rim main portion 9 between them. Including.

  The bead mounting portion 8 of this embodiment includes a bead mounting portion 8a on one side located on the vehicle outer side (the mounting direction of the wheel rim 3 is specified for the vehicle) and a bead mounting portion 8a located on the inner side of the vehicle. A bead mounting portion 8b. Each bead mounting portion 8 includes a seat portion 20 and a flange portion 21 on which the bottom surface of the bead is seated. The seat part 20 has a tapered surface inclined in a direction in which the outer diameter gradually decreases toward the outer side in the tire axial direction in the meridian cross section including the tire axis.

  In this example, the minimum outer diameter of the bead mounting portion 8a on one side has a left-right asymmetric structure formed smaller than the minimum outer diameter of the bead mounting portion 8b on the other side. Correspondingly, also in the tire 2, the bead portion 2c1 on the vehicle outer side is formed with a smaller inner diameter than the bead portion 2c2 on the vehicle inner side. When the rim is assembled, the tire 2 or the support ring 4 is incorporated from the one side bead mounting portion 8a side.

  The rim main portion 9 of the present embodiment includes a support ring mounting portion 10 that is located at a substantially intermediate portion in the axial direction and to which the support ring 4 is attached, and well portions 11 provided on both sides thereof. Composed.

  The well portion 11 includes a well portion 11a outside the vehicle and a well portion 11b inside the vehicle. Each well portion 11 provides a space into which the bead portion 2c of the tire 2 is dropped when the rim is assembled. Thereby, the bead part 2c can exceed the flange part 20 of the bead attachment part 8a thru | or 8b. The well portion 11 has a predetermined width and is formed in a groove shape having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the support ring mounting portion 10 and the outer diameter of the bead mounting portion 8. In the present embodiment, the periphery of the disk portion 7 is continuously provided between the well portion 11a on the vehicle outer side and the bead mounting portion 8a.

  As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 3, the support ring mounting portion 10 includes a cylindrical base portion 12 made of a metal material, and an annular shock absorber 13 that is fixed to the outer side in the radial direction and contacts the support ring 4. It is comprised including. In the present embodiment, the base portion 12 includes a central portion 14 that extends in a cylindrical shape in the axial direction, and flange pieces 15 and 16 that are provided on both sides thereof and project in the tire radial direction at a small height.

  The shock absorber 13 relaxes and absorbs vibration from the support ring 4 and prevents it from being transmitted to the base 12 made of a metal material as much as possible. From such a viewpoint, the impact absorber 13 is preferably a resin such as rubber, polyurethane, or polypropylene, or a foamable material, or a composite obtained by combining these. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B), the shock absorber 13 may be one in which a metal thin plate is subjected to, for example, corrugated processing to have a spring performance in the tire radial direction. It is also possible to use a metal material having a smaller elastic modulus than the base 12. Particularly preferred is a non-metallic material.

  In order to more effectively reduce the impact or vibration from the support ring 4, the contact width KW between the shock absorber 13 and the ring body 4b in the support ring 4 is 60% of the width RW of the inner ring body 4b. Above, more preferably 70% or more is desirable. When the contact width KW is less than 60% of the width RW of the inner ring body 4b, a sufficient contact area cannot be obtained between the support ring 4 and the shock absorber 13, and the impact absorbing effect tends to be reduced. Preferably 70 to 100% is desirable. Similarly, the thickness t of the shock absorber is preferably 2 to 6 mm, more preferably 3 to 5 mm, and particularly preferably 4 to 5 mm.

  In addition, when the shock absorber 13 is made of a polymer material such as rubber, for example, those having a JIS hardness of 40 to 70 ° and a loss tangent tan δ of less than 0.1 can exhibit particularly suitable shock relaxation performance. Is preferable. When the shock absorber 13 is made of a metal material, it is desirable that the spring constant in the tire radial direction is about 1000 to 3000 (N / mm).

  Further, the shock absorber 13 has an annular shape that is continuous in the tire circumferential direction, and is integrally fixed to the central portion 14 of the base portion 12 so that substantial relative movement is impossible in this example. The outer peripheral surface of the shock absorber 13 includes a cylindrical smooth surface substantially parallel to the tire axial direction in the tire meridian cross section. Therefore, the shock absorber 13 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the ring body 4b in the support ring 4 and can absorb the vibration of the support ring 4 more effectively. Since the support ring 4 is attached to the support ring mounting portion 4 in an interference fit state, the shock absorber 13 can be compressed and both can contact with high pressure. The method for fixing the shock absorber 13 to the base 12 is not particularly limited. For example, an appropriate method such as a method using an adhesive, a method using a fixing tool such as a screw, or an interference fit using a frictional force is used. One or a combination of methods can be employed.

  Further, the shock absorber 13 of this embodiment is formed such that the tire axial width SW (equal to the contact width KW) is smaller than the axial distance FW between the flange pieces 15 and 16. Then, the side edge 13e on the vehicle inner side of the shock absorber 13 is fixed in contact with the flange piece 16 on the same side, whereby the flange piece 15 on the vehicle outer side and the shock absorber 13 are attached to the support ring mounting portion 10. Between the two, a single circumferential groove 17 into which the convex portion 5b provided on the inner peripheral surface 4b of the support ring 4 can be inserted is formed.

  Such a circumferential groove 17 increases the engagement force with the support ring 4 even during run flat running where a large load acts on the support ring 4, thereby preventing axial displacement and dropping and enabling stable running. To help. The width dimension and cross-sectional shape of the circumferential groove 17 can be freely changed by appropriately adjusting the width SW of the shock absorber 13 or the cross-sectional shape of the side edge 13e outside the vehicle. Since the shape of the shock absorber 13 can be adjusted very easily compared to the change of the shape of the metal base 12 (polishing, cutting), for example, the convex portion 5b of the support ring 4 slightly different depending on the manufacturing error or the providing manufacturer. It can be easily adjusted according to the dimensions. Therefore, the assembly accuracy of the support ring 4 to the support ring mounting portion 10 can be improved, and the versatility of this type of wheel rim 3 can be improved.

  Further, the support ring mounting portion 10 of the present embodiment moves the inner ring body 4b, and hence the support ring 4 by the flange piece 16 positioned on the end side opposite to the circumferential groove 17 in the axial direction. It is regulated. As a result, the support ring 4 is supported from both sides by the circumferential groove 17 and the flange piece 16, so that the positioning in the tire axial direction becomes more stable and reliable, and the position shift is also caused during turning with a slip angle. And can be reliably prevented.

  In the wheel rim 3 of the present embodiment, the inner peripheral surface Ri of the inner peripheral surface 9i of the rim main portion 9 is substantially the same or increased from the disk portion 7 toward the well portion 11b on the vehicle inner side. The thing which makes the drain surface 19 which prevents the water pool in is illustrated. More specifically, the inner diameter Ri of the inner peripheral surface 9i ranges from the disk portion 7 to the well portion 11a on the vehicle outer side, the support ring mounting portion 10, the well portion 11b on the vehicle inner side, and the bead mounting portion 8b on the inner side of the vehicle. In FIG. 2, the constant portion and the increasing portion are alternately increased and gradually increased, and the inner diameter does not decrease in the middle.

  When attention is paid to the inner peripheral surface ci of the conventional wheel rim c shown in FIG. 6, recesses k1 and k2 having groove sections extending in the circumferential direction are formed between the well portions f1 and f2. Since the recesses k1 and k2 provided on the inner peripheral surface ci of the wheel rim c become so-called pockets, there is a problem that rain water and dew condensation water easily collect in this portion during stopping, and that it is difficult to drain once it has accumulated. is there. Particularly in winter, there is a problem that unbalanced vibration is generated when the accumulated water freezes. In the wheel rim 3 of the present embodiment, by improving the inner peripheral surface 9i of the rim main portion to the drainage surface 19, it is possible to effectively prevent such a water pool from occurring. In the wheel rim 3 of the present embodiment, the inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface gradually decreases from the disk portion 7 toward the bead mounting portion 8a outside the vehicle, so that rainwater or the like does not collect in this portion. .

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention.
If this embodiment is described in comparison with FIG. 3, the cylindrical central portion 14 is changed to a tapered surface whose outer diameter decreases toward the vehicle outer side. The outer diameter Ru inside the vehicle at the center portion 14 is the same as that in FIG. Therefore, it can be said that the outer diameter Ro on the vehicle outer side of the central portion 14 is reduced from the mode of FIG.

  In order to absorb the vibration of the support ring 4 more effectively, it is desirable to increase the thickness t of the shock absorber 13. In order to attach the shock absorber 13 having a large thickness t without changing the specifications of the support ring 4, the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the central portion 14 is reduced, as is apparent from FIG. It is necessary to secure a large gap in the tire radial direction between the inner peripheral surface 5 and the inner peripheral surface 5. However, if the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the central portion 14 is simply reduced, the space surrounded by the rim main portion 9 is reduced, making it difficult to dispose a brake disc, a brake assembly, and the like.

  In the support ring mounting portion 10 of the embodiment of FIG. 4, the shock absorber 13 having a large thickness t on the flange piece 15 side can be disposed by tapering the central portion 14. In addition, a brake arrangement space similar to the conventional brake arrangement space can be formed inside the support ring attachment portion 10. Therefore, the shock absorber 13 having a larger thickness can be provided without impairing the mounting ability of the brake device.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the width SW of the shock absorber 13 is equal to the width FW between the flange pieces 15 and 16. Therefore, both ends are held by the flange pieces 15 and 16, and the positioning is further stabilized, and it is useful for securing a larger contact width KW with the support ring 4. Further, in this embodiment, the circumferential groove 17 into which the convex portion 5 b provided on the inner peripheral surface 5 of the support ring 4 is inserted is formed by the concave portion provided in the shock absorber 13, and the base portion 12 made of a metal material is Not related to this. Therefore, the metal rim main portion 9 can be formed in a simpler shape, and the product cost can be reduced. Further, since the shock absorber 13 is easy to process, the circumferential groove 17 can be formed in various shapes, and the versatility can be further enhanced.

  Further, the wheel rim 3 of this embodiment has an inner diameter Ri of the inner peripheral surface 9i of the rim main portion 9 that increases substantially continuously from the disk portion 7 toward the well portion 11b side on the vehicle inner side. The thing which makes the drainage surface which prevents the water pool on an internal peripheral surface is illustrated. More specifically, the inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface 9i continuously increases from the disk portion 7 to the front side of the bead mounting portion 8b on the vehicle inner side. Therefore, even when rainwater or the like reaches the inner peripheral surface side of the wheel rim 3, it is possible to drain the water more quickly using such an inclination.

A tire assembly was prepared using the wheel rims of FIG. 1 (Example 1), FIG. 4 (Example 2), and FIG. 6 (Conventional example), and durability performance and ride comfort during run-flat running were evaluated. . The tire size was 265-780R520A, and the rim size was 255 × 520A. The support ring was made of polyurethane and used the following specifications.
(1) Support ring size: 100-520 (60)
(“100” is the nominal width (mm) of the support ring, “520” is the nominal diameter (mm), and “60” is the height in the tire radial direction (mm).)
(2) Outer ring body: tire radial direction thickness 4 mm x tire axial direction width 100 mm
(3) Inner ring: tire radial direction thickness 4 mm x tire axial direction width 100 mm
(4) Support wall: thickness 7 mm, zigzag pitch repetition number 26

Each of the shock absorbers was made of rubber (JISA hardness 55 °, loss tangent tan δ 0.04@70° C.), and was fixed to the support ring mounting portion using an adhesive. The specifications are as follows.
<Example 1>
Shock absorber thickness t: 4.0 mm (constant)
Shock absorber width SW: 47 mm
Contact width with inner ring body KW: 47mm
<Example 2>
Shock absorber thickness t: 4.0 to 7.0 mm (minimum to maximum)
Shock absorber width SW: 57 mm
Contact width with inner ring body KW: 57mm
The test method is as follows.

<Durability>
The tire assembly with an internal pressure of 0 kPa was continuously run on a steel drum having a diameter of 1.7 m at a speed of 80 km / H and a load of 6.86 kN, and the running time until the running became impossible due to breakage of the support ring was measured. . The results are displayed as an index with the conventional example being 100. The larger the value, the better.

<Ride comfort>
A tire assembly to be tested was mounted on four wheels of a domestic FF passenger car with a displacement of 2000 cc, and the inner pressure of the tire assembly on the right front wheel was set to 0 kPa. Using the test vehicle, drive on a stepped road on the dry asphalt road, Berjaso road (cobblestone road), Bitzmann road (road surface covered with pebbles), etc. using the test vehicle. Sensory evaluation by the point method was performed. The result is shown as an average value of 10 drivers. The larger the value, the better. The test results are shown in Table 1.

  As a result of the test, it was confirmed that the tire assembly of the example improved the ride comfort without impairing the durability in the run-flat running.

It is sectional drawing of the tire assembly which shows embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a support ring. It is the elements on larger scale of a wheel rim. It is sectional drawing of the wheel rim which shows other embodiment of this invention. (A), (B) is a fragmentary perspective view which shows other embodiment of a shock absorber. It is sectional drawing of the conventional tire assembly of a puncture state.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tire assembly 2 Tire 2a Tread part 3 Wheel rim 4 Support ring 6 Rim body 7 Disc part 8 Bead attaching part 9 Rim main part 11 Well part 12 Base
13 Shock absorber 14 Center part 15, 16 Flange piece

Claims (6)

A wheel comprising a rim main body having a pair of bead mounting portions that are provided on both outer side portions in the axial direction and into which a bead portion of a tire is fitted, and a rim main portion between them, and a disk portion continuous to the inner peripheral surface thereof A rim,
The rim main portion has a support ring mounting portion on which an annular support ring that supports a load by contacting a tread inner surface of the tire at the time of puncture is mounted,
The wheel rim characterized in that the support ring mounting portion includes at least a part of an impact absorber that contacts the support ring. The support ring attachment portion includes a cylindrical base portion made of a metal material, and the annular shock absorber fixed integrally to the outside in the radial direction,
The base portion includes a cylindrical central portion extending in the axial direction, and flange pieces that are provided on both sides of the base portion and project in the tire radial direction at a small height to prevent displacement of the shock absorber. The wheel rim according to claim 1.   The shock absorber has an inner circumferential surface of the support ring between at least one flange piece and the shock absorber, because the width in the tire axial direction is smaller than the axial distance between the flange pieces. The wheel rim according to claim 2, further comprising a circumferential groove into which a convex portion provided in can be inserted.   The wheel rim according to claim 2, wherein the shock absorber is formed with a circumferential groove into an outer surface into which a protrusion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the support ring can be inserted. The rim main portion has an outer peripheral surface having an outer diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the support ring mounting portion and an outer diameter of the one bead mounting portion between the support ring mounting portion and the at least one bead mounting portion. Including at least one well portion having
The inner peripheral surface of the rim main portion has a drainage surface that prevents water accumulation on the inner peripheral surface by having the inner diameter substantially the same or increasing from the disk portion toward the at least one well portion side. The wheel rim according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the wheel rim is formed.   A tire assembly in which a tire and a port ring are mounted on the wheel rim according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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