U.S. patent application number 09/731610 was filed with the patent office on 2001-09-20 for commercial vehicle wheel with valve emerging outside the disk.
This patent application is currently assigned to MICHELIN Recherche et Technique S.A.. Invention is credited to DeLacroix, Serge, Giraud, Sylvain.
Application Number | 20010022466 09/731610 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26212379 |
Filed Date | 2001-09-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010022466 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
DeLacroix, Serge ; et
al. |
September 20, 2001 |
Commercial vehicle wheel with valve emerging outside the disk
Abstract
A commercial vehicle wheel with valve emerging outside the wheel
disk and having a safety element on the outside of the rim, the
safety element consisting of a cylindrical wall of axial width p,
so that, .PHI. being the standard diameter of the wheel, there is
the relationship: 10.ltoreq.p/.phi..times.1000.ltoreq.35
Inventors: |
DeLacroix, Serge;
(Chamaliers, FR) ; Giraud, Sylvain; (Royat,
FR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BAKER BOTTS L.L.P.
30 ROCKEFELLER PLAZA
44TH FLOOR
NEW YORK
NY
10112-4498
US
|
Assignee: |
MICHELIN Recherche et Technique
S.A.
|
Family ID: |
26212379 |
Appl. No.: |
09/731610 |
Filed: |
December 7, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
301/5.24 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60B 3/044 20130101;
B60B 3/005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
301/5.24 |
International
Class: |
B60C 029/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 9, 1999 |
FR |
99/15790 |
May 3, 2000 |
FR |
00/05742 |
Claims
We claim:
1. A wheel for a commercial vehicle, the wheel being made of sheet
metal and in a single piece, comprising: a disk, and a rim with an
outer hook, an outer seat, a safety element, a first connecting
area in which a valve hole is placed, a second connecting area, a
circumferential mounting groove with an outer flange and an inner
flange, an inner seat and an inner hook, the connection between
said disk and said rim being made in said second connecting area,
the diameter of which is greater than that of said mounting groove,
characterized in that said safety element is a cylindrical wall or
ledge of diameter identical to that of the inner end of said outer
seat and in that, .PHI. being the diameter of said wheel and p the
axial length of said cylindrical wall: 10.ltoreq.p/.PHI..times.-
1000.ltoreq.35
2. A wheel according to claim 1 in which:
12.ltoreq.p/.PHI..times.1000.lto- req.26
3. A wheel according to claim 1 in which .O slashed. being the
diameter of the radially outer wall of the ledge: .O
slashed./.PHI..ltoreq.0.96
4. A wheel according to claim 1 in which the inclination of the rim
seat is 15.degree. relative to the axial direction.
5. A wheel according to claim 1 in which the width of said wheel is
greater than or equal to 5.25 inches (133.5 mm).
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention concerns the sheet metal wheels of commercial
vehicles equipped with valves for the inflation of tires,
particularly those equipped with circumferential groove mounting
rims and the valve of which emerges outside the wheel disk.
[0002] An example of a wheel of this type is described in patent EP
0 701 911 B1. That wheel comprises a disk and a rim with an outer
hook, an outer seat, a safety element, a first connecting area
where a valve hole is placed, a second roughly cylindrical
connecting area, a circumferential mounting groove with an outer
flange and an inner flange, an inner seat and an inner hook, the
connection between the disk and the rim being made in the second
connecting area, the diameter of which is greater than that of the
mounting groove, in which the safety element consists of a
circumferential boss or "hump".
[0003] That wheel has the advantage of having a valve which does
not enter the inner space of the wheel disk. It does, however,
entail difficulties with mountings and demountings of the tires it
is intended to receive.
[0004] On mounting of a tire, after having introduced the two beads
in the mounting groove, the outer bead of the tire must pass over
the hump in order to reach its position on the outer seat. By
reason of the large diameter of the hump, that passage must take
place in several successive stages. The tire bead is first passed
over the hump area close to the valve. Then the tire is inflated
and the internal pressure ensures complete passage of the bead over
the hump and it is set in place on the outer seat. That application
of pressure from the internal cavity of the tire is not possible
when the outer bead has not crossed the valve base. It is therefore
necessary to define a particular operating procedure for those
wheels.
[0005] Crossing of the hump in several stages can also be the cause
of an irregular placement of the outer bead on the outer rim seat,
which can cause a rolling unbalance.
[0006] On demounting of the tires, it is also necessary to observe
a particular operating procedure with specific tools in order to be
able to pass the outer bead of the tire without risk of damaging it
through excessive stresses, notably, on crossing of the valve
area.
[0007] Those problems are very significantly improved by the wheel
according to the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The term "commercial vehicle wheel" herein is understood to
mean a wheel of diameter greater than or equal to 17.5 inches
(444.5 mm). "Axial direction" means a direction parallel to the
axis of rotation of the wheel.
[0009] The wheel according to the invention comprises:
[0010] a disk, and
[0011] a rim with an outer hook, an outer seat, a safety element, a
first connecting area in which a valve hole is placed, a second
connecting area, a circumferential mounting groove with an outer
flange and an inner flange, an inner seat and an inner hook, the
connection between said disk and said rim being made in said second
connecting area, the diameter of which is greater than that of said
mounting groove.
[0012] That wheel is characterized in that the safety element
consists of a cylindrical wall or ledge of diameter identical to
that of the inner end of the outer seat and in that, .PHI. being
the diameter of the wheel and p the axial length of the cylindrical
wall,
10.ltoreq.p/.PHI..times.1000.ltoreq.35
[0013] According to an advantageous embodiment:
12.ltoreq.p/.PHI..times.1000.ltoreq.26
[0014] According to another characteristic, .O slashed. being the
diameter of the radially outer wall of the ledge, the result
is:
.O slashed./.PHI..gtoreq.0.96
[0015] It is, in fact, preferable, in order to maintain the
unseating prevention performance of the safety elements of the
wheels according to the invention, to have the diameter of the
radially outer wall of the ledge as close as possible to the
diameter .PHI. of the wheel.
[0016] The wheels according to the invention preferably have a
width greater than or equal to 5.25 inches (133.5 mm).
[0017] That wheel has the advantage of presenting a device to
prevent unseating of the outer bead of the tire, called a ledge, as
efficient as the hump of the previous wheel, in spite of its very
short axial length. That ledge also affords this wheel a notable
advantage on mounting of a tire, because the outer bead can easily
cross that ledge in a single operation. That also facilitates good
placement of the bead on the outer seat. Finally, on demounting, it
is observed that the stresses necessary to separate the beads from
the seats and to make them drop into the mounting groove are very
notably reduced. That makes it possible to reduce the risk of
damage to the tire. Finally, on a manual demounting, it is not
necessary to use a specific tool, in contrast to the wheels
corresponding to EP 0 701 911 B1.
[0018] An embodiment of the invention is now described
nonlimitatively with the aid of the following attached
drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is an axial section passing through the valve hole of
a wheel described in patent EP 0 701 911 B 1;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a similar section of an embodiment of a wheel
according to the invention; and
[0021] FIG. 3 is a section of a wheel similar to the wheel of FIG.
2 passing through the valve hole.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] FIG. 1 presents a section of a sheet metal wheel 1, such as
described in patent EP 0 701 911 B1.
[0023] That commercial vehicle wheel 1, of sheet steel and in a
single piece, consists of a disk 2, of a rim 3 and of a valve (not
represented). The rim 3 comprises a center mounting groove 31, two
bead seats, outer side 32 and inner side 33, and two hooks 34 and
35. The seats are usually inclined at 15.degree. relative to the
axial direction. The groove 31 is joined to the seat 33 on the side
opposite the disk 2 by a flange 40. On the side of the disk 2 (or
outer side), from the inner end of the outer seat 32, there is a
hump 36, a first connecting area 37, a second connecting area 38
and a flange 39 joined to the mounting groove 31. The disk-rim
connection is made by welding of the end 21 of the disk 2 on the
radially inner wall of the second connecting area 38. The valve
hole 41 is situated between the hump 36 and the second disk/rim
connecting area 39 in the wall of the first connecting area 37.
[0024] The hump diameter is, of course, greater than that of the
inner end of the outer seat 32. This results, as previously
explained, in some difficulties in mounting and demounting the
tires intended to be mounted on that wheel.
[0025] FIG. 2 shows a wheel 10 according to the invention. That
wheel presents, from the inner end of the outer seat 32, a
cylindrical wall or ledge 42 followed by a first connecting area 37
in which the valve hole is placed. The wall 42 can also be 10 very
slightly conical. There is then a second connecting area 38
followed by the outer flange 39 of the mounting groove 31. The
second connecting area 38 is also the area of coupling of the disk
to the rim. That area 38 is usually generally cylindrical, and it
can also have a more or less marked conicity, which can reach about
ten degrees relative to the axial direction. The axial length of
that ledge is such that, .PHI. being the standardized diameter
according to the ETRTO of the wheel, and p the axial length of the
cylindrical wall 42, the result is:
10.ltoreq.p/.PHI..times.1000.ltoreq.35
[0026] and preferably:
12.ltoreq.p/.PHI..times.1000.ltoreq.26
[0027] That wheel also confirms, .O slashed. being the diameter of
the radially outer wall of the ledge:
.O slashed./.PHI..gtoreq.0.96
[0028] In the case of a wheel 22.5 inches in diameter, that is,
571.5 mm, those relations become: p ranges between 5.7 and 20 mm
and preferably between 7 and 15 mm.
[0029] Those ledge lengths are very notably less than the ones
usually applied for commercial vehicle wheels, the valve hole of
which crosses the outer flange of the mounting groove, and which
have a ledge as a safety element. The length of the ledge of such
wheel is usually in the order of 30 to 60 mm for wheels 22.5 inches
(571.5 mm) in diameter. The lengths recommended vary with the
diameter of the wheel concerned.
[0030] The inclination of the rim seats according to the invention
is also usually 15.degree. relative to the axial direction.
[0031] Wholly unexpectedly, the use of a ledge in the dimensions
thus provided afford an unseating prevention performance comparable
to that of the previous wheels equipped with a hump.
[0032] To verify that performance, two tests were conducted with
wheels according to the invention.
[0033] First test: After having mounted a tire dry on the wheel to
be tested and inflated the mounted assembly to a given inflation
pressure, the mounted assembly (wheel and tire) is set in place in
the front lefthand position of a commercial vehicle, the load per
axle of that truck being 6.6 tons for wheels 22.5 inches in
diameter. The test is run on a concrete track 60 m in diameter. The
vehicle enters the track at a speed of 50 km/h and covers two track
revolutions at 40 km/h.
[0034] After those two revolutions, the test is considered positive
if the tire remained on its rim. The inflation pressure of the tire
is measured after the test.
[0035] The minimal inflation test pressures are 1.8 bars.
[0036] Wheels similar to those of FIG. 2, 22.5 inches in diameter,
containing a cylindrical wall of variable length (40, 30, 20 and 13
mm), underwent that first test and all the wheels tested passed it
successfully.
[0037] Second test: After having mounted a tire, the bead seats of
which are lubricated in standard fashion on the wheel to be tested,
and inflated the mounted assembly to a given inflation pressure,
the mounted assembly (wheel and tire) is placed in the front
right-hand position of a commercial vehicle. The test is run on a
dry tar track of 20 m diameter. The vehicle enters the track and
covers approximately 1/2 revolution at 40 km/h.
[0038] The test consists of gradually reducing the inflation
pressure of the mounted assembly tested until obtaining unseating
of the tire. The limiting inflating pressure having given rise to
that unseating of the tire is registered. It is to be noted that
the unseating of the tire takes place at the beginning of the
circuit.
[0039] Table 1 gives the results obtained for wheels of
17.5.times.6.00 dimensions equipped with 8 R 17.5 tires.
1 Unseating pressure Wheel Safety element p/.phi. .times. 1000
.0./.phi. (bar) 1 Hump -- -- 1.4 2 Ledge 22.5 0.97 1.2 3 Ledge 13.5
0.97 1.6
[0040] Taking into account the dispersion of the test, which is in
the order of 0.2 bar, the unseating prevention performance of those
three wheels is equivalent.
[0041] Complementary tests were also run with that test for
22.5.times.9.00 wheels according to the invention, equipped with
tires of different tire makers. Comparison of the results obtained
between those wheels and the wheels equipped with hump leads to the
same conclusion as previously: the unseating prevention
performances of the safety elements according to the invention and
of the humps are wholly equivalent.
[0042] FIG. 3 presents a wheel 15 similar to the wheel 10 of FIG.
2. That section is made in the area of the valve 5. That area
undergoes an operation of punching (or milling, etc.) of the flange
37 in order to obtain two flat walls on both sides of the valve
hole necessary for maintaining good tightness on the internal
cavity of the wheel. It is observed that this operation produces a
localized deformation of the flange at the place of the valve hole,
which results in the appearance of a protuberance of radial height
slightly greater than that of the rest of the cylindrical wall.
This extra thickness is, however, very localized and has no
appreciable effect on the operations of mounting and demounting
tires on that wheel. This FIG. 3 also illustrates the volume
occupied by the brake parts 60 arranged in the interior space of
the disk 2.
[0043] The wheels according to the invention can be made of sheet
steel or aluminum. The range of application of these wheels
corresponds to wheels of width greater than or equal to 5.25 inches
(133.5 mm). In fact, with wheels of lesser width, it becomes
difficult to provide sufficient room to place the valve in the
available space of the flange 37.
* * * * *