Airless tire and method for manufacturing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9962994-B2
Application number	US-201414889338-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 13, 2014
Priority date	May 22, 2013
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

The present invention increases the bonding strength between a spoke and a tread ring and/or between a spoke and a hub to improve durability. An airless tire provided with a tread ring, a hub, and a spoke, wherein the spoke is integrally provided with: an outer annular portion of which the outer peripheral surface is bonded to the inner peripheral surface of the tread ring via a first adhesion layer; an inner annular portion of which the inner peripheral surface is bonded to the outer peripheral surface of the hub via a second adhesion layer, and a spoke portion which couples the inner and outer annular portions. The inner peripheral surface of the tread ring and/or the outer peripheral surface of the hub is composed of a roughened surface having a surface roughness (Ra) (arithmetic average roughness) of 3-1000 μm or a surface roughness (Rz) (ten-point average roughness) of 30-5000 μm.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An airless tire, comprising:
a tread ring having a cylindrical form and a contact area;
a hub positioned inwardly in a radial direction of the tread ring and configured to be fixed to an axle;
a spoke connecting the tread ring and the hub and comprising a cast molding body integrally having an outer annular portion, an inner annular portion and a spoke portion connecting the outer annular portion and the inner annular portion;
a first adhesion layer made of a first adhesive agent and bonding the outer annular portion of the cast molding body and an inner peripheral surface of the tread ring;
a second adhesion layer made of a second adhesive agent and bonding the inner annular portion of the cast molding body and an outer peripheral surface of the hub; and
a covering member covering at least one outer end face of the second adhesion layer in a tire axial direction,
wherein the cast molding body of the spoke is made of a polymer material comprising one of a thermoplastic resin and a thermohardening resin, and the outer peripheral surface of the hub has a roughened surface, and the covering member is an inner spoke protruding portion formed integrally with the inner annular portion of the spoke and protruding from the inner annular portion of the spoke such that the inner spoke protruding portion is in contact with an outer side surface of the hub in the tire axial direction.

2. The airless tire of claim 1 , wherein the outer peripheral surface of the hub has the roughened surface having a surface roughness Ra in arithmetic roughness in a range of 3 to 1000 μm or a surface roughness Rz in ten-point average roughness in a range of 30 to 5000 μm.

3. A method for manufacturing an airless tire, comprising:
roughening an inner peripheral surface of a tread ring and/or an outer peripheral surface of a hub such that the inner peripheral surface and/or the outer peripheral surface has a roughened surface;
applying a first adhesive agent on the inner peripheral surface of the tread ring such that a first adhesion layer comprising the first adhesive agent is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tread ring;
applying a second adhesive agent on the outer peripheral surface of the hub such that a second adhesion layer comprising the second adhesive agent is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the hub;
placing the tread ring with the first adhesion layer and the hub with the second adhesion layer in a casting mold such that a space configured to form a spoke is formed between the tread ring and the hub in the casting mold; and
filling raw material fluid of a polymer material into the space before curing of the first and second adhesive agents such that the spoke bonding with the tread ring and the hub is formed,
wherein the tread ring has a cylindrical form and a contact area, the hub is positioned inwardly in a radial direction of the tread ring and configured to be fixed to an axle, the spoke is connecting the tread ring and the hub and comprises a cast molding body integrally having an outer annular portion, an inner annular portion and a spoke portion connecting the outer annular portion and the inner annular portion, the first adhesion layer is made of the first adhesive agent and bonding the outer annular portion of the cast molding body and the inner peripheral surface of the tread ring, the second adhesion layer is made of the second adhesive agent and bonding the inner annular portion of the cast molding body and the outer peripheral surface of the hub, the spoke has a covering member covering at least one outer end face of the second adhesion layer in a tire axial direction, the covering member is an inner spoke protruding portion formed integrally with the inner annular portion of the spoke and protruding from the inner annular portion of the spoke such that the inner spoke protruding portion is in contact with an outer side surface of the hub in the tire axial direction, and the cast molding body of the spoke is made of the polymer material comprising one of a thermoplastic resin and a thermohardening resin.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the roughening of the inner peripheral surface of the tread ring and/or the outer peripheral surface of the hub comprises forming the roughened surface having a surface roughness Ra in arithmetic roughness in a range of 3 to 1000 μm or the surface roughness Rz in ten-point average roughness in a range of 30 to 5000 μm.

5. The airless tire of claim 1 , further comprising:
an additional covering member covering at least one outer end face of the first adhesion layer in a tire axial direction,
wherein the inner peripheral surface of the tread ring has a roughened surface.

6. The airless tire of claim 5 , wherein the inner peripheral surface of the tread ring has the roughened surface having a surface roughness Ra in arithmetic roughness in a range of 3 to 1000 μm or a surface roughness Rz in ten-point average roughness in a range of 30 to 5000 μm.

7. The airless tire of claim 5 , wherein the additional covering member is a tape adhered to an outer side surface of the airless tire in the tire axial direction.

8. The airless tire of claim 5 , wherein the additional covering member is a covering layer of paint applied on an outer side surface of the airless tire in the tire axial direction.

9. The airless tire of claim 5 , wherein the additional covering member is a tread protruding portion formed integrally with the tread ring and protruding from the tread ring such that the tread protruding portion is in contact with an entire outer side surface of the outer annular portion of the spoke in the tire axial direction.

10. The airless tire of claim 5 , wherein the additional covering member is an outer spoke protruding portion formed integrally with the outer annular portion of the spoke and protruding from the outer annular portion of the spoke such that the outer spoke protruding portion is in contact with an outer side surface of the tread ring in the tire axial direction.

11. The airless tire of claim 6 , wherein the additional covering member is a tape adhered to an outer side surface of the airless tire in the tire axial direction.

12. The airless tire of claim 6 , wherein the additional covering member is a covering layer of paint applied on an outer side surface of the airless tire in the tire axial direction.

13. The airless tire of claim 2 , further comprising:
a additional covering member covering at least one outer end face of the first adhesion layer in a tire axial direction,
wherein the inner peripheral surface of the tread ring has a roughened surface.

14. The airless tire of claim 13 , wherein the inner peripheral surface of the tread ring has the roughened surface having a surface roughness Ra in arithmetic roughness in a range of 3 to 1000 μm or a surface roughness Rz in ten-point average roughness in a range of 30 to 5000 μm.

15. The airless tire of claim 13 , wherein the additional covering member is a tape adhered to an outer side surface of the airless tire in the tire axial direction.

16. The airless tire of claim 13 , wherein the additional covering member is a covering layer of paint applied on an outer side surface of the airless tire in the tire axial direction.

17. The airless tire of claim 13 , wherein the additional covering member is a tread protruding portion formed integrally with the tread ring and protruding from the tread ring such that the tread protruding portion is in contact with an entire outer side surface of the outer annular portion of the spoke in the tire

Assignees

• Sumitomo Rubber Ind

Inventors

• Iwamura Wako
• Sugiya Makoto

Classifications

• B60C7/12

  using enclosed chambers, e.g. gas-filled · CPC title

• B29D30/02 Primary

  Solid tyres {; Moulds therefor} · CPC title

• B60C2007/005

  made by casting, e.g. of polyurethane · CPC title

• B60C2007/146

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B29D99/0032

  Producing rolling bodies, e.g. rollers, wheels, pulleys or pinions (bushes for bearings B29D33/00; gear wheels B29D15/00) · CPC title