Hutchinson, Sa

Gene A Howald

Pascal Seradarian

An automotive wheel rim has intermediate its ends a wall extending transversely of the axis of said rim and having formed therein a first air duct opening at one end on the outer periphery of the rim for communication with the interior of a tire mounted thereon, and at its opposite end on the outboard side of the wall. A second duct formed within the wall opens at one end on the outboard side of the wall and at its opposite end on the inboard side of the wall for connection to a tire inflation system. A tire inflation control valve is secured to the outboard side of the wall and has therein a pair of air inlet/outlet ducts sealingly secured in communication with the ends of the first and second ducts where they open on the outboard side of the wall.

Automotive wheel with improved inflation system

A two-piece tire rim is prepared from a molded, one-piece wheel casting which is generally cup-shaped in configuration. The casting, which is open at one end and closed at its opposite end, has an inner annular recess formed coaxially in the inner surface of its closed end, and has formed coaxially in its outer peripheral surface an external annular recess radially spaced from, and in axial registry with an internal annular recess. The casting is separated into two separate sections by cutting through the casting in a circular path extending from the external annular recess to the internal annular recess, thereby producing a generally annular shaped inner rim section, and a generally disc-shaped outer rim section. The two rim sections are then machined to final form, and are secured together to form the desired two-piece tire rim.

Wheel casting and wheel assembly

A circular tire rim has intermediate its ends an annular drop-center section, and coaxially on opposite ends thereof enlarged diameter, circumferential flange sections engageable with the beads of a tubeless tire to support the tire on the rim. Adjacent one end thereof the drop-center section has projecting from its outer peripheral surface a pair of projections angularly spaced 180&deg; from each other about the axis of the rim. Removably secured coaxially on the drop-center section of the rim is an annular runflat device the outer peripheral surface of which normally is radially spaced from the inner peripheral surface of the properly inflated tire on the rim, but engageable by and slidably supporting the inner peripheral surface of the tire when the latter is operated in a runflat mode. The two projections on the drop-center section of the rim seat in registering recesses formed in the inner peripheral surface of the runflat device to prevent any relative movement between the device and the rim.

Growing community of inventors

New Hope, PA, United States of America

Gene A Howald