Bridgestone Corporation

Topy Industries, Limited

Hirohumi Kikuchi

Katsumi Tashiro

Masanori Murase

Keiichiro Mizuno

An elastic wheel includes a disk () secured to an axle hub, a rim () for mounting a tire, and an elastic member () arranged between the inner peripheral surface of the rim () and the outer peripheral surface of the disk (). The elastic wheel is separable either between an outer peripheral surface portion () and a radial disk portion () of the disk (), or between the inner peripheral surface of the rim () and the elastic member (), or at both locations. This construction ensures long-lasting passenger comfort, anti-vibration performance and noise-suppression performance of the elastic wheel and allows optimization of these characteristics depending on applications of the wheel even during its use. The elastic wheel facilitates rim assembly as well as core mounting. Also, in cases where rubber is used to serve as the elastic member in the elastic wheel, vulcanization can be carried out without using an integrated rim unit, thereby making it possible to reduce the size of vulcanization apparatus.

Elastic wheel

An elastic wheel includes a disk () having a base rim (), a rim () for supporting a tire (), and an annular elastic rubber body () arranged between the outer peripheral surface of the base rim () and the inner peripheral surface of the rim (). A gap is formed between the elastic rubber body () and the outer peripheral surface of the base rim () or the inner peripheral surface of the rim (). The elastic rubber body () with the gap has a spring constant that shifts from a smaller value to a larger value as the input load increases, so that it absorbs vibration under small input conditions while being prevented from undergoing substantial deformation under large input conditions. The elastic wheel ensures riding comfortablesess performance and provides improved vibrationproof performance and soundproof performance, regardless of whether the input load is small or large, without sacrificing durability and safety. In terms of soundproof performance, provision of the gap is particularly effective in suppressing high-frequency noise of 100 Hz or higher.

An elastic wheel, comprising a disk ( ) having a base rim ( ) and a rim ( ) pivotally supporting a tire ( ), wherein a projected part ( ) with a generally trapezoidal cross-section in the wheel axis direction is formed in a well of the rim ( ), and a pair of elastic rubber bodies ( ) are provided annually between the outer surfaces of a pair of wall parts ( ) formed by bending the both sides of the base rim ( ) at a sharp angle and the rim inner peripheral surface of the generally trapezoidal projected part ( ), whereby vibration can be absorbed by both the shearing deformation and compressive deformation of the installed elastic rubber bodies ( ) so as to increase riding comfort, vibration proofing, and sound proofing performances in the area ranging from small input to large input, the sound proofing performance being very effective for sound in a high frequency area of 100 Hz or higher.

An elastic wheel having a disk equipped with a base rim and a rim for supporting a tire includes a pair of guides fixed annularly on the inner peripheral surface of the rim and a pair of wall portions fixed annularly on the both side areas in the axial direction of the wheel on the outer peripheral surface of the base rim , where rubber elastic bodies are fitted annularly between the side surfaces of the guides and the side surfaces of the wall portions, respectively. The elastic bodies being installed are able to absorb vibrations by their shearing deformations, so that especially the riding comfortableness performance, the vibrationproof performance, and the soundproof performance can be improved against the small input load. Regarding the soundproof performance, furthermore, it is extremely effective on a high frequency area of 100 Hz or higher.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Hirohumi Kikuchi