Safety tire and take-apart wheel construction

Abstract

A take-apart wheel rim and disc assembly for use in a safety tire and wheel assembly which includes a pneumatic tubeless tire. The wheel includes an inboard rim part, a wheel mounting disc having an outer marginal flange telescoped into and secured to the inboard rim part, the disc flange having an outer surface protruding axially outboard beyond and clear of the inboard rim part. An outboard rim part telescopically received from an axially outboard direction over the disc flange, an O-ring seal disposed between the disc and opposing surfaces of the inboard and outboard rim parts, and a clamp ring for axially clamping the outboard and inboard rim parts together with the O-ring captured in compression between the disc and the opposing surfaces of the rim parts to seal against air leakage. The disc has an air bleed vent structure outboard of the O-ring and normally sealed from the tire cavity by the O-ring. The clamp ring and associated fasteners engage and exert clamping stress on the outboard rim part over a range of relative movement therebetween in the axial direction relative to the inboard rim part which is sufficient to permit loss of sealing pressure at the O-ring prior to loss of clamping engagement to thereby permit air leakage past the O-ring through the air bleed vent structure to atmosphere within the range of relative movement.