Patent ID: 11912078
Assignee: UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATOR OF NASA
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  C | IPC B  C

Claim 16:
17. A wheel comprising tread, rim and spokes, wherein the improvement comprises a non-pneumatic tube that comprises:
a matrix of a plurality of layers of wires forming a tube having an axis, wherein a first layer comprises a loop of a cross section of the tube and a second layer that interlaces with the first layer to create a surface of the tube, wherein the first layer is formed from one or more of a set of individual hoops or a strand that sinusoidally winds around the tube axis, wherein the second layer is formed from one or more of a braid, mesh or weave;
wherein the tube ends are mated together to form a torus;
wherein an applied level of torsion to the matrix along the axis of the tube yields a selected set of tire parameters;
wherein the wires comprise a shape memory alloy (SMA) having an austenite crystal structure in an ambient condition, and during an application of an externally applied force upon the tire, the austenite crystal structure of the SMA reorients to a martensitic crystal structure to minimize internal strain energy and decrease local stiffness that accommodate load and large deflection of the SMA, wherein the SMA is one of alloys, ternary or quaternary alloys of NiTi, NiTiX, NiTiXY, Ag—Cd, Au—Cd, Cu—Al—Ni, Cu—Al—Mn, Cu—Al—Mn—Y2 where Y2 is a quaternary alloying addition, Cu—Sn, Cu—Zn, CuZn—X2, Fe—Pt, Mn—Cu, Fe—Mn—Si, Co—Ni—Al, Co—Ni—Ga, Ni—Fe—Ga, Ti—Nb, and ˜-Ti, wherein X and X2 are ternary alloying additions, and Y is a quaternary alloying addition, and wherein X and Y comprise one or more of Hf, Zr, Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, and Fe, and X2 comprises one or more of Si, Al, and Sn; and
wherein the selected set of tire parameters comprise a selected load/deflection response based at least in part on applied geometric material coupling, and at least in part in material processing of the wires.