Patent ID: 7347240
Filing Date: 2008-03-25
Classification: B60C

Abstract:
1. A combination of a wheel rim on which a pneumatic tire is mounted, and a support ring disposed in a tire cavity, the wheel rim comprising a pair of axially spaced bead seats for bead portions of the tire, and a support-ring seat for the support ring, between the bead seats, and the support ring set on the support-ring seat, and having an outer circumferential surface contacting with the inside of a tread portion of the tire mounted on the wheel rim when the tire is deflated and an inner circumferential surface, wherein the support ring comprises said inner circumferential surface has an inside diameter such that, when the support ring is set on the support-ring seat, the inner circumferential surface of the support ring closely contacts with the support-ring seat, and the support-ring seat and the inner circumferential surface of the support ring are provided with two different ordered uneven surfaces for reducing a friction between the inner circumferential surface and the support-ring seat in the axial direction of the wheel rim, wherein the support-ring seat is provided with one of said two different ordered uneven surfaces, and the inner circumferential surface of the support ring is provided with the other ordered uneven surface, wherein the first ordered uneven surface is defined by: parallel grooves extending in parallel with the axial direction and each having a V-shaped cross sectional shape; and parallel protrusions extending in parallel with the axial direction and having a cross sectional shape having a pointed vertex, and the second ordered uneven surface is defined by: parallel grooves extending in parallel with the axial direction; and parallel protrusions between the parallel grooves, wherein the protrusions are axially and circumferentially spaced multiple blocks.