Abstract:
A metal safety wheel has a center disk and an outer, perimeter flange with a solid rubber tire mounted thereon. The wheel and tire assembly has an outside diameter slightly less than that of a conventional pneumatic wheel and tire assembly with which it may be co-mounted on a vehicle&#39;s axle. If the pneumatic tire deflates due to a puncture or blowout, the solid tire and wheel assembly will support the axle on which it is mounted with a loss in height of only half the difference in the tires&#39; outside diameters. The vehicle may, therefore, be driven safely at reduced speed without loss of control.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    None 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0004]    This invention relates motor vehicle wheel and tire assemblies. More particularly, it relates to solid tire wheel assemblies for coaxial mounting with conventional, pneumatic tire wheel assemblies. 
         [0005]    2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. 
         [0006]    Most over-the-road trucks and tractor-trailers are equipped with one or more axles having multiple wheels per side. However, the front axle of such trucks typically has only a single wheel per side. By way of example, the common “18-wheeler” configuration features a tractor having a front steering axle with two wheels (one on each side) and two, driven rear axles each having a total of four wheels. The trailer has two rear axles with four wheels each. 
         [0007]    In this configuration, all axles but the front axle have some degree of redundancy—a blowout of one tire will not leave the axle unsupported. This, however, is not true for the front axle. The blowout of a front tire can result in a loss-of-control accident. With the advent of radial tires (taking over from the older cross-ply or bias ply type), it has been found that the tire is much more prone to detach from the rim in the event of a puncture or blowout which can make a bad situation even worse. 
         [0008]    To address this problem, various “safety wheels” have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,712,322 describes an auxiliary or emergency vehicle wheel that is “automatically brought into play or ground contact upon partial deflation of the regular motor vehicle tire and also upon complete collapse of the latter for the purpose of supporting the motor vehicle and permitting continued travel thereof with liability of injury to the deflated pneumatic tire structure eliminated.” 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,125 describes a safety wheel assembly that uses spacer mounting nuts to allow the mounting of a spare or second wheel and tire on an existing motor vehicle wheel mount assembly. The primary wheel and tire of a vehicle are normally mounted using lug or mounting bolts. These bolts are then used to secure the primary tire with the spacer mounting nut which thereby provides for mounting the spare wheel and tire outwardly of the primary wheel relative to the vehicle. The two tires and wheels are spaced such as not to contact one to the other. The spare tire is a smaller diameter than the primary wheel. 
         [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,762 describes an auxiliary wheel assembly for supporting a vehicle wheel having a flat tire. The device includes an auxiliary wheel of smaller diameter relative to the vehicle wheel. A mounting assembly secures the auxiliary wheel concentrically adjacent to the vehicle wheel and includes a plurality of brackets permitting movement of the auxiliary wheel in a plane parallel to the vehicle wheel while precluding axial movement of the auxiliary wheel relative to the vehicle wheel during cornering. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    In one particular representative embodiment, the invention comprises a metal wheel having a center disk and an outer, perimeter flange with a solid rubber tire mounted thereon. The wheel and tire assembly has an outside diameter slightly less than that of a conventional pneumatic wheel and tire assembly with which it may be co-mounted on a vehicle&#39;s axle. If the pneumatic tire deflates due to a puncture or blowout, the axle will be supported by the solid tire and wheel assembly with a loss in height of only half the difference in the tires&#39; outside diameters. The vehicle may, therefore, be driven safely at reduced speed without loss of control. 
         [0012]    In another embodiment of the invention, a wheel is provided with two rims—one for mounting a conventional, pneumatic tire and another for mounting a solid rubber tire outboard of the pneumatic tire. The solid rubber tire has an outside diameter which is less than the outside diameter of the pneumatic tire when properly inflated. If the pneumatic tire suffers a puncture or blowout, the solid rubber tire will support the axle on which the assembly is mounted. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a wheel and tire assembly according to a first embodiment of the invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 1A  is a cross-sectional view of the wheel and tire assembly shown in  FIG. 1  taken along line A-A of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 2A  is a cross-sectional view of a wheel and tire assembly according to a second embodiment of the invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2B  is a partial front view of the wheel and tire assembly shown in  FIG. 2A . 
           [0017]      FIG. 2C  is an exploded, perspective view of the wheel and tire assembly shown in  FIG. 2A . 
           [0018]      FIG. 3A  is a cross-sectional view of a wheel and tire assembly according to a third embodiment of the invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 3B  is a partial front view of the wheel and tire assembly shown in  FIG. 3A . 
           [0020]      FIG. 3C  is a partially exploded, perspective view of the wheel and tire assembly shown in  FIG. 3A  with a conventional wheel and tire with which it may be paired shown in phantom. 
           [0021]      FIG. 4A  is a cross-sectional view of a wheel and tire assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 4B  is a partial front view of the wheel and tire assembly shown in  FIG. 4A . 
           [0023]      FIG. 4C  is a partially exploded, perspective view of the wheel and tire assembly shown in  FIG. 4A  with a conventional wheel and tire with which it may be paired shown in phantom. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0024]    The invention may best be understood by reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing figures. 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , wheel and tire assembly  100  according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown. Metal wheel  102  comprises a disk having a central opening  106  which may be sized to accommodate the projecting hub of a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle&#39;s axle. A plurality of lug holes  108  may be arranged in a generally circular array around hub opening  106 . Lug holes  108  may be sized and spaced to accommodate lug studs projecting from a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle&#39;s axle or lug bolts which engage threaded bores on a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle&#39;s axle. 
         [0026]    The embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 1A  also comprises optional circular openings  110  in wheel  102 , larger perimeter openings  112  and smaller perimeter openings  114 . These openings may be decorative but also serve to reduce the weight of wheel  102 . 
         [0027]    Perimeter flange  116  is located at the outer circumference of wheel  102 . Perimeter flange  116  may be integral with the disk portion of wheel  102  or may be a separate piece attached to the disk portion of wheel  102 . 
         [0028]    Wheel  102  may be fabricated of any suitable material using techniques well-known in the art. In one particular preferred embodiment, wheel  102  is formed by machining an aluminum alloy blank. Forging, stamping, casting and welding are other representative forming techniques that may be used for metal wheels according to the invention. In certain embodiments, polymer and/or composite materials may be employed to fabricate wheel  102 . 
         [0029]    Tire  104  is mounted on the outside of perimeter flange  116 . In the illustrated embodiment, tire  104  is a solid rubber tire and has an interference fit with flange  116 . Solid tire  104  may be pressed onto flange  116 . In certain other embodiments, an adhesive may be used to attach or additionally secure tire  104  to flange  116 . One particular preferred adhesive is a cyanoacrylate adhesive. In yet other embodiments, solid tire  104  may be molded to flange  116 . Tire  104  may be formed of a synthetic polymer such as polyurethane. 
         [0030]    Certain dimensions of a representative embodiment are shown in  FIGS. 1 and 1A . It should be appreciated that these dimensions are for illustration purposes only and a wheel and tire assembly according to the invention may have other dimensions. 
         [0031]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B and  2 C, a second representative embodiment of the invention is illustrated. In this embodiment, wheel and tire assembly  200  comprises wheel  202  which has two, separate rims—inner rim  208  and outer rim  214 . Inner rim  208  has an opposing pair of lips  210  for engaging the bead of pneumatic tire  203 . Pneumatic tire  203  may be a tube-type tire or a tubeless tire. Outer rim  214  is a split rim and is configured to engage solid tire  204 . Solid tire  204  may be formed of natural or synthetic rubber or a synthetic polymer such as polyurethane. 
         [0032]    Metal wheel  202  comprises a disk having a central opening  206  which may be sized to accommodate the projecting hub of a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle&#39;s axle. A plurality of lug holes may be arranged in a generally circular array around hub opening  206 . Lug holes  208  may be sized and spaced to accommodate lug studs  234  projecting from a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle&#39;s axle or lug bolts which engage threaded bores on a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle&#39;s axle. 
         [0033]    Pneumatic tire rim  208  is attached to the central disk portion of wheel  202  by connector  212 . 
         [0034]    Solid tire  204  is mounted on rim  214  and secured by clamping ring  220 . Rim  214  may include threaded bores  224  and annular protuberance  218  which engages surface  232  of clamping ring  220  when clamping ring  220  is attached to rim  214  by machine screws  226  which are inserted in through holes  238  in clamping ring  220  and engage threaded bores  224 . Surface  232  of clamping ring  220  may transfer load from solid tire  204  to rim  214  by bearing against annular protuberance  218 . In this way, loading of machine screws  226  in shear may be avoided. 
         [0035]    Rim  214  includes inner annular rib  216  and clamping ring  220  includes opposing, outer annular rib  222 . Solid rubber tire  204  has inner annular groove  228  on its inner sidewall and opposing outer annular groove  230  on its outer sidewall. Grooves  228  and  230  are sized and spaced to engage annular ribs  216  and  222 , respectively, when solid tire  204  is secured to rim  214  with clamping ring  220 . 
         [0036]    In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2C , wheel  202  is shown mounted on projecting lug studs  234  of a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle&#39;s axle. Wheel  202  may be secured thereon by means of lug nuts  236 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that lug bolts or other mounting means may be used to mount wheel and tire assembly  200  on an axle. 
         [0037]    As shown in  FIG. 2A , the outer diameter of wheel and tire assembly  200  may be chosen to provide a clearance between the treads of solid tire  204  and the treads of pneumatic tire  203  when tire  203  is inflated. If pneumatic tire  203  were to be punctured or suffer a blowout, the support for the axle would only change by the indicated clearance distance as the load was transferred to safety wheel and tire assembly  200 . 
         [0038]    Wheel  202  may be fabricated of any suitable material using techniques well-known in the art. In one particular preferred embodiment, wheel  202  is formed by machining an aluminum alloy blank. Forging, stamping, casting and welding are other representative forming techniques that may be used for metal wheels according to the invention. In certain embodiments, polymer and/or composite materials may be employed to fabricate wheel  202 . 
         [0039]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3A ,  3 B and  3 C, a third representative embodiment of the invention is illustrated. In this embodiment, wheel and tire assembly  300  is configured for co-mounting with a conventional wheel  308  on an axle. Pneumatic tire  303  is mounted on wheel  308  inboard of wheel and tire assembly  300 . 
         [0040]    Wheel and tire assembly  300  includes wheel  302  which comprises split rim  314  and clamping ring  320 . Rim  314  and clamping ring  320  are configured to engage solid tire  304 . Solid tire  304  may be formed of natural or synthetic rubber or a synthetic polymer such as polyurethane. 
         [0041]    Metal wheel  302  comprises a disk having a central hub opening  306  which may be sized to accommodate the projecting hub of a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle&#39;s axle. A plurality of lug holes  307  may be arranged in a generally circular array around hub opening  306 . Lug holes  308  may be sized and spaced to accommodate lug studs projecting from a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle&#39;s axle or lug bolts which engage threaded bores on a rotating assembly attached to a vehicle&#39;s axle. 
         [0042]    Solid rubber tire  304  is mounted on rim  314  and secured by clamping ring  320 . Rim  314  may include threaded bores  324  and annular protuberance  318  which engages surface  332  of clamping ring  320  when clamping ring  320  is attached to rim  314  by machine screws  326  which are inserted in through holes  338  in clamping ring  320  and engage threaded bores  324 . Surface  332  of clamping ring  320  may transfer load from solid tire  304  to rim  314  by bearing against annular protuberance  318 . In this way, loading of machine screws  326  in shear may be avoided. 
         [0043]    Rim  314  includes inner annular rib  316  and clamping ring  320  includes opposing, outer annular rib  322 . Solid rubber tire  304  has inner annular groove  328  on its inner sidewall and opposing outer annular groove  330  on its outer sidewall. Grooves  328  and  330  are sized and spaced to engage annular ribs  316  and  322 , respectively, when solid tire  304  is secured to rim  314  with clamping ring  320 . 
         [0044]    In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3C , wheel  302  is shown in mounting relation with conventional wheel  308  and pneumatic tire  303 . Wheels  308  and  302  may be secured together on an axle by means of shared lug nuts  336 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that lug bolts or other mounting means may be used to mount wheel and tire assembly  300  on an axle or on a conventional wheel. 
         [0045]    As shown in  FIG. 3A , the outer diameter of wheel and tire assembly  300  may be chosen so as to provide a clearance between the treads of solid tire  304  and the treads of pneumatic tire  303  when tire  303  is inflated. If pneumatic tire  303  were to be punctured or suffer a blowout, the support for the axle would only change by the indicated clearance distance as the load was transferred to safety wheel and tire assembly  300 . 
         [0046]    Wheel  302  may be fabricated of any suitable material using techniques well-known in the art. In one particular preferred embodiment, wheel  302  is formed by machining an aluminum alloy blank. Forging, stamping, casting and welding are other representative forming techniques that may be used for metal wheels according to the invention. In certain embodiments, polymer and/or composite materials may be employed to fabricate wheel  302 . 
         [0047]    A fourth representative embodiment of the invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 4A ,  4 B and  4 C. In this embodiment, wheel and tire assembly  400  is configured for co-mounting with a conventional wheel  408  on an axle. Safety wheel and tire assembly  400  is sized and configured for mounting inboard of conventional pneumatic tire  403  and wheel  408 . Otherwise, the embodiment of  FIG. 4  is configured similarly to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0048]    Wheel and tire assembly  400  includes wheel  402  which comprises split rim  414  and clamping ring  420 . Rim  414  and clamping ring  420  are configured to engage solid tire  404 . Solid tire  404  may be formed of natural or synthetic rubber or a synthetic polymer such as polyurethane. 
         [0049]    Solid tire  404  is mounted on rim  414  and secured by clamping ring  420 . 
         [0050]    In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 4C , wheel  402  is shown in mounting relation with conventional wheel  408  and pneumatic tire  403 . Wheels  408  and  402  may be secured together on an axle by means of shared lug nuts  436 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that lug bolts or other mounting means may be used to mount wheel and tire assembly  400  on an axle or on a conventional wheel. 
         [0051]    As shown in  FIG. 4A , the outer diameter of wheel and tire assembly  400  may be chosen so as to provide a clearance between the treads of solid tire  404  and the treads of pneumatic tire  403  when tire  403  is inflated. If pneumatic tire  403  were to be punctured or suffer a blowout, the support for the axle would only change by the indicated clearance distance as the load was transferred to safety wheel and tire assembly  400 . 
         [0052]    Wheel  402  may be fabricated of any suitable material using techniques well-known in the art. In one particular preferred embodiment, wheel  402  is formed by drawing and machining an aluminum alloy blank. Forging, stamping, casting and welding are other representative forming techniques that may be used for metal wheels according to the invention. In certain embodiments, polymer and/or composite materials may be employed to fabricate wheel  402 . 
         [0053]    Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, they are not intended to limit what this patent covers. One skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as literally and equivalently covered by the following claims.