Patent ID: 8186767

Claim:
A two-piece wheel rim assembly for an airplane tire adapted to be mounted on an amphibious aircraft comprising: a first and a second wheel hub section affixed together to form a wheel hub for said airplane tire, said tire adapted to be mounted on said wheel hub; said wheel hub mounted on an axle extending along an axial centerline of said wheel hub; first and second bearings mounted between the respective first and second wheel hub sections and said axle such that said wheel hub rotates on said axle; said first and second wheel hub sections forming a radial cavity about said axle with said first and second bearings mechanically sealing respective longitudinal end segments of the radial cavity; and an oil bath substantially filling said radial cavity except for a small air pocket only sufficient to account for thermal expansion and contraction of said wheel hub such that oil is not forced out of said radial cavity during thermal contraction of said wheel hub, the size of the air pocket established during a fill operation when an internal pressure of said oil bath and said thermal expansion air pocket in said radial cavity exceeds an injected oil supply pressure.