Patent ID: 7032634

Claim:
A non-pneumatic tire having a bearing structure, extending circumferentially about an axis of rotation and including a radially inner wall, a radially outer wall and sidewalls joining the radially inner and outer walls so as to define therewithin, at least partially, an inner cavity of revolution, and a tread carried by the radially outer wall of the bearing structure, said bearing structure comprising: a zone of attachment on the radially inner wall for connecting the bearing structure to means of connection to a hub, said zone of attachment being located axially between the axial outer limits of the radially inner wall and having an axial extent not greater than 50% of the axial distance between the axially outer limits of the sidewalls; a plurality of support elements aligned substantially crosswise to the circumferential direction and extending in the crosswise direction throughout the radially inner wall from at least the axial sides of the zone of attachment to the sidewalls, and at least partially through the radially outer wall adjacent to the tread, said support elements being circumferentially juxtaposed and distributed around the circumference of the bearing structure, each support element including a bundle of superimposed resilient base pieces, separated by a layer of elastomer adhering to each of the base pieces, so as to form a beam capable of undergoing bending stress and flexing radially at least along a part of its crosswise length when the tire is loaded, wherein the non-pneumatic tire bears a load for its intended use without inflation; and an interconnecting structure interconnecting portions of the support elements in at least the radially outer wall and arranged so that a portion of a radial stress of a support element is transferred to the circumferentially adjacent support elements, while allowing differences in displacement between adjacent support elements.