Spoke, non-pneumatic tire, wheel and spoke manufacturing method

Abstract

The invention discloses a spoke, a non-pneumatic tire, a wheel and a spoke manufacturing method, and relates to the technical field of tires, the spoke comprises a reference unit which is composed of a plurality of side walls extending in the circumferential direction of a hub-rim and forms a circumferential channel; the multiple reference units are distributed in the axial direction and / or the radial direction of the hub-rim. The wheel has the beneficial effects that the manufacturing cost is reduced, the manufacturing precision is improved, the wheel has mechanical properties similar to those of a pneumatic tire, the braking / driving and maneuvering performance of a vehicle is improved, and the wheel is particularly suitable for high-speed vehicles. In addition, the porous structure design of the spoke is beneficial to reducing the weight and rolling resistance of the tire, and meanwhile, impact energy is absorbed through deformation, so that a good vibration reduction and isolation effect is provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of tires, in particular to a spoke, a non-pneumatic tire and a wheel, and a method for manufacturing the spoke. Background Art

[0002] Pneumatic tires are widely used in transportation due to their shock absorption and stability, but they are vulnerable and need to be regularly inflated, which increases maintenance costs and safety hazards. As a new technology, non-pneumatic tires are gradually gaining attention due to their advantages such as no need for inflation, no puncture, and strong wear resistance. Despite this, non-pneumatic tires still need to be improved in terms of comfort, driving stability and manufacturing costs.

[0003] The present invention designs a non-pneumatic tire, whose honeycomb spoke axis is perpendicular to the wheel axis, which is different from existing products. This design reduces manufacturing costs, improves precision, and gives the tire mechanical properties similar to pneumatic tires, improving the braking, driving and handling performance of the vehicle, which is particularly important for high-speed vehicles. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above problems or problems existing in the prior art, the present invention is proposed.

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a spoke that can overcome the safety problems caused by the easy damage of pneumatic tires and the difficult maintenance problem of timed inflation, the low comfort and stability and high cost problems of traditional non-pneumatic tires, the handling problems caused by the lateral stiffness of traditional non-pneumatic tires being greater than the longitudinal stiffness, and the processing difficulty problems caused by the larger axial width.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a spoke, comprising a reference unit, which is composed of a plurality of side walls extending circumferentially along the hub-rim and forming a circumferential channel; a plurality of the reference units are distributed axially and / or radially along the hub-rim.

[0007] As a preferred solution of the wheel spoke of the present invention, at least part of the reference unit extends along the hub-rim circumference to a position with a central angle of α, so that the wheel spoke forms a segment.

[0008] As a preferred solution of the wheel spoke of the present invention, at least part of the reference units form an annular structure along the circumference of the hub-rim, and make the wheel spoke form an annular shape.

[0009] As a preferred solution of the wheel spoke of the present invention, at least part of the reference unit extends along the tangent direction of the hub-rim circumference to a position with a length of D, so that the wheel spoke forms a segment.

[0010] As a preferred solution of the spoke of the present invention, two adjacent reference units share at least one side wall.

[0011] The present invention further provides the following technical solution: a non-pneumatic tire, comprising spokes and a tread; the spokes are arranged on the inner side of the tread, and the channel direction of the reference unit of the spokes corresponds to the circumferential distribution of the tread.

[0012] As a preferred solution of the non-pneumatic tire of the present invention, the spoke is annular and is coaxially arranged on the inner side of the tread.

[0013] As a preferred solution of the non-pneumatic tire of the present invention, the wheel spokes are segments, and a plurality of them are distributed along the circumference of the tread.

[0014] As a preferred solution of the non-pneumatic tire of the present invention, wherein: an interlayer disposed between the tread and the spokes;

[0015] The interlayer includes a supporting layer and / or a buffer layer.

[0016] The present invention further provides the following technical solution: a non-pneumatic wheel, comprising a non-pneumatic tire and a hub-rim;

[0017] The hub-rim is arranged inside the spokes.

[0018] The present invention further provides the following technical solution: a method for manufacturing a spoke, comprising: at least a portion of the reference units being composed of positive Poisson's ratio honeycombs and / or negative Poisson's ratio honeycombs.

[0019] As a preferred solution of the method for manufacturing the spoke of the present invention, the positive Poisson's ratio honeycomb satisfies the following constraints:

[0020] 2h7+2l4sinα4+2l8 sinα8+h3+2h5=2h6+2l1 sinα1+2l5sinα5+h1+2h4=W;

[0021] 2l3 sinα3+2h5+2l7sinα7+h2 <W;

[0022] l1 cosα1+l2 cosα2+l3 cosα3+l4cosα4=l5 cosα5+l6cosα6+l7cosα7+l8cosα8=L;

[0023] Wherein, W and L are the width of the non-pneumatic tire along the axle direction and the difference between the spoke outer diameter and the hub-rim outer diameter, respectively; h is the horizontal honeycomb wall, and l is the inclined honeycomb wall.

[0024] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The non-pneumatic tire proposed by the present invention not only reduces manufacturing costs and improves manufacturing precision, but also has mechanical properties similar to pneumatic tires, improves the braking / driving and handling performance of the vehicle, and is particularly suitable for high-speed vehicles. In addition, the porous structure design of the spoke helps to reduce tire weight and rolling resistance, while absorbing impact energy through deformation, providing good vibration reduction and isolation effects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0026] Figure 1 It is an exploded view of the non-pneumatic wheel of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 The spokes are honeycomb-shaped straight-line extension segments of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3 The spokes are the honeycomb arc-shaped sections of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4 The spoke is a honeycomb-shaped full-circle spoke of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5 The invention relates to a tire composed of honeycomb arc-shaped spokes.

[0031] Figure 6 The tire is composed of honeycomb-shaped straight-extending spokes of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 7 The spokes are the negative Poisson's ratio honeycomb-shaped straight extension sections of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 8 The spokes are the negative Poisson's ratio honeycomb arc-shaped sections of the present invention.

[0034] Fig. 9 The spokes are the composite honeycomb-shaped straight-line extended segments of the present invention.

[0035] Fig.10 The spokes are the composite honeycomb arc-shaped sections of the present invention.

[0036] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the honeycomb shape constraint conditions of the present invention.

[0037] Fig.12 This is an asymmetric honeycomb shape diagram of the present invention.

[0038] Fig.13 This is the force direction diagram of the tire of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0040] In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention, but the present invention may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art may make similar generalizations without violating the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0041] Secondly, the term "one embodiment" or "embodiment" as used herein refers to a specific feature, structure, or characteristic that may be included in at least one implementation of the present invention. The term "in one embodiment" that appears in different places in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or selective embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments.

[0042] Example 1

[0043] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 7 to Figure 12 , which is the first embodiment of the present invention, provides a spoke, which includes a reference unit 100, which is composed of a plurality of side walls extending along the circumference of the hub-rim and forming a circumferential channel 101; a plurality of reference units 100 are distributed along the axial and / or radial direction of the hub-rim.

[0044] It should be noted that the reference unit 100 is a closed geometric figure on a plane, and the spokes have a certain thickness, so the reference unit 100 is extended in space.

[0045] The spatial extension of the reference unit 100 includes two ways of extending along the hub-rim circumference:

[0046] The first method is to extend the wheel hub-rim circumference in a straight line along the tangent direction of a certain point. In this method, the closed geometric figure will form a straight channel.

[0047] The second method is to extend the curve along a certain arc segment on the circumference of the hub-rim. In this method, the closed geometric figure will form a curved channel.

[0048] Since the spokes need to play a load-bearing role, the side walls of the above-mentioned closed geometric figures should also have a certain thickness. The specific thickness can be reasonably set according to the actual load-bearing capacity requirements, which will not be explained in detail here.

[0049] Preferably, the spoke is composed of channels 101 of several reference units 100, which are distributed laterally and longitudinally on the plane. Therefore, the channels 101 constituting the spoke are spatially distributed axially or radially along the hub-rim, and are distributed in both the axial and longitudinal directions.

[0050] Preferably, these channels 101 have high strength and low density, which can reduce the weight and rolling resistance of the non-pneumatic tire, meeting the requirements of energy saving. When the non-pneumatic tire encounters an obstacle, these spokes can absorb and dissipate the impact energy by deformation, thereby reducing the impact force transmitted to the suspension, thus having a good vibration reduction and isolation effect.

[0051] When the reference units 100 are not adjacent, the channels 101 are not in contact with each other, and the spokes are in a single-channel form at this time. It is necessary to distribute a plurality of spokes along the tire axis and fix them to the hub-rim and the tread respectively.

[0052] When the reference unit 100 is arc-shaped in structure, the contact between the side walls is point contact, while the contact between the side walls of the channel 101 is line contact. In the actual bonding process, the side walls of the channel 101 have thickness, and bonding agents such as glue need to be partially applied during bonding, or hot melt bonding is actually surface contact. If integrated molding is performed, the bonding part also has a certain area.

[0053] Furthermore, two adjacent reference units 100 share at least one side wall. Here, the reference unit 100 needs to adopt a polygonal structure, and in terms of the performance of multiple channels 101, a side wall can be shared, so as to reduce the weight of the spoke and save manufacturing materials.

[0054] Preferably, the spokes may be segmented and distributed along the circumference of the hub-rim, or may be a full circle and sleeved on the outer wall of the hub-rim.

[0055] Preferably, arc transition is used at the connection between the side walls to reduce stress concentration.

[0056] In summary, the spoke axis of existing non-pneumatic tires is parallel to the wheel axis, so they usually exhibit different stiffness properties from pneumatic tires, that is, the lateral stiffness is greater than the longitudinal stiffness. In addition, the lateral stiffness of existing non-pneumatic tires is usually much greater than that of pneumatic tires, which will have a significant adverse effect on the handling performance of the vehicle, and is one of the key technical bottlenecks that hinder its application in high-speed fields, such as sedans. The arrangement of the spoke axis parallel to the wheel axis will also cause the axial width of the honeycomb spokes to be too large, resulting in great processing difficulty, low precision and high cost due to uneven thickness. In addition to solving the above-mentioned problems, the spokes of the present invention have a width along their axial direction that is much smaller than the existing design, which can reduce processing difficulty and cost, and effectively improve processing accuracy.

[0057] Example 2

[0058] Reference Figure 3 to Figure 5 , Figure 8 and Fig.10 , which is a second embodiment of the present invention, includes a reference unit 100, which is composed of a plurality of side walls extending along the circumference of the hub-rim and forming a circumferential channel 101; a plurality of reference units 100 are distributed along the axial and / or radial direction of the hub-rim.

[0059] Furthermore, at least part of the reference unit 100 extends along the hub-rim circumference to a position where the central angle is α, and the spokes are formed into segments.

[0060] Better, Figure 3 , Figure 8 and Fig.10 All of them are spokes connected by multiple channels 101, with the hub-rim center as the center and extending circumferentially, the extension length is the arc length corresponding to the central angle α, and form arc-shaped and segment-shaped spokes. The inner walls of the multiple spokes can be fixed on the hub-rim outer wall and distributed equidistantly around the circumference.

[0061] Better, Figure 3 , Figure 8 and Fig.10 The reference units 100 on the plane are composed of continuously distributed polygonal structures, and each reference unit 100 can share its sidewall. It should be noted that in addition to the three cases shown in the shape of the reference unit 100, other regular or irregular polygonal structures can also be selected.

[0062] Better, refer to Figure 5 , which is the effect after multiple spokes are equally distributed around the circumference. The distribution quantity and angle α can be adaptively adjusted.

[0063] Further, at least part of the reference unit 100 forms an annular structure along the circumference of the hub-rim, and makes the spokes form an annular shape. Figure 4When the central angle α is 360°, the spoke is a full circle, which is a special embodiment of the arc segment. Only a single spoke is needed. The annular spoke can be sleeved on the outer wall of the hub-rim and fixedly connected.

[0064] Example 3

[0065] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Fig. 9 , which is the third embodiment of the present invention, includes a reference unit 100, which is composed of a plurality of side walls extending along the circumference of the hub-rim and forming a circumferential channel 101; a plurality of reference units 100 are distributed along the axial and / or radial direction of the hub-rim.

[0066] Further, at least part of the reference unit 100 extends to a position with a length L along the tangent direction of the hub-rim circumference, and forms a segment of the spoke.

[0067] Better, Figure 2 , Figure 7 and Fig. 9 The spokes are all connected by multiple channels 101, and the spokes extend axially from the center of the spokes by a distance D, so the spokes are in the shape of segments extending in a straight line. Different from the spokes extending in the circumferential direction, the spoke extension distance here is shorter, and when multiple spokes can be evenly distributed on the circumference of the hub-rim outer wall and fixedly connected, the upper and lower side walls of the spokes will fit the inner wall of the tread and the outer wall of the hub-rim and undergo a small deformation.

[0068] Better, Figure 2 , Figure 7 and Fig. 9 The reference unit 100 is composed of continuously distributed polygonal structures on a plane, and each reference unit 100 can share its sidewall. It should be noted that in addition to the three cases shown in the shape of the reference unit 100, other regular or irregular polygonal structures can also be selected.

[0069] Better, refer to Figure 6 , is the effect after multiple spokes are equally spaced around the circumference. The number of spokes and the extension length D can be adjusted adaptively. The spoke axis is perpendicular to the wheel axis, and the angular spacing between any two adjacent spoke units is the same. It should be noted that the stiffness of the spoke in the plane of its reference unit 100 is much smaller than its stiffness along the axial direction of the channel 101. Therefore, our non-pneumatic tire is similar to the pneumatic tire, and the longitudinal stiffness of both is greater than the lateral stiffness.

[0070] In summary, the equidistant arrangement of the spokes around the circumference can make our non-pneumatic tire more flexible along the wheel axis and less flexible along the circumference. Therefore, our non-pneumatic tire has multi-axis stiffness characteristics similar to those of pneumatic tires, while existing non-pneumatic tires do not have this feature. Compared with existing non-pneumatic tires, the present invention is a better alternative to pneumatic tires in terms of performance.

[0071] Example 4

[0072] Reference Figure 1 and Fig.13 , which is the fourth embodiment of the present invention, provides a non-pneumatic tire, including spokes and a tread 200; the spokes are arranged on the inner side of the tread 200, and the direction of the channel 101 of the reference unit 100 of the spokes corresponds to the circumferential distribution of the tread 100.

[0073] Furthermore, the spokes are annular and are coaxially arranged on the inner side of the tread 100. When the spokes are annularly distributed, the tread 200 is sleeved on the outer wall of the spokes, and the two can be fixedly connected to form a tire supported by the annular spokes, and the tire can be installed on the hub-rim and fixedly connected to the hub-rim.

[0074] Furthermore, the wheel spokes are segmented, and a plurality of them are distributed along the circumference of the tread 100. When the wheel spokes are segmented, no matter the wheel spokes are circumferentially extended or linearly extended, they need to be equidistantly distributed circumferentially inside the tread 200 and fixedly connected to the tire 200 to form a tire supported by multiple spokes. In this case, the tire can be installed on the wheel hub-rim and fixedly connected to the wheel hub-rim.

[0075] Preferably, the tread 200 is an annular surface made of rubber. When the tread 200 is excessively worn, it can be replaced for recycling; the spokes are made of rubber or polyurethane.

[0076] Furthermore, the interlayer 300 is provided between the tread 100 and the spokes; the interlayer 300 includes a support layer 301 and / or a buffer layer 302. When the non-pneumatic tire is loaded, the interlayer 300 between the tread 100 and the spokes will be constrained by the spokes, resulting in shear deformation.

[0077] A plurality of support layers 301 may be separately arranged between the tread 100 and the spokes. The support layers 301 may be respectively joined to the tread 200 and the spokes, thereby improving the load capacity of the tire.

[0078] Preferably, the support layer 301 can be made of steel or other metal materials of equal strength, and the thickness can be between 0.1 mm and 5 mm. In actual implementation, personnel can select the number and thickness of the support layer 301 according to the usage scenario of the tire.

[0079] In addition, a plurality of buffer layers 302 may be separately provided between the tread 100 and the spokes. The buffer layers 302 may be respectively joined to the tread 200 and the spokes, and may play a role in buffering and reducing shock of the tire.

[0080] Preferably, the buffer layer 302 can be made of a shock-absorbing and impact-absorbing material such as polyurethane and rubber, and can have a thickness of 1-30 mm. In actual implementation, personnel can select the number and thickness of the buffer layer 302 according to the usage scenario of the tire.

[0081] Preferably, the support layer 301 and the buffer layer 302 can be used in combination, so that the tire has both the functions of increasing load and buffering shock. Figure 1 , which is a preferred embodiment, adopts a three-layer structure, with steel support layers 301 on the inner and outer sides, a polyurethane or rubber buffer layer 302 in the middle, and the tread 200, the interlayer 300 and the adjacent layers between the spokes are connected and fixed by glue. Finally, the spokes are joined to the hub-rim by glue.

[0082] Example 5

[0083] Reference Figure 1 and Fig.13 , which is the fifth embodiment of the present invention, provides a non-pneumatic wheel, including a non-pneumatic tire and a hub-rim 400; the hub-rim 400 is arranged on the inner side of the spoke.

[0084] The hub part of the hub-rim 400 is usually used to connect with the axle and is responsible for the power transmission between the wheel and the axle. The rim part is usually installed with a fixed tire. The hub and the rim are usually supported by spokes or spokes. Our non-pneumatic tire can be installed on the hub-rim 400 and fixed by glue, or directly put on the hub-rim 400 so that it can be replaced at any time.

[0085] Example 6

[0086] Reference Figure 7 , Fig. 9 , Figure 11 to Figure 13 , which is the sixth embodiment of the present invention, provides a method for manufacturing a spoke, and the spoke may be any one of the spokes in embodiments 1 to 3. At least part of the reference unit 100 of the spoke is composed of a positive Poisson's ratio honeycomb and / or a negative Poisson's ratio honeycomb.

[0087] exist Figure 7 The spokes used are constructed of negative Poisson's ratio honeycombs. Fig. 9 The spokes used are constructed by combining positive Poisson's ratio and negative Poisson's ratio honeycombs.

[0088] exist Fig.11 The spokes used are constructed of a positive Poisson's ratio honeycomb. The spokes used are spokes of straight extension segments. Two or more honeycomb reference units 100 are distributed in the horizontal and vertical directions on the plane. The spokes are evenly spaced along the outer wall of the hub-rim 400, and the axial direction of the spokes is perpendicular to the axle direction. In the circumferential direction of the wheel, the spokes exhibit a higher shear stiffness, while their shear stiffness in the axle-wheel radius plane is lower. Therefore, our non-pneumatic tire is the same as the pneumatic tire, and the longitudinal stiffness of both is greater than the lateral stiffness.

[0089] exist Fig.12 An asymmetric positive Poisson's ratio honeycomb shape is given in Fig.11 The spokes of the symmetrical positive Poisson's ratio honeycomb are similar. Furthermore, the positive Poisson's ratio honeycomb satisfies the following constraints:

[0090] 2h7+2l4sinα4+2l8 sinα8+h3+2h5=2h6+2l1 sinα1+2l5 sinα5+h1+2h4=W;

[0091] 2l3 sinα3+2h5+2l7sinα7+h2 <W;

[0092] l1 cosα1+l2 cosα2+l3 cosα3+l4 cosα4=l5 cosα5+l6cosα6+l7cosα7+l8 cosα8=L;

[0093] Wherein, W and L are the width of the non-pneumatic tire along the axle direction and the difference between the outer diameter of the spoke and the outer diameter of the hub-rim 400, respectively; h is the horizontal honeycomb wall, and l is the inclined honeycomb wall. Fig.11 The honeycomb structure is symmetrical in both the horizontal and vertical directions. The spokes that meet the above constraints generally do not come into contact with hard objects, such as curbs, thereby reducing the probability of them being torn and damaged.

[0094] Table 1 Comparison of the isotropic stiffness of pneumatic tires and honeycomb tires

[0095]

[0096] The non-pneumatic tire exhibits stiffness characteristics similar to the pneumatic tire, ie, the longitudinal stiffness is greater than the lateral stiffness, while the existing honeycomb non-pneumatic tire exhibits the opposite stiffness relationship.

[0097] It is important to note that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present invention may be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, which should all be included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A spoke, characterized in that: include, The reference unit (100) is composed of a plurality of side walls extending along the circumference of the hub-rim and forming a circumferential channel (101); a plurality of the reference units (100) are distributed along the axial direction and / or radial direction of the hub-rim.

2. The spoke according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least part of the reference unit (100) extends along the hub-rim circumference to a position with a central angle of α, and enables the spoke to form a segment.

3. The spoke according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least part of the reference unit (100) forms an annular structure along the circumference of the hub-rim, and enables the spoke to form an annular shape.

4. The spoke according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least part of the reference unit (100) extends to a position with a length D along the tangent direction of the hub-rim circumference, and forms the spoke into a segment.

5. The spoke according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two adjacent reference units (100) share at least one side wall.

6. A non-pneumatic tire, characterized in that: The wheel spoke comprises any one of claims 1 to 5, and further comprises a tread (200); the wheel spoke is arranged inside the tread (200), and the direction of the channel (101) of the reference unit (100) of the wheel spoke corresponds to the circumferential distribution of the tread (100).

7. The non-pneumatic tire according to claim 6, characterized in that: The wheel spoke is annular and is coaxially arranged on the inner side of the tread (100) with the tread (100).

8. The non-pneumatic tire according to claim 6, characterized in that: The spokes are segments, and a plurality of them are distributed along the circumference of the tread (100).

9. The non-pneumatic tire according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: Also includes, An interlayer (300) disposed between the tread (100) and the spokes; The interlayer (300) comprises a supporting layer (301) and / or a buffer layer (302).

10. A non-pneumatic wheel, characterized in that: The non-pneumatic tire according to claim 9, further comprising a hub-rim (400); The hub-rim (400) is arranged inside the spoke.

11. A method for manufacturing a spoke according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: At least part of the reference cell (100) is composed of positive Poisson's ratio honeycombs and / or negative Poisson's ratio honeycombs.

12. The method for manufacturing a spoke according to claim 11, characterized in that: The positive Poisson's ratio cell satisfies the following constraints: 2h7+2l4sinα4+2l8 sinα8+h3+2h5=2h6+2l1sinα1+2l5 sinα5+h1+2h4=W; 2l3 sinα3+2h5+2l7sinα7+h2 <W; l1 cosα1+l2 cosα2+l3 cosα3+l4cosα4=l5cosα5+l6cosα6+l7cosα7+l8 cosα8=L; Wherein, W and L are respectively the width of the non-pneumatic tire along the axle direction and the difference between the outer diameter of the spoke and the outer diameter of the hub-rim (400); h is the horizontal honeycomb wall, and l is the inclined honeycomb wall.

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