Adjustable Tire Chuck Bead Width Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tire testing apparatuses face challenges in accommodating tires with varying bead widths due to limited adjustability, which can lead to inaccurate test results and equipment wear.
Innovation Solution
A chuck assembly with a telescoping pilot element biased by a gas spring allows for adjustable engagement with tires of different bead widths, eliminating the need for mechanical springs and enhancing the range of motion to accommodate a wider range of tire sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed-width chuck assembly is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate tires with varying bead widths
Solution Approach 1:
The chuck assembly incorporates a movable rim that can be adjusted to different positions along the guide rails, allowing the bead width to be dynamically changed to match different tire specifications. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the same chuck assembly to accommodate a wide range of bead widths without requiring multiple fixed-width chucks.
Solution Approach 2:
The chuck assembly is divided into separate components including a fixed rim, a movable rim, and adjustable bead clamps. This segmentation allows each component to be independently adjusted or replaced, providing flexibility in accommodating different tire bead widths while maintaining structural integrity.
2Length of moving object
If mechanical springs are used for biasing the pilot element, then the structure is compact, but the range of motion is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical springs with a pneumatic cylinder to bias the pilot element. This pneumatic system provides a longer range of motion compared to mechanical springs, allowing the pilot element to extend and retract over greater distances to accommodate various tire sizes and bead widths.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical spring biasing system is replaced with a pneumatic actuation system. This substitution eliminates the space and motion constraints imposed by mechanical springs while providing controlled, adjustable biasing force through pneumatic pressure regulation.
3Reliability
If the rim separation force is high, then the tire clamping is secure, but the actuator requires greater force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs conical surfaces on the pilot element and corresponding recesses in the rim assemblies. This conical geometry creates a self-centering effect and distributes the clamping force more evenly, reducing the peak separation forces that the actuator must overcome while maintaining secure tire clamping.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable rim design allows the bead clamps to be positioned dynamically to optimize the clamping force distribution. By adjusting the position of the movable rim and bead clamps, the system can achieve secure tire clamping with reduced actuator force requirements compared to a fixed rigid clamping system.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the nose cone travel is limited, then the mechanical spring fits, but the bead width adjustment range is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The pneumatic cylinder providing biasing force for the pilot element is designed with a longer stroke length compared to mechanical springs. This extended pneumatic actuation range enables the nose cone to travel greater distances, accommodating a wider variety of bead widths and tire sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the adjustment capability by incorporating guide rails that allow the movable rim to move along a linear path. This additional degree of freedom in the longitudinal direction complements the radial movement of the pilot element, providing comprehensive adjustment coverage for various bead widths.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables precise and secure clamping of tires across various bead widths, reducing equipment wear and improving test accuracy by ensuring concentric alignment and consistent rotational coupling between the rims.
Implementation Method 1
the nose cone is biased by a gas spring, which urges the nose cone towards engagement with a receiving structure i.e., recess, forming part of the other rim assembly
Implementation Method 2
The force of the now compressed gas spring rotatably couples the rims together so that rotating one rim produces attendant rotation in the other rim
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable width chuck assembly for a tire testing machine including upper and lower relatively movable rims by which a tire is clamped and held during a testing cycle. A pilot or nose cone forming part of one of the rims is gas pressure biased towards engagement with complementally formed structure on the other rim. The gas pressure bias is provided by a gas spring which can be replaced with gas springs of differing pressures in order to adjust the biasing force or, alternately, the gas spring can be removed from the chuck assembly and re-pressurized to a different level in order to change its biasing force. The use of a gas spring for providing the necessary biasing force expands the range of motion for the nose cone, thus allowing a given chuck assembly to accommodate tires having a wide range of bead widths.