Composite Runflat Half-Shell Structure for Lower Wheel Weight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flat rolling devices for vehicle wheels are heavy, making them difficult to assemble and increasing the weight of the vehicle, while maintaining mechanical strength is a challenge.
Innovation Solution
A flat rolling device composed of two half-shells made of composite material with embedded fibers in a thermoplastic or thermosetting resin, featuring radially oriented anti-compression ribs, centering means, fins, and buttresses, which reduce weight and maintain mechanical performance by distributing load effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a flat rolling device is made of solid composite material to maintain mechanical strength, then the device becomes heavy and difficult to assemble
Solution Approach 1:
The flat rolling device is divided into two separate half-shells that can be assembled around the wheel rim. This segmentation allows for lighter individual components while maintaining overall structural integrity through the assembly, directly addressing the weight versus strength contradiction
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates an internal recess or cavity within the half-shells, creating a porous or hollow structure. This reduces the amount of composite material needed, thereby decreasing weight while the strategic placement of anti-compression ribs maintains the necessary mechanical strength
2Weight of moving object
If the device weight is reduced by using hollow structures, then mechanical strength under compression may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Anti-compression ribs are strategically positioned within the hollow half-shells at locations where compressive loads are most significant. This local reinforcement ensures that strength is enhanced precisely where needed, compensating for the weight reduction achieved through hollow structures
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes composite materials with fibers embedded in thermoplastic or thermosetting resin, providing high strength-to-weight ratio. This allows the hollow structure to maintain adequate compression resistance while keeping the overall weight reduced
Data Source
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AI summary
A flat-rolling device (10) intended to be mounted in a tire around a wheel rim of a vehicle, the device comprising at least one assembly (20, 20') of two axially assembled half-shells (100, 200), each half-shell being made of a composite material based on fibers embedded in a thermoplastic or thermosetting resin, each half-shell comprising a radially internal periphery (102), a radially external periphery (104) and a side wall (106) connecting the radially internal periphery to the radially external periphery (104) configured so as to form an internal recess (110) within said at least one assembly and each half-shell further comprising a plurality of circumferentially distributed anti-compression ribs (108) extending, inside the internal recess, radially from the radially external periphery towards the radially internal periphery.