Inner Tube Integral Joint Design for Uniform Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inner tubes with overlapping ends lead to material thickness imbalances and discomfort during riding due to increased rigidity, causing wheel imbalance and uneven air filling challenges.
Innovation Solution
A wheel inner tube design with rounded ends connected by an integral joint through a tube section, where the ends are prepared using injection molding and vulcanization to match the tube's material properties and minimize overlap, ensuring even expansion and reduced material thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the ends of the inner tube overlap to form a closed structure, then the tube can be mounted on the wheel, but the material thickness increases causing wheel imbalance and discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The tube ends are divided into separate components: a tube end portion and a cap portion that can be assembled together. This segmentation allows the cap to close the tube end without requiring material overlap, thereby maintaining uniform wall thickness and avoiding wheel imbalance while still achieving reliable tube closure.
2Reliability
If adhesive bonding is used to connect tube ends, then the tube can be closed, but the bonding area becomes rigid causing discomfort during riding
Solution Approach 1:
A cap portion serves as an intermediary component between the tube end portion and the closing structure. This cap can be secured through various means (adhesive, mechanical, or thermal bonding) while its elastic material composition allows it to flex and adapt during riding, preventing the rigidity and discomfort associated with direct adhesive bonding of tube ends.
3Ease of manufacture
If the tube ends are made blunt for easier connection, then assembly is simplified, but the tube cannot be uniformly filled with pressurized air
Solution Approach 1:
The cap portion is designed with a rounded, dome-shaped geometry that tapers toward the closing end. This curved, spherical-like shape allows pressurized air to flow uniformly into the tube during inflation, preventing the air filling problems associated with blunt ends while still providing an easily connectable structure with a bonding area throughout the cross-section.
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 prevents wheel imbalance, enhances rolling performance by avoiding material thickness disparities, and allows for easier air filling with uniform expansion, maintaining the tube's elastic properties and reducing resistance.
Implementation Method 1
The ends of the tube (1) containing a bulge (2) are connected by an integral joint with the tube (1) each through one tube section (3)
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a tyre (1) for mounting on a running wheel, a rim or a guide which is circular, oval, ellipsoid or rounded in some other way and is not continuous but rather has at least two ends. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a corresponding tyre (1).