Modular Air-Block Tire Structure for Comfort and Damage Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pneumatic tires require air filling and are prone to performance issues when damaged, while airless tires lack ride comfort and high-speed stability.
Innovation Solution
A tire design featuring spokes connected to a tread rim and hub with detachable air blocks inserted between them, providing a combination of pneumatic and airless tire functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pneumatic pressure is used to cushion road impact, then ride comfort and high-speed stability are improved, but the tire requires air filling and is prone to performance issues when damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The tire is divided into modular air blocks that can be independently replaced. Each air block is a separate unit contained within the tire structure, allowing individual replacement without affecting other parts of the tire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a continuous pneumatic system to a segmented system with discrete air blocks. This parameter change allows the tire to maintain pneumatic cushioning benefits while eliminating the need for air filling operations and reducing damage-related performance issues.
2Ease of operation
If airless tire structure with spokes is used, then air filling is eliminated, but ride comfort and high-speed stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The tire structure segments the cushioning function into multiple independent air blocks distributed among the spokes. This allows the airless structural framework to be combined with pneumatic cushioning elements, achieving both structural integrity and ride comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the airless tire structural framework with pneumatic air blocks. The spoke-based airless structure provides structural support while the integrated air blocks provide pneumatic cushioning, combining advantages of both tire types.
3Reliability
If a separate tube is embedded in the tire, then air tightness is maintained, but the tube must be replaced or repaired when damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous inner tube is segmented into multiple independent air blocks. Each air block is a self-contained unit that can be independently accessed and replaced through the tire structure, simplifying repair operations compared to replacing a long continuous tube.
Solution Approach 2:
The air blocks are extracted as removable components from the tire structure. This allows damaged air blocks to be taken out and replaced without detaching the entire tire from the wheel or manipulating complex tube-repair procedures.
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 tire offers improved ride comfort and high-speed stability with replaceable air blocks, eliminating the need for air filling and enhancing reliability.
Implementation Method 1
an air block which is detachably inserted and mounted into the air block mounting space... formed of rubber or soft plastic material to have a sealed structure filled with pneumatic pressure
Implementation Method 2
the plurality of air blocks arranged at a predetermined interval in a circumferential direction of the tire... cushion road impact
Data Source
AI summary
A tire for a vehicle has a structure in which a plurality of air blocks are detachably mounted in a circumferential direction of the tire. The tire is similar to an airless tire, in which a plurality of spokes are connected to and arranged between a tread rim part configured to come into contact with a road surface and a hub which is mounted to the wheel, and the tire is also similar to a pneumatic tire, in which an air block is replaceably inserted and mounted into an air block mounting space formed between the spokes.