Non-Pneumatic Tire with Segmented Spokes for Blast Survivability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tactical military vehicles face vulnerabilities from extreme environments and combat damage due to existing pneumatic tires, which are susceptible to blast and fragmentation effects, and non-pneumatic tires are not mountable to conventional wheels, limiting their practicality and survivability.
Innovation Solution
A non-pneumatic tire and wheel assembly with a molded elastomer tire body and integral wall elements that can be mounted on conventional wheels, featuring concentric layers with alternating spokes for enhanced durability and a pneumatic interface for inflation, allowing standard mounting and adjustment of air pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pneumatic tires are used on tactical military vehicles, then ride smoothness is maintained, but vulnerability to blast and fragmentation effects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tire is divided into multiple concentric layers with alternating spokes, creating a segmented structure that can withstand blast and fragmentation effects while maintaining ride smoothness. The segmented design allows the tire to absorb and distribute impact forces across multiple layers rather than a single solid structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The tire employs composite material construction with multiple concentric layers of different materials and structures. This includes alternating layers of solid and hollow spokes, and integration with a pneumatic interface, creating a composite system that combines the durability of solid structures with the ride quality of pneumatic tires while resisting blast and fragmentation.
2Reliability
If non-pneumatic tires are used to improve durability, then puncture resistance increases, but mountability to conventional wheels is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The non-pneumatic tire design incorporates a universal mounting interface that allows it to be mounted on conventional wheels while maintaining its durable, puncture-resistant structure. The tire includes an integrated pneumatic interface that enables compatibility with standard wheel mounting systems, tools, and procedures, making it universally applicable to existing vehicle wheel systems.
3Reliability
If solid rubber tires are used for puncture resistance, then durability improves, but rotating inertia becomes excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The tire structure is segmented into multiple concentric layers with alternating solid and hollow spokes. This segmentation reduces the overall mass compared to a solid rubber tire while maintaining puncture resistance through the layered architecture. The hollow spokes specifically reduce rotating inertia while the alternating layers provide structural integrity and puncture protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The tire incorporates porous or hollow structural elements in the form of hollow spokes within the concentric layers. These porous structures reduce the density and overall weight of the tire, decreasing rotating inertia, while the carefully designed porous architecture maintains structural strength and puncture resistance through the alternating layer configuration.
4Reliability
If armor shielding is added to protect from small arms fire, then survivability improves, but vehicle weight and payload capacity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tire employs composite material construction with multiple concentric layers of different materials and structures that collectively provide protection from small arms fire and fragments. This multi-layer composite approach achieves armor-level protection without requiring a single heavy armor layer, thereby reducing overall weight compared to traditional armor shielding while maintaining survivability.
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 provides improved survivability against blast and small arms fire, maintains ride smoothness, reduces heat emissions, and allows for easy mounting on existing wheels, enhancing the durability and flexibility of the tire system while reducing weight and exposure to damage.
Implementation Method 1
An elastomer is then introduced into the mold assembly through fill tubes inserted in fill apertures in the center plug and chamber forms to cast concentric layers with spokes around the rubber cast blocks and integral side walls around the chamber forms
Implementation Method 2
The elastomer is then allowed to dry
Implementation Method 3
The rubber blocks and mold elements are then disassembled from the tire assembly which is cured at high temperature
Implementation Method 4
A pneumatic chamber formed by the side walls is then inflated
Data Source
AI summary
A method for fabrication of a non-pneumatic tire and wheel assembly incorporates a tire tread and a conventional vehicle wheel with an elastomer tire body element formed by introducing elastomer into mold elements with a center plug and releasably carried chamber forms to provide integral wall elements extending radially inward from the tire body element for sealing engagement with the wheel. The tire body element includes multiple concentric layers with alternating spokes formed with strut and aperture dimensions in the mold elements and mating rubber cast blocks adapted for the desired spoke design. After curing, the tire assembly is mounted on the conventional wheel with conventional mounting tools to deform the integral side walls and a pneumatic chamber formed by the side walls is inflated.