Pneumatic Sealing Ring for Tube-Type Tire
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tube-type tires are bulky, heavy, and prone to pinching, leading to tears and increased weight, which reduces performance and increases energy consumption, especially in racing vehicles, and they require a conventional inner tube that can be damaged during installation.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic sealing ring system that includes a thin inner tube and an expandable outer liner, where the inner tube is inflated to twice the pressure of the main tire section, creating a seal without a conventional inner tube, and featuring a self-centering design with flexible casing cords and a protective shield to prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional inner tube is used in a tube-type tire, then the tire can be inflated and used, but the inner tube is subject to pinching and tearing, leading to pinch flats and frequent repairs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the problematic conventional inner tube from the tire system and replaces it with a pneumatic sealing ring assembly consisting of a thin inner tube and an expandable liner. The expandable liner acts as a protective intermediary that eliminates pinching damage while maintaining the essential sealing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable liner is inflated beforehand to a pressure at least twice that of the main tire section, creating a pre-positioned protective cushion between the thin inner tube and the tire interior. This pre-inflated liner prevents any pinching or contact damage to the thin inner tube during tire installation and operation.
2Device complexity
If a conventional inner tube is used, then the tire structure is simple, but the inner tube is large, bulky and heavy, reducing vehicle performance and increasing energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the bulky conventional inner tube with a thin inner tube and an expandable liner made of flexible material. When the liner is inflated, it expands to provide the necessary sealing and protective functions, eliminating the need for a large, heavy conventional inner tube while maintaining structural simplicity.
3Reliability
If a conventional inner tube is used, then the tire can provide run-flat support, but the thin inner tube in the sealing ring is incapable of providing run-flat support, requiring higher inflation pressure for sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses pneumatic pressure differentials to achieve sealing. The thin inner tube is inflated to a pressure at least twice that of the main tire section, creating a high-pressure pneumatic seal that forces the expandable liner against the tire interior, achieving effective sealing without requiring the thin inner tube to provide run-flat support.
4Ease of manufacture
If tools are used to install a conventional inner tube, then the tire can be assembled, but the tools cause pinching in the inner tube, resulting in damage to the tire
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable liner is pre-inflated to a pressure at least twice that of the main tire section before tire assembly, creating a protective cushion that prevents tools from pinching or damaging the thin inner tube during installation, eliminating tool-induced harm while maintaining assembly feasibility.
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
Enables a tube-type tire to operate like a tubeless tire, reducing weight, minimizing pinching risks, and requiring less frequent repairs, while maintaining efficient sealing and performance, especially suitable for high-performance vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
The air chamber of the inner tube of the sealing ring is inflated to a pressure that is at least twice the pressure to which the air chamber of the main tire section is inflated
Implementation Method 2
The liner is manufactured from a resilient material that is adapted to expand in response to the air chamber of the inner tube being inflated
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
A tube-type tire (1) to be mounted on the rim (30) of a (e.g., spoke- type) wheel such as that commonly used by a bicycle or a motorcycle, whereby the tube-type tire will operate without a conventional inner tube and as if it were tubeless. The tire (1) includes a main tire section (3) that is seated upon the generally flat shelf (7) of the rim (30) and a pneumatic sealing ring (50) having an inner tube (5) that is seated upon the beadwell (9) of the rim. An air chamber (34) of the inner tube (5) of the sealing ring (50) is inflated to a greater pressure than an air chamber (32) of the main tire section (3) so as to isolate the air chamber of the main tire section from the rim and force the main tire section against the vertical lip (8) of the rim (30). The sealing ring (50) also has an outer inflatable liner (10) that is located in surrounding engagement with the inner tube to separate the inner tube (5) from the air chamber (32) of the main tire section (3). The outer liner (10) has one or more O-ring seals (14) projecting outwardly from the side walls thereof and a centering lip (16) projecting downwardly from the side walls. The O- ring seals (14) are moved into sealing engagement with the inside of the main tire section (3) when the air chamber (34) of the inner tube (5) is inflated and the liner (10) is expanded. The centering lips (16) of the liner (10) are seated upon the beadwell (9) of the rim (30) to cause the liner to be automatically centered over the inner tube(5).