Segmented Running Drum for Tire Test Stand Coating Maintenance

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing tire test stands with continuous drum shells require significant effort and expense to replace the worn-out coating, as the entire drum must often be transported to a coater or coated on-site, posing logistical and financial challenges.

Innovation Solution

The running drum is segmented in the circumferential direction, allowing individual segments to be easily dismantled, coated, and reassembled, reducing the effort and cost of coating renewal and enabling on-site coating by the operator.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If a continuous drum shell is used as the running surface, then the structural integrity and load-bearing capacity are improved, but the complexity and cost of renewing the coating increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidcoating renewal complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The running drum is divided into multiple detachable segments that can be individually removed, coated, and reassembled. This segmentation allows the coating renewal process to be simplified from a complex whole-drum operation to manageable individual segment operations, reducing both time and cost while maintaining the overall structural integrity through proper segmentation and reassembly

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Manufacturing precision

If the entire drum is transported for coating, then complete coating coverage is achieved, but the time and cost expenditure increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoating coverageVSAvoidcoating renewal time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting the drum into removable parts, the coating process can be performed on individual segments either on-site or at a coating facility, eliminating the need to transport the entire heavy drum. This reduces transportation time and costs while allowing parallel processing of multiple segments to maintain complete coating coverage

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The running surface coating is extracted as a separate removable component (segment) from the drum structure. This allows the coating to be applied, removed, and renewed independently without affecting the drum's structural integrity, enabling faster renewal cycles and reduced downtime

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Strength

If a continuous drum shell is used, then the load-bearing capacity is maintained, but the moment of inertia increases leading to higher energy consumption

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveload-bearing capacityVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The drum is segmented into multiple separate components that can be independently positioned and assembled. This segmentation reduces the overall moment of inertia compared to a solid continuous drum, lowering the energy required for acceleration and deceleration during testing operations, while the load-bearing capacity is maintained through proper segment design and assembly

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3365650B1Running drum of a tire, wheel, and/or chassis test stand
Publication Date: 2023.08.09 ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
  • EP3365650B1 patent drawingFigure 1~1a
  • EP3365650B1 patent drawingFigure 2~2b
  • EP3365650B1 patent drawingFigure 3~3b

AI summary

The invention relates to a running drum (1) of a tire, wheel, and/or chassis test stand having a substantially cylindrical running surface (15), comprising a hub, side disks, which are arranged on the hub and which have fastening regions in the region of the periphery (3a, 4a) of the side disks, and a plurality of segments (7), which form the running surface (15) of the running drum (1) and are arranged on the periphery (3a, 4a) of the fastening regions and are connected to the side disks.