JP2005263124A - Elastic wheel and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an elastic wheel that is low in cost, excellent in durability, and capable of surely aligning a disk and a rim, and a manufacturing method thereof.
SOLUTION: An elastic wheel 10 including a rim 12 for supporting a tire and a disk 14 fixed to an axle, wherein the disk 14 is disposed to face an inner peripheral surface of the rim 12 with a gap 30 therebetween. A cylindrical portion 26 is provided, and after the rim 12 is assembled to the disk 14, a belt-shaped rubber member 32 is rolled into a ring shape and press-fitted into a gap 30 between the cylindrical portion 26 and the rim 12 and mounted.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an elastic wheel used for a vehicle wheel, and more particularly to an elastic wheel suitable for an automobile to which a tire is attached and a manufacturing method thereof.

  The elastic wheel generally includes a disk fixed to the axle hub and a rim for supporting the tire, and an elastic body is provided between the disk and the rim to assist the vibration transmission mitigating action of the tire, It improves ride comfort and soundproof performance. In particular, various types of tires are being used to improve the above-mentioned performances in combination with tires having high rigidity in sidewall portions such as high-pneumatic run-flat tires and low-profile tires having low sidewall portions. Structured elastic wheels have been proposed.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an elastic wheel in which a gap that allows movement in the axial direction, the radial direction, and the rotation direction is provided between a rim and a disk, and a rubber member is interposed in the gap. . Patent Document 2 discloses an elastic wheel in which a rubber member having a width larger than the thickness is sandwiched between a rim and a disk, and a plurality of curls made of through holes extending in the axial direction are formed in the rubber member. Has been.
JP-A-5-338401 JP 2002-59703 A

  In the elastic wheel described in Patent Document 1, the rubber member is provided between the rim and the disk by vulcanization adhesion, and therefore, there is a problem that the vulcanization molding equipment is large and complicated, and the cost is high. . Further, it is difficult to pre-compress the rubber member after vulcanization, which is disadvantageous in terms of durability.

  In the elastic wheel described in Patent Document 2, the rubber member is assembled in advance to a disc or rim, and then the disc or rim on which the rubber member is assembled is combined with the other rim or disc to obtain a rim. And is mounted between the disc. However, in this case, when the disc or rim with the rubber member assembled and the other rim or disc are combined, a force acts in the shearing direction by the rubber member inserted while being compressed. There is a problem that alignment accuracy is difficult to obtain.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and provides an elastic wheel capable of reliably aligning a disc and a rim with a low cost and excellent in durability, and a method for manufacturing the same. It is intended to do.

  An elastic wheel according to the present invention is an elastic wheel including a rim for supporting a tire and a disk fixed to an axle, and the cylinder is disposed to face the inner peripheral surface of the rim with a gap. The belt-shaped rubber member is rolled into an annular shape and press-fitted into the gap between the tubular portion and the inner peripheral surface of the rim.

  In the elastic wheel manufacturing method of the present invention, the step of combining the disk and the rim with a gap provided between the cylindrical portion and the inner peripheral surface of the rim, and the belt-shaped rubber member in an annular shape Pressing the gap in the axial direction in a rolled state and mounting the rubber member in the gap.

  According to the present invention, the rubber member that is elastically coupled between the rim and the disk is a band-shaped rubber member that is vulcanized and molded separately from the rim and the disk. be able to. In addition, since the rubber member is press-fitted into the gap between the disc and the rim in a state where the disc and the rim are combined in advance and the both are accurately aligned, the alignment accuracy between the disc and the rim can be increased. Furthermore, since the rubber member is held in a compressed state between the disk and the rim by press-fitting, it is excellent in durability.

  In the manufacturing method of the present invention, a lubricant containing an adhesive is applied to the surface of the rubber member or the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the inner peripheral surface of the rim, and the rubber member is You may press-fit into the said clearance gap. By applying the lubricant in this manner, it is easy to press-fit the rubber member, and since the lubricant contains an adhesive, the rubber member is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the rim and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion after mounting. It is firmly fixed to.

  In the manufacturing method of the present invention described above, the rubber member is inserted between the two cylinders of the guide using a guide having an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder and capable of holding the rubber member between the two cylinders. The rubber member is held in an annularly rounded state, the guide holding the rubber member is brought into contact with the gap between the rim and the cylindrical portion from the side, and the rubber member in the guide is attached to the rim. The rubber member may be pressed into the gap between the rim and the cylindrical portion by pressing in the axial direction from the rear toward the gap between the rim and the cylindrical portion. If such a press-fitting method is adopted, press-fitting workability is excellent.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the ride comfort, vibration proofing, and soundproofing performance by reliably aligning the disc and the rim, and to provide an elastic wheel that is low in cost and excellent in durability. .

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a half sectional view of an elastic wheel 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a half sectional view before assembly. The elastic wheel 10 includes a rim 12 that supports the tire T and a disk 14 that is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the rim 12 and is fixed to the axle hub A.

  The rim 12 has a tubular shape as a whole, and includes rim flange portions 16 and 18 at both ends in the axial direction for supporting both bead portions b1 and b2 of the tire T, and a rim bottom portion 20 connecting the rim flange portions 16 and 18 therebetween.

  The disk 14 includes a central hub mounting portion 22, a vertical wall portion 24 connected to the outer periphery thereof, and a cylindrical portion 26 extending in the axial direction from the outer peripheral edge of the vertical wall portion 24 toward the wheel back surface side. . The hub attachment portion 22 is provided with a plurality of bolt holes 28 penetrating in the axial direction. Although not shown, the vertical wall portion 24 is usually provided with a plurality of decorative holes.

  The cylindrical portion 26 is disposed to face the inner peripheral surface of the rim 12, specifically, the inner peripheral surface of the rim bottom portion 20 with a predetermined gap 30 in the wheel radial direction. A rubber member 32 that elastically supports the rim 12 in the wheel radial direction with respect to the disk 14 is interposed in a gap 30 between the surface 12a and the outer peripheral surface 26a of the cylindrical portion 26. The gap 30 is open toward the wheel back surface side, and as shown in FIG. 2, the rubber member 32 is press-fitted and assembled from the opening 31. Further, the gap 30 is formed with a substantially constant dimension in the wheel axial direction, and a convex wall 34 for preventing further intrusion of the rubber member 32 further from the inner peripheral surface of the rim bottom portion 20. Projecting inward in the radial direction.

  The rubber member 32 has a flat cross-sectional shape that is wider than the thickness, and the rim inner peripheral surface 12a and the cylindrical portion outer peripheral surface 26a so as to fill the gap 30 between the rim 12 and the cylindrical portion 26. Thus, it is sandwiched in a compressed state in the wheel radial direction at a predetermined compression rate. This compression rate is preferably performed within a range of about 20 to 50% from the viewpoint of vibration proof performance and durability.

  The rubber member 32 is mounted between the rim 12 and the disk 14 by press-fitting a rubber elastic body formed in a band shape into the gap 30 in a state of being rolled into an annular shape as shown in FIG. . Therefore, the compression rate of the rubber member 32 can be adjusted by setting the height (thickness) of the cross-sectional shape of the rubber member 32 during molding and the radial dimension of the gap 30. The rubber member 32 can be used by rounding it with only one belt-like rubber, but it can also be rounded into a single ring as a whole by connecting a plurality of belt-like rubbers in a circular arc shape. In this case, the plurality of rubber bands may be connected using an adhesive or the like, but may be arranged in an annular shape without being joined to each other by using, for example, a guide 56 described later.

  On the inner peripheral surface of the rim 12, first ridges 36 projecting inward in the radial direction of the wheel are provided on the edge on the wheel surface side over the entire circumference. The first stopper rubber 38 is interposed over the entire circumference between the outer peripheral edge of the vertical wall 24 of the disk 14 and the disk 14. Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the rim 12, there is a second ridge 40 protruding inward in the wheel radial direction so as to be opposed to the axial front end surface of the cylindrical portion 26 with a predetermined gap. The second stopper rubber 42 is provided over the entire circumference between the ridge 40 and the axial end surface of the cylindrical portion 26. As shown in FIG. 2, the second ridge 40 is formed of a member different from the rim 12, and is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the rim 12 by welding or the like. The first stopper rubber 38 and the second stopper rubber 42 are configured to limit excessive displacement in the wheel axis direction.

  The rim 12 and the disk 14 may be made of any material such as steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy, and synthetic resin. When dealing with weight reduction, a lightweight material such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, or synthetic resin is preferable.

In addition, the rubber member 32 is preferably a conventional anti-vibration rubber compound in terms of elastic properties and durability. For example, natural rubber and synthetic rubber such as diene rubber such as butadiene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, and butyl rubber can be used. An appropriate compounding agent, for example, sulfur, a vulcanization accelerator, an anti-aging agent, carbon black and the like can be appropriately prepared. Such a rubber material has a JIS-A hardness (Hd) of 30 to 80 ° from the viewpoint of vibration absorption characteristics and durability, and an elastic modulus of 1 × 10 ³ to 1 × 10 ⁵ N / cm ² . Can be preferably used.

  When manufacturing the elastic wheel 10 of the present embodiment, the rim 12, the disk 14, and the rubber member 32 are separately formed in advance. At that time, the rubber member 32 is vulcanized and molded as a simple rubber band.

  First, the rim 12 is assembled to the disk 14. At that time, the first stopper rubber 38 is bonded in advance to either the first ridge 36 or the outer peripheral edge of the vertical wall 24 of the disk 14 facing the first ridge 36, and the disk 14 and the rim 12 are bonded. By combining the above, the first stopper rubber 38 is interposed between them. Further, by combining the disk 14 and the rim 12, as shown in FIG. 2, a gap 30 is formed between the cylindrical portion outer peripheral surface 26a and the rim inner peripheral surface 12a.

  Next, the rubber member 32 is attached to the gap 30 by press-fitting the gap 30 in the axial direction in a state where the rubber member 32 is rolled into an annular shape. At this time, if a lubricant containing an adhesive is applied to the surface of the rubber member 32 or the cylindrical portion outer peripheral surface 26a and the rim inner peripheral surface 12a, the rubber member 32 can be easily pressed into the gap 30. Further, the rubber member 32 is firmly fixed to the inner peripheral surface 12a of the rim and the outer peripheral surface 26a of the cylindrical portion after the mounting by the adhesive contained in the lubricant. A known lubricating oil such as mineral oil or vegetable oil can be used as the lubricant, and a known instant adhesive is suitably used as the adhesive to be blended therein.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the step of press-fitting the rubber member 32 into the gap 30 is performed using a press-fitting jig 50 as shown in FIG. The press-fitting jig 50 includes an inner cylinder 52 and an outer cylinder 54, and a guide 56 capable of holding the rubber member 32 between both cylinders 52, 54, and the rubber member 32 held in the guide 56 is advanced and retracted in the axial direction. And a pressing member 58 that can be pressed. In the press-fitting, first, the rubber member 32 is inserted between both the cylinders 52 and 54 of the guide 56, and the rubber member 32 is held in the guide 56 in a state of being rounded. In addition, the clearance gap between both cylinders 52 and 54 of the guide 56 is set to the dimension substantially the same as the thickness of the rubber member 32 so that the rubber member 32 can be inserted without difficulty.

  Then, the guide 56 holding the rubber member 32 is brought into contact with the gap 30 between the rim 12 and the tubular portion 26 from the side as shown in FIG. That is, the inner cylinder 52 and the outer cylinder 54 are respectively brought into contact with the upper and lower edges of the opening 31 of the gap 30 so that the gap between the cylinders 52 and 54 of the guide 56 is between the rim 12 and the disk 14. Set to communicate with the gap 30. In this state, the rubber member 32 in the guide 56 is pressed in the axial direction from the back toward the gap 30 between the rim 12 and the disk 14 by the pressing member 58. Thereby, the rubber member 32 is press-fitted into the gap 30 between the rim 12 and the disk 14.

  After the rubber member 32 is press-fitted into the gap 30 in this way, as shown in FIG. 2, the second ridge 40 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the rim 12 so as to close the opening 31 of the gap 30. On the other hand, it is fixed by welding. At that time, the second stopper rubber 42 is bonded to the second ridge 40 in advance, so that the second stopper rubber is interposed between the second ridge 40 and the tip end surface in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 26. 42 is interposed.

  The elastic wheel 10 manufactured in this way is attached to the bolt B of the axle hub A by aligning the bolt hole 28 of the disk 14, and a nut (not shown) is screwed to the bolt B and tightened at a rating so that the axle hub A can be tightened. As a result, the tire T is mounted on the axle hub A.

  According to the present embodiment described above, the rubber member 32 interposed between the rim 12 and the disk 14 is made of a vulcanized band rubber separately from the rim 12 and the disk 14, so that it is complicated and large. No vulcanization molding equipment is required, and therefore vulcanization molding can be performed at low cost.

  Further, since the rubber member 32 is press-fitted into the gap 30 between the disk 14 and the rim 12 in a state in which the disk 14 and the rim 12 are combined in advance and positioned accurately, the positioning of the disk 14 and the rim 12 is ensured. It can be carried out. In particular, the press-fitting operation can be performed smoothly by press-fitting the rubber member 32 using the press-fitting jig 50 described above. In addition, by ensuring the alignment of the disk 14 and the rim 12 in this way, riding comfort, vibration proofing, and soundproofing performance can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the rubber member 32 is held in a compressed state between the disk 14 and the rim 12 by press-fitting, the durability of the rubber itself is excellent.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is used as an elastic wheel for various vehicles such as automobiles, railways, monorails, and the like in tires having various structures such as pneumatic tires such as run-flat tires and low-profile tires, and solid tires. Can do.

It is a half sectional view of the elastic wheel concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is an exploded sectional view same as the above. It is a figure which shows the state which rounded the rubber member incorporated in the elastic wheel into the cyclic | annular form. It is sectional drawing which shows the press injection process of the rubber member.

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Elastic wheel 12 ... Rim 14 ... Disc 26 ... Cylindrical part 30 ... Clearance 32 ... Rubber member 52 ... Inner cylinder 54 ... Outer cylinder 56 ... Guide

Claims (4)

  An elastic wheel including a rim for supporting a tire and a disk fixed to an axle, wherein the disk includes a cylindrical portion disposed to face the inner peripheral surface of the rim with a gap therebetween, An elastic wheel characterized in that a rubber member is rolled into a ring and press-fitted into a gap between the cylindrical portion and the inner peripheral surface of the rim. It is a manufacturing method of the elastic wheel according to claim 1,
Combining the disc and the rim in a state where a gap is provided between the tubular portion and the inner peripheral surface of the rim;
A step of axially pressing the gap-like rubber member in an annular shape in a state of being rounded and mounting the rubber member in the gap;
The manufacturing method of the elastic wheel containing this.   A lubricant containing an adhesive is applied to the surface of the rubber member, or to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion and the inner peripheral surface of the rim, and the rubber member is press-fitted into the gap. The manufacturing method of the elastic wheel of Claim 2.   Using a guide provided with an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder and capable of holding the rubber member between both cylinders, the rubber member is inserted into a circular shape by inserting the rubber member between both cylinders of the guide. The guide holding the rubber member is brought into contact with the gap between the rim and the cylindrical portion from the side, and the rubber member in the guide is rearwardly facing the gap between the rim and the cylindrical portion. 4. The method for producing an elastic wheel according to claim 2, wherein the rubber member is pressed into the gap between the rim and the cylindrical portion by pressing in the axial direction.

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