us) United States ‘US 20170071 146A 1 2) Patent Application Publication co) Pub. No.: US 2017/0072746 Al IWAMURA et al. (4) amr MANUFAC (1) Applicant: TURING SAME Kobe-shi (JP) Rubber Indust ‘SS TIRE AND METHOD OF Ltd, (72) Inventors: Wako IWAMURA, Kobe-shi (JD); Makoto SUGIYA, Kobe-shi UP) (73) Assignee: sumitome Rubber Kebesshi (IP) (21) Appl. No. (22). PCT File: (86) PCT No, 1579104660 May 7, 2018 PCTSPISI63178 ntrles, Ltd, § 371 XD, (2) Date: Now. 1 2016 G0) Foreign Application Priority Data May 14,2014 GP) 2014-10769 (43) Pub. Date: Mar. 16, 2017 Publication Classification GI) Ime, Boor 4 (2006.01) Ba0c 13700 (200501), B20 3002 2006.01), (2) US. CL cr B6OC 7/14 (2013.01), B29D 30702 (2013.01), Bou 137001 (2013.04); Boo 2007/146 (2013.04) on ABSTRACT An airless tire has a cylindrical wead ring 2 having. a ‘round-contacting surface 21, a hub disposed on the radially Jnside of the wead ring 2 and fixed to an wheel shalt, and spokes connecting between the tread ing 2 and the hub, The ‘tend ring 2 has a side wall 22 continued from the ground- contaeting surface 21 and forming a ringside surface. The Side wall 22 bas @ supporting portion 23 which, when the {read ring 2 alone is horizontally laid on a horizontal surface HH, contacis with a horizontal surface HY aad supports the ‘wcad ring 2 so tht a ring axis A2 is oriented ina direction perpendicular to the horizontal surface H,Patent Application Publication Mar. 16,2017 Sheet 1 of 7 US 2017/0072746 AI FIG.1Patent Application Publication Mar. 16,2017 Sheet 2 of 7 US 2017/0072746 Al FIG.2 63\61\ () 64) ‘6 YPatent Application Publication Mar. 16, 2017 Sheet 3 of 7. US 2017/0072746 AI a” ae FIG.3Patent Application Publication Mar. 16, 2017 Sheet 4 of 7 US 2017/0072746 AI FIG.4FIG.5 Patent Application Publication Mar. 16, 2017 Sheet 5 of 7 US 2017/0072746 Al start i y form Supporting portion in Side wall of Tread ring #2 7 ¥ prepare Casting mold defining Cavity for molding Spokes ¥ lay Tread ring and Hub on Horizontal surface of Casting mold v close Casting mold ¥ “#5 inject Material forming Spokes into Cavity of Casting mold and cure it ¥ ‘open Casting mold ¥v demold Airless tire from Casting mold endPatent Application Publication Mar. 16, 2017 Sheet 6 of 7 US 2017/0072746 Al _-106 AS te \ FIG.6Patent Application Publication Mar. 16,2017 Sheet 7 of 7. US 2017/0072746 Al FIG.7US 2017/0072746 AI AIRLESS TIRE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME, ‘TECHNICAL FIELD 10001) The present invention relates to an aeless tie and ‘method of manufseturing the same in which the uniformity ‘ean be improved. BACKGROUND ART 10002] There has been proposed an aisles tre having a Structure in which « eylindieal tead ring having a ground ‘contacting surface, and a hub fixed to a wheel shalt are ‘coupled by a plurality of radially arranged spoke plate portions (eg. see Patent Document 1), 10003] Similarly toa pneumatic tie, an aisles tre i also rexjired to have at improved tire unifomaity in onder to suppress vibrations of the tie during rolling, For improving the unifonnity of the aires tie, is important that the axis ‘of the tread ing coincides withthe axis of the hub with 9 high degree of accuracy. PRIOR ART DOCUMENT. Patent Document 10003) Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-26051 {0005} For example, an sirless tie is manufactured by Injecting a resin material for forming spokes into a cavity in mold, after placing a tread ring and a hub therein, and being cured, 10006} ‘The wea ring and the hub are horizontally Iaido ‘a horizontal surface formed in the mod in order to make the ring axis coinciding with the hub exis, 10007] When a side wal of dhe tread ring has spews andor protruding characters showing the tire size and the ike, if the tread rng is horizontally lid onthe horizontal surface of the mold, then, between the side wall of the ead ring and the horizontal surface ofthe mold, the spews, characters and the like fie unevenly in the circumferential direction. As @ result, the inclination of the ring axis hecomes not perpen- [0126] Te srtess tine was measured for the RRO at a tire ‘equator portion and both shoulder portions, and their aver- fge valie was caleulated. In the results, a smaller value is better vehicle Vibration Test [0127] Small electrical vehicles fitted with the respective airless tires were brought into a test course, and vibrations during running were sensorly evaluated by a teste. [0128] In the resulis, “A” denotes a level where no vibra- tions were felt, "BI denotes « level where vibrations being acceptable inthe market were fet, and “C* denotes a level ‘where lage vibrations being not acceptable in the market were feltUS 2017/0072746 AI Mar. 16, 2017, 5 sates = = = = == fomofehascters convex ‘tone soneave—conave —gomcave concave ‘conver gomeave concave ew presear stbsemt ——sbscmt present abet ‘sheet absent sbecat abet ie <= = = = = = aren os Ea 10129] As shown in Table 1, it was confirmed that the 4. The airless tire as set forth in claim 1, wherein the tread airless tres as Working Examples were improved in the ‘uniformity as compared to comparative examples. DESCRIPTION OF THE SIGNS 0130] 1 aisles tire ot3t] 2 tad ving [0132], 24 tad rng {0133} 3 hob [0134] 4 spoke [0138] 21 ground eontecting sure 0136] 22 side wall 0137] 23 supporting portion 0138] 234 supporting portion {0139} 28 character [0140] 284 character [0141] 100 casting mold [0142] 108 horizontal surtice [0143] A2 ring axis 0144] 1 horizontal surface 1. An airless tie, comprising: 4 tiwad ring having a eylindreal fom and & ground ‘contating surface: ‘hub positioned ona radially inside ofthe tread ring and configured to be fixod to a wheel shaft and plurality of spokes positioned between the tread ring and the hub such thatthe plurality of spokes is connecting the trea ring and the hub, ‘wherein the tread ring has aside wall extending from the ground contacting surface and fomning a ring side Surface, and the side wall has a supporting portion Configured to support the ead ring such that when the tread ring alone is horizontally laid on a horizontal surface, the supporting portion coatacts with the hori= zontal surface and that ring axis of the tread ring is Oriented in # diretion perpendicular to the horizontal surface. 2. The airless tine as set forth in claim 1, wherein the supporting portion has a fat surface continuously extending ina tire circumferential direction 3. The airless tire as set forth in claim 1, wherein the supporting portion is formed in a pluriiy sueh that the plumlity of supporting portions are intermittently provided fn the ire citcunaferential direction, ring is formed such that the side wall has eoncave leters or pattems recessed inwardly ina tie axial direction from the supporting portion. 8. The airless tire as set forth in claim 1, wherein the supporting portion has spews overilowed from! mold parting surlaces of mold used to vuleanization molding the tread ring sueh that the spews are formed uniformly in the tre circumferential direction. 6. The airless ir as st forth in claim 1, wherein the tread ring is formed such tht in a front view of the side wall, the supporting portion has an area which is in a range of 10% to 100% of a area ofthe side wal 7. A method of manufacturing an airless tre, comprising forming, on a side wall of a wead ring, a supporting Portion configured to support the tread ring such tt ‘when the tread ring alone is horizontally laid om a horizontal surface, the supporting portion contacts with the horizontal surice and that a ring avis of the ead tng is oriented in a direction perpendicular to the Iorizonal surtiee preparing a mokd having a cavity the configueed to mold a plurality of spokes and a horizontal surface config- ‘wed to hold the read ring and a hubs laying the tread ring and the hub on the horizontal surface ‘of the mmol injecting, into the cavity of the mold, # material which forms the plurality of spokes; and ‘curing dhe material such that an asl tre is formed and hhas the tread ring having a cylindrical form and a ‘ground contacting surface, the hub positioned on a radially inside of the tread ring and configured to be fixed to an wheel shaft, and the plurality of spakes positioned between the tread ring and the bub and ‘connecting the tread ring and the hub and thst the tread fing has the side wall extending from the ground ‘contacting sueface and forming a ring side surface, 8. The airless ir as set forth in elas 2, wherein the read sing is formed such that the side wall has eoncave leters oF pattems recessed inwardly ina tire axial inection frm the supporting portion. 9. The airless tire as set forth in claim 2, wherein the supporting portion has spews overflowed from mold partingUS 2017/0072746 AI surfaces of mold used to vue Fing such that the spews are fo ‘circumferential dieection. 10. The aisles tire asset for in claim 2, wherein dhe teva Hingis Formed sch that in a fomt view of tho sidewall, the supporting portion has an area Which isin a range of 10% 1 100% of an area of the side wall 1H. The airless tire as set forth in claim 3, wherein the twead ring is formed such that the side wall has concave letters or paltems recessed inwardly ina ire axial direction from the supporting portions. 12. The aisles tire asset forth in claim 3, wherein dhe plurality of supporting portions has spews overflowed from ‘mold parting surfaces of a mold used to vuleanization molding the tead ring such that the spews are formed uniformly inthe tire circumferential direction, 13. The airless tire as sot fort in claim 3, wherein the teed ing is Formed svc that in afoot view of the side wall, the plurality of supporting portions hasan area which is in ‘a range of 10% to 100% of an area of the side wall 14. The airless tire as sot forth in claim 4, wherein the supporting portion has spews overdlowed from mold parting surfaces of mold used to vuleanization molding the tead ring such that the spews are formed uniformly in the tire reumferentialdircction, 15, The airless tire asset forth in claim 4, wherein the twoa ing is Formed soc that in a front view of the sidewall, Mar. 16, 2017, the supporting portion has an area which i to 100% of an ares ofthe side wall. 16, The airless tire a set forth in claim §, wherein the tread Fng is formed sich that ina front view of the side wal the supporting portion hos an area which i in a ange of 10% to 100%% of an area oF the side wall. 17. The airless tire as sot forth in clam 8, wherein the supporting portion has spews overflowed from mold parting surlaces ofa mold used to vulcanization molding the trad ring sueh that the spews are formed uniformly in the tre ciroumferential direction. 18, The airless tire as sot forth in claim 8, wherein the tevad rng is formed such that ina foat view of the side wall, the supporting portion hasan area which i ia a ange of 10% 1 100% of an area ofthe side wal. 19. The sitess tre asset forth in claim 11, wherein the plurality of supporting portions has spews overflowed rom ‘mold parting surfaces of a mold used to. vulcanization molding the tread ring such that the spews are formed ‘uniformly in the tire circumferential direction, range of 10% 20, The airless tie as set forth in claim M1, wherein the teva rng is Formed such that ina foat view of the side wll, the plurality of supporting portions bas an area which is in a range of 109% (0 100% of an area ofthe side wall