TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the wheel assembly and disassembly apparatus for installing and removing the multi-piece run-flat tyre inserts which enable military land vehicles to safely move a certain distance at a certain speed is situations where the tyre loses air pressure.

The invention more specifically relates to a carrying and securing part which is attached to the wheel in the wheel group then lifted by an overhead crane or hoist and attached to the centring hub located on the table assembly; adjustable wheel clamps preferably located in the three corners of the table assembly and which secure the wheel group by being adjusted to its height; a wheel assembly and disassembly apparatus comprising a tyre separating beam which allows the tyre walls to be opened by passing separating jaws over the tyre and lifting them with the crane then loosening the bolts that hold the insert parts together then lifting with the crane allowing the outside tyre and the insert parts inside to be removed together.

PRIOR ART

Usually, in tactical wheeled land vehicles, when the tyre pressure falls, an insert (runflat) inside the tyre assists the vehicle and preserves the shape of the tyre, maintains traction on the road, prevents damage to the wheel, and helps the vehicle go to a safe place. These properties make run-flat inserts a key part of military wheeled land vehicles. The run-flat insert used inside the wheel comes in various materials and designs depending on the weight of the vehicles and the desired performance. These are:

Single piece (solid) run-flat insert

Single-join run-flat insert

Multi-piece run-flat insert

The vehicle's wheels and run-flat inserts need to be replaced after they are damaged in combat and when they reach the end of their life based on their usage and the composition of the materials used.

In the prior art, there are various methods, machines, and apparatus developed and used at home and abroad for the first two types of run-flat inserts mentioned above. But the existing methods are no good for assembling "Multi-Piece Run-Flat Inserts" in wheel assemblies or for removing them. Furthermore, the machinery and equipment used for single-piece run-flat inserts cannot be used for multi-piece run-flat inserts because these multi-piece structures need to be disassembled inside the tyre and the pieces removed one by one.

Multi-piece run-flat inserts are made of a harder material than single-piece(solid) or single-jointed inserts, and have lower flexural coefficients single-piece inserts. The pieces are assembled with a system of bolts and made into a whole. After the tyre sidewall is lifted away from the wheel, the bolts are removed through the gap and the inserts are taken out piece by piece; assembly is the same in reverse.

In the prior art, a machine is not used to remove the run-flat insert in multi-part runflat insert systems. Simply to separate the wheel sidewall from the wheel, the removal/installation operations are carried out manually using simple tools without the help of any machine. With the manual procedure used in the prior art, fitting and removal take a very long time and the steps involved can be very difficult. It also requires a lot of physical strength. This operation is carried out with at least 2 people and requires excessive labour. In addition, it is not an appropriate method in terms of occupational safety and mass production.

As a result, the need for a new cost-efficient, convenient, and practical wheel assembly and disassembly apparatus to solve the aforementioned problems present in the prior art and the inadequacy of the available solutions have made it necessary to make an improvement in the relevant technical field.

PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the wheel assembly and disassembly apparatus developed to eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages and to bring new advantages to the relevant technical field and which enables the multi-piece (e.g., 3- piece) run-flat inserts which enable wheeled military land vehicles to safely move a certain distance at a certain speed when the tyre loses pressure (blow out or air leak) to be installed in and removed from wheel assemblies.

The most important purpose of the invention is to enable the insert to be assembled and disassembled very simply and easily. In addition, all the necessary elements for removing/installing the multi-piece run-flat insert are combined on this design in a small volume and the design is compact. This compact design takes up little space. The design reduces the number of removal/installation process steps thus saving time for the removal/installation operation.

Another important purpose of the invention is to make the operation to remove/install the multi-piece insert very easy and simple. The time spent on labour is greatly reduced.

Another important purpose of the invention is that the removal/installation operation can be performed by a single operator. With the invention, labour costs are reduced and it has been made suitable for mass production.

Another important purpose of the invention is to minimize the need for physical strength and the human factor. Personnel safety has been maximized by eliminating practices contrary to occupational safety.

The following figures and their detailed descriptions will make the invention's structural and characteristic features and its advantages easier to understand. Therefore, the assessment should be made by considering the images and their detailed descriptions.

FIGURES PROVIDED TO HELP UNDERSTAND THE INVENTION

FIGURE -1: Depicts said wheel assembly.

FIGURE -2: Depicts cross-sectional view of said wheel assembly.

FIGURE -3: Depicts said wheel-tyre carrying and securing part being attached to the wheel.

FIGURE -4: Depicts said wheel-tyre carrying and securing part already attached to the wheel.

FIGURE -5: Depicts said multi-piece insert assembly and disassembly apparatus.

FIGURE -6: Depicts said multi-piece insert assembly and disassembly apparatus. FIGURE -7: Depicts said multi-piece insert assembly and disassembly apparatus attached to the wheel assembly..

FIGURE -8: Depicts said multi-piece insert assembly and disassembly apparatus attached to the wheel assembly..

REFERENCE NUMBERS

10. Table Assembly

11. Lifting Lug

20. Wheel Clamp

21. Lower Support

22. Upper Clamp

23. Vice

24. Pin

30. Tyre Separating Beam

31. Jaw

40. Centring Hub

50. Carrying and Securing Part

60. Wheel Group

61. Outer Tyre

62. Wheel

63. Run-Flat Insert DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This detailed description describes the preferred embodiments of the multi-piece run-flat insert assembly and disassembly apparatus only for a better understanding of the subject matter and no limitations should be construed.

Figures 1-8 depict said multi-piece insert assembly and disassembly apparatus and its details. In the invention, the carrying and securing part (50) is attached to the wheel (62) of the wheel group (60). The wheel group (60) is lifted off the carrying and securing part (50) using an overhead crane or a hoist and connected to the centring hub (40) located on the table assembly (10). The wheel assembly (60) is secured by means of the wheel clamps (20), preferably located at three corners of the table assembly (10). The pin (24) located here allows the wheel clamps (20) to be adjusted according to the wheel diameter. The lengths (21) of the lower support and upper clamp (22) are adjusted. The wheel clamp is thus adjusted according to the height of the wheel. (20) The vice (23) holds the wheel steady. The lug nuts on the wheel (62) in the wheel group (60) are unscrewed, the front cover is lifted away, and the o-ring underneath is removed. The tyre separating beam (30) is attached to the overhead crane and brought over to the wheel group (60). With the help of a crowbar, the tyre (61) sidewall is carefully opened. The tyre separating beam's (30) separating jaws (31) are hooked (61) over the tyre then the crane lifts (61) them up, opening the sidewalls. The bolts connecting the pieces of the insert (63) are loosened. At this stage, the bolts holding them together are not removed entirely. The tyre separating beam (30) is raised by the crane, then the outer tyre (61) is removed together with the insert pieces inside it(63). At this stage, the wheel (62) remains secure on the main table (10). The bolts that held the insert pieces (63) together when they were inside the outer tyre (61) are now removed entirely and then all three pieces of the insert (63) are removed from inside the tyre (61). New inserts (63) are installed into the wheel group (60) by performing this operation in reverse and the wheel group (60) is then ready for use. The lifting lugs (11) are used to move the wheel assembly and disassembly apparatus as needed.

The scope of protection of this application has been specified in the claims section and cannot be limited to what is explained above for exemplary purposes. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can demonstrate the innovation provided in the invention by using similar embodiments and/or can apply these embodiments to other fields having similar purposes used in the relevant technique. It is therefore obvious that such structures will lack the criterion of innovation and particularly the criterion of exceeding the prior art.