A tire inflation feed arrangement for a tire supported on a wheel carried by a wheel rim rotatably mounted via a wheel hub on an axially outer end of an axle housing. The feed arrangement has an annular support body surrounding the outer end of the axle housing, and three concentric annular seals extending around an axially outwardly facing surface on the support body to seal two concentric annular chambers formed in the axially outwardly facing surface between the seals. A first of these annular chambers is connectable with pressurized air to inflate the associated tire and the second annular chamber is connectable with pressurized air to operate a valve mounted on the wheel for admitting air into the tire from the first annular chamber or exhausting air from the tire. The annular seals are each mounted in a respective annular groove in the axially facing surface and each groove is also connectable with a source of pressurized air to press the seals against an annular contact surface on the wheel hub to seal the first and second annular chambers when the tire is being inflated. The wheel hub is provided with first receiving means which open through the annular contact surface to receive air from the first annular chamber and conduct such air to the tire and second receiving means which also opens through the annular contact surface to receive air from the second annular chamber and conduct such air to the valve mounted on the wheel. The support body is mounted on the axle housing in a location radially within bolts which attach the wheel to the hub to reduce the rubbing speed of the seals on the contact surface to reducing wear caused by the contact pressure of the seals.
Rotary joint
2016-02-02
Patent
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
IPC: | B60C VEHICLE TYRES , Fahrzeugreifen |