A patient support apparatus comprises a base supported by caster assemblies with each caster assembly comprising a stem, a caster wheel, and a caster wheel axle. A patient support surface is coupled to the base and is configured to receive a load. One or more load sensors are integrated with at least one of the stem, the caster wheel, or the caster wheel axle for measuring the load. One or more of the caster assemblies can be coupled to a steering motor, which controls orientation of the caster assembly. A controller can control the steering motors based on analyzing the measurements of the load sensor. The load sensors can produce measurements indicative of both vertical load and non-vertical load applied to the caster assembly. The controller can also analyze the measurements of the load sensor to determine the load received by the patient support surface by negating the non-vertical load.

An aluminum alloy wheel for a vehicle is provided, which includes: a wheel central portion, a rim portion, and a plurality of radial elements, wherein the aluminum alloy wheel is processed by centrifugal casting and forging to form a central portion with a morphology exhibiting a grain size variation with decreasing gradient in a lateral direction from an inner side of the wheel central portion to an outer side thereof.

A wheel assembly includes a mounting plate for attachment to a rotatable axle, a plurality of elongate friction members for engaging a tire assembly, a plurality of first angular flanges extending radially outward and circumferentially in a first direction from the mounting plate, and a plurality of second angular flanges extending radially outward and circumferentially in a second direction, opposite the first direction, from the mounting plate. Each elongate friction member is disposed axially between one of the first angular flanges and one of the second angular flanges.

A three-layer soft rubber shock absorbing wheel including a hub. An outer surface of the hub is bonded with a hard body, a first layer of tread and a second layer of tread having a hardness lower than that of the first layer of tread. The hard body, the first layer of tread, and the second layer of tread are arranged from inside to outside in sequence. The second layer of tread is bonded in a concave surface portion on an outer surface of the first layer of tread. The first layer of tread and the second layer of tread are both elastic bodies. The hard body is configured to have an I-shaped structure body. The three-layer soft rubber shock absorbing wheel is a wheel body made by bonding three layers of materials with different hardness.

A non-pneumatic tire has an inner annular body centered on a rotation axis portion, an outer annular body provided radially outward of the inner annular body, a wheel portion including a connecting member elastically deforming and for connecting the inner annular body and the outer annular body, and a tread portion provided radially outward of the outer annular body and in contact with a road. The non-pneumatic tire is provided with an electrode portion which is in contact with the tread portion and is provided on the radially inner side of tread portion, and a wiring portion which connects the electrode portion and the inner annular body and is formed of a conductor. A part of the wheel portion is formed of a nonmetallic material, and the electrode portion is formed of a conductor having a prescribed width in tire width direction and a prescribed length in tire circumferential direction.

A laminated product (10) comprises at least: a layer (1) of silicone rubber, in particular of the high temperature crosslinking type, such as, for example, a silicone rubber of VMQ or PVMQ grade the said layer (1) of silicone rubber being sandwiched between two layers (2) of fibre-resin composite comprising filaments (3) of an inorganic substance (4), in particular glass, embedded in a thermoset resin (5), such as, for example, a vinyl ester resin. The silicone layer has a thickness, denoted T.sub.1, of between 1.5 and 3 times the thickness T.sub.2 of each layer of fibre-resin composite, which is between 0.25 and 2 mm. Such a laminate may be used in the manufacture of a finished article, in particular of a non-pneumatic wheel or tire.

A laminated product (10) comprises at least: a layer (1) of silicone rubber, in particular of the high temperature crosslinking type, such as, for example, a silicone rubber of VMQ or PVMQ grade the said layer (1) of silicone rubber being sandwiched between two layers (2) of fibre-resin composite comprising filaments (3) of an inorganic substance (4), in particular glass, embedded in a thermoset resin (5), such as, for example, a vinyl ester resin. The silicone layer has a thickness, denoted T.sub.1, of between 1.5 and 3 times the thickness T.sub.2 of each layer of fibre-resin composite, which is between 0.25 and 2 mm. Such a laminate may be used in the manufacture of a finished article, in particular of a non-pneumatic wheel or tire.

This disclosure relates to a wheel component (1, 20) for a wheel of a vehicle, having a hub (2), which can be connected in a rotationally secure manner to a hub flange of the vehicle and which at least partially comprises a metal material, a rim (4, 21) for receiving a tire of the wheel, and spokes (7) which connect the hub (2) to the rim (4, 21). The wheel component includes at least one spoke (7) including a spoke portion (8, 24), which comprises an injection-molded thermoplastic material, and further including a spoke reinforcement element (9, 25) at least partially embedded into the spoke portion. The spoke reinforcement element at least partially comprises a fiber-reinforced plastic material.

Disclosed are an explosion-proof tire hub, including a hub body and an explosion-proof convex retainer. The hub body includes bent portions configured to mount a vacuum tire, the hub body is provided with a central axis, the explosion-proof convex retainer is fixed on the hub body, the distance between an upper end of the explosion-proof convex retainer and the central axis is L1, the distance between an upper end of the bent portion and the central axis is L2, and L1 is greater than L2. In case of burst or instantaneous pressure loss, because the distance L1 between the upper end of the explosion-proof convex retainer and the central axis is greater than the distance L2 between the upper end of the bent portion and the central axis, the explosion-proof convex retainer reduces the distance between the whole hub and the ground during tire burst and improves safety performance.

A patient support apparatus comprises a base supported by caster assemblies with each caster assembly comprising a stem, a caster wheel, and a caster wheel axle. A patient support surface is coupled to the base and is configured to receive a load. One or more load sensors are integrated with at least one of the stem, the caster wheel, or the caster wheel axle for measuring the load. One or more of the caster assemblies can be coupled to a steering motor, which controls orientation of the caster assembly. A controller can control the steering motors based on analyzing the measurements of the load sensor. The load sensors can produce measurements indicative of both vertical load and non-vertical load applied to the caster assembly. The controller can also analyze the measurements of the load sensor to determine the load received by the patient support surface by negating the non-vertical load.