An apparatus (1) for mounting a tyre (P) on a respective rim (C) of a wheel (R) of a vehicle comprises: a frame (100); a chuck (3) which rotates about an axis of rotation (R1); a working tool (2) movable relative to the frame (100) towards the wheel (R); a bead seating device (4) configured to generate an air flow to be injected between a flange of the rim (C) and a bead of the tyre (P). The bead seating device (4) is movable relative to the chuck (3) along a transverse orientation (T), perpendicular to the axis of rotation (R1), between a rest position (P1), in which the bead seating device (4) is spaced from the rim (C), and a working position (P2), in which the bead seating device (4) is interposed between the flange of the rim (C) and the bead of the tyre (P). The bead seating device (4) includes a rigid element (401), an injection nozzle (403) and a duct (404). At the working position (P2), the bead seating device (4) is operatively constrained rigidly to the frame (100) and is configured to remain independently and fixedly stationary at the position (P2), even when subjected to a force generated by the air flow.

A method for inflating a tyre mounted on a corresponding wheel rim comprises the following steps in sequence; placing a tool at an operating position, where a first bead of the tyre is interposed between the tool and a second bead of the tyre, and one end of tool is positioned axially between a first flange of the rim and a first rib of the rim and positioned radially between an outside surface of the rim and a tread of the tyre; blowing a gas under pressure through an inflation valve of the tyre into a chamber delimited by the tyre and by the rim, with the tool at the operating position, so that the first sidewall of the tyre is pressed against the end of the tool; removing the tool from the operating position.

A nozzle for seating a tubeless tire on a rim using pressurized gas includes a coupling neck configured to accept the pressurized gas from a pressurized tank, a choke point adapter connected to the coupling neck and a nozzle body configured with a nozzle output. Pressurized air introduced into the coupling neck pass through the nozzle and exits the nozzle output in a burst of the pressurized gas that is directed between the tubeless tire and the rim to inflate the tire. The choke point adapter has a chokepoint surface with a chokepoint angle of sufficient angle to aid in reducing the recoil of the tubeless tire seating device.

A nozzle for seating a tubeless tire on a rim using pressurized gas includes a coupling neck configured to accept the pressurized gas from a pressurized tank, a choke point adapter connected to the coupling neck and a nozzle body configured with a nozzle output. Pressurized air introduced into the coupling neck pass through the nozzle and exits the nozzle output in a burst of the pressurized gas that is directed between the tubeless tire and the rim to inflate the tire. The choke point adapter has a chokepoint surface with a chokepoint angle of sufficient angle to aid in reducing the recoil of the tubeless tire seating device.

A tool for seating a tubeless tire on a rim using pressurized gas includes a cylindrical pressure tank with a nozzle affixed to it, and a rapid opening gas valve. The nozzle includes a jet configured to receive pressurized gas from the cylindrical pressure vessel into a chamber of the nozzle. As the stream of gas enters the chamber, the Venturi effect causes air to enter the chamber through air intake ports and the stream of gas and air from the air intake ports is blown out of the outlet of the nozzle. The tire is seated on the rim by positioning the system so that the air from the nozzle rapidly blows into the tire between the bead of the tire and the rim upon the valve being opened.

A pneumatic tire seater configured to seat a tubeless tire on a rim has a manual internal slip (MIS) valve mounted on the end of a tank. A nozzle is mounted on one end of the MIS valve, and the other end extends partially into the air tank. The MIS valve has a slotted chamber with slotted chamber holes, and a slip cylinder that fits within the slotted chamber and has slip cylinder holes. A compression spring in the MIS valve exerts force on the slotted cylinder, pushing it forward to line up the cylinder holes with the slotted chamber holes and release the high pressure air from within the tank which goes through the MIS valve and out the nozzle.

Methods of inflating a tire on a wheel assembly having a rim, an inflation port in the rim, a bead seat band over the inflation port, an O-ring between the rim and the bead seat band, at least one radial port in the bead seat band and the tire over the bead seat band may include obtaining at least one bead band clamp including a main clamp portion, a band portion extending from the main clamp portion, a rim portion extending from the main clamp portion in spaced-apart relationship to the band portion, a first rim engaging assembly carried by the rim portion and a second rim engaging assembly carried by the main clamp portion; aligning the at least one radial port in the bead seat band with the O-ring; deploying the at least one bead band clamp in place on the wheel assembly by engagement of the band portion with the bead seat band and engagement of the first rim engaging assembly and the second rim engaging assembly with the rim; inflating the tire; and removing the at least one bead band clamp from the wheel assembly. A bead band clamp which facilitates inflation of a tire on a wheel assembly is also disclosed.

A tire air filling mechanism in a tire testing device includes an air supply source which supplies air into a tire to be mounted between a pair of rims attached to ends of tire shafts. An injection direction of the air supplied into the tire from the air supply source is set at a direction inclined with respect to a radial direction of the tire, so that the air supplied from the air supply source can be turned inside the tire.

A pneumatic tire seater for seating a tubeless tire on a rim has an advanced rapid air release (RAR) valve mounted on a tank suitable for containing pressurized air. A nozzle is mounted on one end of the RAR valve, and the other end of the valve is in unconstrained pneumatic communication with the interior of the air tank. A piston is within a cylinder of the RAR valve. A control chamber behind the piston contains a compression spring. Control gas passageways provide constrained pneumatic communication between the control chamber and the air tank, passing control gas into the control chamber. In response to actuating a control mechanism, the air in the control chamber is vented out into the atmosphere causing the RAR valve to rapidly open, producing a blast of air of sufficient magnitude to seat a tire on a rim.

In a tire removal processing, a clamping step and a tire removing step are executed. In the clamping step, a tire is clamped by an upper support and a lower support by bringing the lower support into contact with a lower side wall of the tire in a state where a lower rim is fitted in the tire and the upper support is in contact with an upper side wall of the tire. In the tire removing step, the tire is detached from the lower rim by relatively moving the lower rim vertically downward with respect to a lower support while the clamping step is maintained.