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Method and Apparatus for Injecting Sealant Directly Into Tire Punctures

20210039340 ยท 2021-02-11

    Inventors

    Cpc classification

    International classification

    Abstract

    A small amount of high viscosity sealant is injected under high pressure into pneumatic tire punctures. By eliminating the steps of wheel, tire and tube removal and reassembly, air leakage is permanently blocked in seconds reducing down time by two orders of magnitude.

    Claims

    1. An apparatus with a means of developing pressure to force sealant from a vessel for injection of said sealant directly into a puncture on a pneumatic tire.

    2. The apparatus in claim 1 where said vessel is a hollow cylinder and said pressure is developed by a piston moving in said cylinder.

    3. The apparatus in claim 2 where said hollow cylinder contains said sealant.

    4. The apparatus in claim 3 where said cylinder has a narrow bore to develop high pressure to force high viscosity sealant through said cylinder into said puncture.

    5. The apparatus in claim 1 where said sealant is elastomeric and cures.

    6. The apparatus in claim 1 where said sealant remains a viscous liquid for a long time.

    7. The apparatus in claim 1 where said vessel is made of a material that can be heated to lower the viscosity of said sealant.

    Description

    DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

    [0008] FIG. 1 Cross Section of Punctured Tire and Injector

    REFERENCE NUMBERS TO THE DRAWING

    [0009] 11 narrow bore cylinder [0010] 13 piston rod [0011] 15 spherical piston head [0012] 17 high viscosity sealant [0013] 19 thumb plate [0014] 21 inside of tire [0015] 23 typical puncturing object

    DETAILED DESCRIPTION

    [0016] From hydraulics the pressure in a cylinder is the force on the piston divided by the cross sectional area of the cylinder. If the piston-cylinder arrangement has a small enough cross sectional area, a relatively small force on the piston will result in a large pressure, enough to overcome the viscous forces of the sealant as well as the pressure inside of the vehicle tire. Since most punctures are very small in diameter the puncture can be sealed with just a few micro liters of sealant. One small light weight tube weighing a few grams can easily repair multiple punctures.

    Method

    [0017] When the cyclist first becomes aware that the tire is punctured, either by loss of air pressure or directly observing the puncturing object, he stops, rotates the wheel until the puncture is accessible. The injector is pressed against the rubber surrounding the puncture with enough force to create a seal between the tire and the injector. The sealant is then pumped into the tire and inner tube. If the puncturing object didn't completely penetrate the tire, the sealant will not flow into the tire and is indicated by a high resistance to flow in the injector.