US4095637A — Solid polyurethane tire/wheel assembly

Claim 1

Independent Claim 448 words

A solid industrial polyurethane tire where said polyurethane is prepared by reacting (A) a curative of 1,3-propane diol with a prepolymer of diphenylmethane-4,4'-diisocyanate and a polymeric polyol or (B) a curative complex of 4,4'-methylene dianiline and a salt selected from sodium chloride, sodium bromide, sodium iodide, sodium nitrite, lithium chloride, lithium bromide, lithium iodide, lithium nitrite and sodium cyanide, where said salt is first dispersed in a plasticizer selected from at least one of dioctyl phthalate, tetraethylene glycol di(2-ethylhexoate) and dibutoxyethoxyethyl formal, with a prepolymer of a diisocyanate selected from (1) diphenylmethane-4,4'-diisocyanate and (2) toluene diisocyanate with a polymeric polyether polyol; where said polymeric polyol has a molecular weight in the range of about 800 to about 2500 comprised of polypropylene ether glycol in the amount of (i) about 90 to about 100 weight percent when combination (A) is used, (ii) about 30 to about 80 weight percent when combination (B-1) is used or (iii) about 50 to about 100 weight percent when combination (B-2) is used, where the corresponding remainder of said polymeric polyol is selected from at least one of (a) a polyether ester selected from at least one of diethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol and dibutylene glycol ester of a dicarboxylic acid selected from at least one of adipic acid, isophthalic acid, phthalic acid and terephthalic acid and (b) at least one polyester polyol derived from a saturated hydrocarbon diol having 2 to 6 carbon atoms and a dicarboxylic acid selected from at least one of adipic, succinic, azelaic, phthalic and terephthalic acids, where the ratio of isocyanato groups to hydroxyl groups of said polymeric polyols is in the range of about 1.7/1 to about 2.3/1 and where the ratio of sum of hydroxyl groups of said 1,3-propane diol, if used, and amine groups of said 4,4'-methylene dianiline complex, if used, to the excess isocyanato groups over said polymeric polyol hydroxyl groups is in the range of about 0.8/1 to about 1.1/1, said tire characterized by (A) a polyurethane having a compression set of about 15 to about 45 percent determined by ASTM D-395 Method B and a Goodrich flex life of about 15 minutes or more (ASTM D-623 test modified by having a 437 psi load at 38° C. starting temperature and a 0.15 inch stroke, or (B) capable of supporting an incrementally increased load up to at least about 7700 pounds for at least about 65 hours at a speed of about 3 miles per hour when said wheel assembly has a ground contacting tire portion with an outside diameter of about 15 inches, a width of about 5 inches and an inside diameter of about 11 inches adhered to a steel centered core.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 448 words

A solid industrial polyurethane tire where said polyurethane is prepared by reacting (A) a curative of 1,3-propane diol with a prepolymer of diphenylmethane-4,4'-diisocyanate and a polymeric polyol or (B) a curative complex of 4,4'-methylene dianiline and a salt selected from sodium chloride, sodium bromide, sodium iodide, sodium nitrite, lithium chloride, lithium bromide, lithium iodide, lithium nitrite and sodium cyanide, where said salt is first dispersed in a plasticizer selected from at least one of dioctyl phthalate, tetraethylene glycol di(2-ethylhexoate) and dibutoxyethoxyethyl formal, with a prepolymer of a diisocyanate selected from (1) diphenylmethane-4,4'-diisocyanate and (2) toluene diisocyanate with a polymeric polyether polyol; where said polymeric polyol has a molecular weight in the range of about 800 to about 2500 comprised of polypropylene ether glycol in the amount of (i) about 90 to about 100 weight percent when combination (A) is used, (ii) about 30 to about 80 weight percent when combination (B-1) is used or (iii) about 50 to about 100 weight percent when combination (B-2) is used, where the corresponding remainder of said polymeric polyol is selected from at least one of (a) a polyether ester selected from at least one of diethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol and dibutylene glycol ester of a dicarboxylic acid selected from at least one of adipic acid, isophthalic acid, phthalic acid and terephthalic acid and (b) at least one polyester polyol derived from a saturated hydrocarbon diol having 2 to 6 carbon atoms and a dicarboxylic acid selected from at least one of adipic, succinic, azelaic, phthalic and terephthalic acids, where the ratio of isocyanato groups to hydroxyl groups of said polymeric polyols is in the range of about 1.7/1 to about 2.3/1 and where the ratio of sum of hydroxyl groups of said 1,3-propane diol, if used, and amine groups of said 4,4'-methylene dianiline complex, if used, to the excess isocyanato groups over said polymeric polyol hydroxyl groups is in the range of about 0.8/1 to about 1.1/1, said tire characterized by (A) a polyurethane having a compression set of about 15 to about 45 percent determined by ASTM D-395 Method B and a Goodrich flex life of about 15 minutes or more (ASTM D-623 test modified by having a 437 psi load at 38° C. starting temperature and a 0.15 inch stroke, or (B) capable of supporting an incrementally increased load up to at least about 7700 pounds for at least about 65 hours at a speed of about 3 miles per hour when said wheel assembly has a ground contacting tire portion with an outside diameter of about 15 inches, a width of about 5 inches and an inside diameter of about 11 inches adhered to a steel centered core.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 160 words

The tire of claim 1 comprising a substantially solid industrial wheel containing a solid polyurethane ground contacting portion, where said polyurethane ground contacting portion is prepared by reacting 1,3-propane diol with the reaction product of a diisocyanate selected from diphenyl methane-4,4'-diisocyanate and a mixture of 2,4- and 2,6-toluene diisocyantes with at least one polymeric polyol having a molecular weight in the range of about 800 to about 2500 comprised of about 50 to about 90 weight percent polypropylene ether glycol and, correspondingly, about 50 to about 10 weight percent of a polyether ester selected from diethylene glycol adipate and diethylene glycol isophthalate, where the ratio of isocyanato groups of said diisocyanate to hydroxyl groups of said polymeric polyols is in the range of about 1.7/1 to about 2.3/1 and where the ratio of hydroxyl groups of said 1,3-propane diol to excess isocyanato groups over said hydroxyl groups of polymeric polyols is in the range of about 0.85/1 to about 0.95/1.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 88 words

The tire of claim 1 where, in said polyurethane, said polyether esters are selected from at least one of the diethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol and dibutylene glycol esters of dicarboxylic acids selected from adipic acid, terephthalic acid and isophthalic acid, and where said polyester polyols are selected from the product of at least one glycol selected from ethylene glycol, 1,3-propane diol, 1,4-butane diol, neopentyl glycol, 1,6-hexane diol, 1,7-heptane diol with a dicarboxylic acid selected from adipic acid, sebacic acid, azelaic acid, succinic acid, phthalic acid and terephthalic acid.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 33 words

The tire of claim 1, where in the preparation of said polyurethane, said diamine is first dispersed in dioctyl phthalate, and where said diamine is a complex of sodium chloride and 4,4'-methylene dianiline.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 112 words

A solid industrial polyurethane tire according to claim 1 adhered to a centered rigid core to form a wheel assembly, said core adapted to fit on an axle of an industrial vehicle, and said polyurethane tire constituting the ground contacting portion of said wheel assembly, and where, in the preparation of said polyurethane, the ratio of isocyanato groups to hydroxyl groups of said polymeric polyols is in the range of about 1.7/1 to about 2.3/1 and the ratio of the sum of hydroxyl and amine groups of said 1,3-propane diol, if used, and diamine complex, is used, curative to excess isocyanato groups is in the range of about 0.85/1 to about 0.95/1.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 84 words

The method of preparing the solid polyurethane tire of claim 1 which comprises applying the polyurethane precursors, as a fluid reaction mixture, into a mold cavity in which a rigid centered core member has been inserted, curing said reaction mixture at a temperature in the range of about 80° C to about 150° C to form the resilient polyurethane tire portion adhered to the rigid core member, thereby defining a tire/wheel assembly, and removing said tire with its adhering core member from the mold.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1981-06-19	1981-12-19	1982-06-20	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1985-06-19	1985-12-19	1986-06-20	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1989-06-19	1989-12-19	1990-06-20	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Solid polyurethane tire/wheel assembly

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