I claim:
1. A woven felly tube of textile material for securing a sound absorbing body to the felly of a wheel adapted to receive a pneumatic tire, said felly tube consisting of a circumferentially extending central region flanked on opposite sides by selvage regions consisting at least in part of moisture or heat shrinkable threads, the weight per unit area of said material being substantially greater in said selvage regions than in said central region, said moisture or heat shrinkable threads being woven into said selvage regions, said woven felly tube having a change of cross-weaving binding type in a transition between the central region and each of the selvage regions, the cross-weaving binding type in said selvage region having longer weft floats than in said central region.
2. The woven felly tube defined in claim 1 wherein the number of binding points per unit area of said selvage regions is at least half the number of binding points per unit area of said central region.
3. The woven felly tube defined in claim 1 wherein the threads constituting said selvage regions in the warp direction are substantially all shrinkable textile threads.
4. The woven felly tube defined in claim 1 wherein said selvage regions have a hollow hose cross-weave binding pattern.
5. The woven felly tube defined in claim 1 wherein said selvage regions have an atlas binding pattern.
6. The woven felly tube defined in claim 1 wherein said selvage regions have a twill binding pattern.
7. The woven felly tube defined in claim 1 wherein said selvage regions have a fancy marking pattern.
8. The woven felly tube defined in claim 1 wherein said selvage regions have a weight per unit area which is at least eight times the weight per unit area of said central region.
9. The woven felly tube defined in claim 1 wherein all the weft threads and warp threads of said central region are composed of nylon and the shrinkable warp threads of the selvage regions are composed of polyvinylalcohol.
10. The woven felly tube defined in claim 1 wherein all the weft threads and warp threads of said central region are composed of polyester and the shrinkable warp threads of the selvage regions are composed of polyvinylalcohol.
11. A wheel assembly comprising:
a wheel having a felly;
a sound absorbing body mounted in said felly;
a woven felly tube of textile material securing said sound absorbing body to said felly, said felly tube consisting of a circumferentially extending central region flanked on opposite sides by selvage regions consisting at least in part of moisture or heat shrinkable threads, the weight per unit area of said material being substantially greater in said selvage regions than in said central region, said moisture or heat shrinkable threads being woven into said selvage regions, said woven felly tube having a change of cross-weaving binding type in a transition between the central region and each of the selvage regions, the cross-weaving binding type in said selvage region having longer weft floats than in said central region, said threads being shrunk to retain said body on said felly; and
a pneumatic tire mounted on said felly and enclosing said felly tube and said body.
12. The wheel assembly defined in claim 11 wherein the number of binding points per unit area of said selvage regions is at least half the number of binding points per unit area of said central region.
13. The wheel assembly defined in claim 11 wherein the threads constituting said selvage regions in the warp direction are substantially all shrinkable textile threads.
14. The wheel assembly defined in claim 11 wherein said selvage regions have a hollow hose cross-weave binding pattern.
15. The wheel assembly defined in claim 11 wherein said selvage regions have an atlas binding pattern.
16. The wheel assembly defined in claim 11 wherein said selvage regions have a twill binding pattern.
17. The wheel assembly defined in claim 11 wherein said selvage regions have a fancy marking pattern.
18. The wheel assembly defined in claim 11 wherein said selvage regions have a weight per unit area which is at least eight times the weight per unit area of said central region.
19. The wheel assembly defined in claim 11 wherein all the weft threads and warp threads of said central region are composed of nylon and the shrinkable warp threads of the selvage regions are composed of polyvinylalcohol.
20. The wheel assembly defined in claim 11 wherein all the weft threads and warp threads of said central region are composed of polyester and the shrinkable warp threads of the selvage regions are composed of polyvinylalcohol.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A rotary device for use with a fluid, the device comprising:
a housing having a tubular surface, the tubular surface having a rotation axis passing therethrough in spaced relation and having first and second ports defined therein;
a rotor mounted for rotation about the axis, the rotor including a body mounted interiorly of the tubular surface and having a plurality of slots, each slot extending at least generally radially from the axis;
for each slot, a vane, the vane being mounted in the slot for reciprocation such that the tubular surface can be swept by the vanes as the rotor body rotates;
an arrangement for causing the vanes to retract and extend as the rotor body rotates, to sweep the tubular surface; and
a sealing structure providing a seal to permit said fluid to flow into and out of the rotary device substantially only via the first and second ports and adapted such that the vanes create chambers which decrease in volume when in communication with the first port and increase in volume when in communication with the second port,
characterized in that the arrangement is such that, in use, each vane extends and retracts only when the fluid pressure on the leading and trailing surface of the vane is substantially equal.
2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the tubular surface is oval in cross-section.
3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the arrangement is defined by
an oval track defined in the housing; and
for each vane, a track follower which traverses the track and is rigidly connected to said each vane.
4. A device according to claim 3, wherein:
the oval track is defined by a pair of oval raceways defined on opposite sides of the housing body; and
the track follower for each vane is defined by a roller assembly for each raceway, each roller assembly including an arm extending from said each vane and a roller rotatably mounted to the arm to traverse said raceway.
5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the rotor body is cylindrical.
6. A device according to claim 2, wherein each vane extends and retracts along a translation axis defined by the slot for which said each vane is provided, said translation axis being offset from the rotation axis such that, in use, when the fluid pressure on the leading and trailing surface of the vane is otherwise than substantially equal, said each vane is orientated substantially perpendicular to the direction of fluid flow.
7. A device according to claim 6, wherein the rotor further comprises a pair of discs mounted on opposite sides of the rotor body and having grooves defined therewith aligned with the slots of the rotor body to support the vanes when extended.
8. A device according to claim 6, further comprising a main shaft rigidly mounted to the rotor and defining the rotation axis.
9. A device according to claim 7, further comprising:
a secondary shaft rotatably coupled to the housing; and
a gear arrangement operatively coupling the secondary shaft to the rotor.
10. A device according to claim 9, wherein the gear arrangement comprises:
a pair of first gears carried by the secondary shaft; and
for each first gear, a second gear carried by the rotor and in mesh with said each first gear.
11. A device according to claim 1, wherein, in use, as each vane passes the pumping area, a gap opens between the tubular surface and the vane, and as each vane approaches the pumping area, the gap closes.
12. A device according to claim 3, wherein:
the oval track is defined by a pair of oval raceways defined on opposite sides of the housing body; and
the track follower for each vane is defined by a roller assembly for each raceway, each roller assembly including an arm extending from said each vane and terminating in a pintle and a bearing receiving the pintle for rotation and itself mounted for sliding motion along said raceway.
13. A device according to claim 12, wherein the bearing functions in the manner of a spring to allows for limited radial motion of the vane.
14. A device according to claim 12, wherein the bearings are pre-stressed so as to counter frictional forces that would otherwise tend to rotate the bearings in the raceways and result in wear and binding in use.
15. A device according to claim 13, wherein the raceways are adapted such that, but for the spring action of the bearings, the wipers would be in interference contact with the tubular surface.
16. A device according to claim 1, wherein each slot has a surface against which the vane for said slot slides, the surface being defined by a plurality of raised ridges, so as to define channels in which fluid can travel and avoid hydraulic lock on vane extension and retraction which could otherwise occur.
17. A device according to claim 15, wherein vent plates are provided for and define part of each slot, each vent plate defining the surface having raised ridges against which the vane slides and terminating at its radial limit in an arcuate extension of the rotor body.