Abstract: This invention relates generally to wheel assemblies for a material handling vehicle, such as forklifts and pallet trucks, and the components therein. In one preferred embodiment, the wheel assemblies include conductive brush spacer assembly with tunable properties (conductivity/resistance, as well as mechanical properties) to adapt the brush spacer assembly. Embodiments of the present application may be used in various wheel assemblies, as discussed herein.

Abstract: A tire comprising a continuous channel defined by spaced apart sidewalls coupled at a first end to a bridging member and at a second end to a contact member that is coupled to a disc contact portion, said tire being formed by rotational molding of a polyurethane and configured for mounting on a wheel rim.

Abstract: A load wheel for a vehicle is provided having a cylindrical hub with an axis, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, an outer surface, a central core extending coaxially within the hub, and a plurality of passageways extending in an axial direction between the first and second sidewall. A solid, non-pneumatic tire is bonded to the outer surface of the hub, and a set of bearing is mounted in the central core of the hub. The hub is characterized by a “heat factor” equal to the (hub mass×hub specific heat)/surface area exposed. The heat factor for a hub comprising passageways is compared to the heat factor for a solid hub to derive a heat factor ratio, which is used to select the exposed surface area of the hub and maintain the operating temperature of the wheel below the failure temperature.

Abstract: A tire comprising a continuous channel defined by spaced apart sidewalls coupled at a first end to a bridging member and at a second end to a contact member that is coupled to a disc contact portion, said tire being formed by rotational molding of a polyurethane and configured for mounting on a wheel rim.