CN215904242U - Ultra-lightweight steel wheel for commercial vehicles - Google Patents
Ultra-lightweight steel wheel for commercial vehicles Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CN215904242U CN215904242U CN202121298089.6U CN202121298089U CN215904242U CN 215904242 U CN215904242 U CN 215904242U CN 202121298089 U CN202121298089 U CN 202121298089U CN 215904242 U CN215904242 U CN 215904242U
- Authority
- CN
- China
- Prior art keywords
- wheel
- rim
- steel
- spoke
- thickness
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
- Y02T10/80—Technologies aiming to reduce greenhouse gasses emissions common to all road transportation technologies
- Y02T10/86—Optimisation of rolling resistance, e.g. weight reduction
Abstract
The present application relates to an ultra lightweight steel wheel (1) for commercial vehicles having a rim (2) for mounting a tire and a spoke (3) having a hub flange (5) for detachable connection to a wheel hub, wherein the rim (2) and the spoke (3) are made of a heat treated and hardened steel material, the rim (2) has a maximum thickness (T3) of 4.50mm or less, the wheel diameter (D) is 560mm or more, the wheel width (W) is 200mm or more, characterized in that the spoke (3) has a maximum thickness (T3) of 4.50mm or less, and the wheel diameter (D) is 200mm or more, and the wheel width (W) is 200mm or more, and the wheel is characterized in that the spoke (3) has a maximum thickness (T) of the wheel thickness (T) of 4.50mm or less, and the wheel width (W) is smaller than the maximum thickness (D) of the wheel thickness (W) of the wheelThe large thickness (T1) is less than or equal to 12.00mm, and the value of the wheel diameter (D) multiplied by the wheel width (W) divided by the wheel mass is more than 4000mm2/kg。
Description
Technical Field
The present application relates to an ultra lightweight steel wheel for commercial vehicles with excellent material properties and advanced design, consisting of a rim for mounting a tire and a spoke with a hub flange for detachable connection to a wheel hub or wheel axle, wherein the rim and the spoke are made of a heat treated and hardened steel material, wherein the maximum thickness of the rim is less than or equal to 4.50mm, wherein the wheel diameter is greater than or equal to 560mm and the wheel width is greater than or equal to 200 mm.
Background
Standard steel wheels for Commercial Vehicles (CVs) such as trucks, buses and trailers are constructed from a permanently fixed one-piece wheel web and a one-piece wheel rim. The wheel rim forms the outer peripheral portion of the wheel and is thus used to retain an inner or tubeless tire. The wheel spoke has a hub flange for detachable connection to a wheel hub of a vehicle. For decades, cold forming processes have been used to mass produce wheel spokes and rims from flat steel materials. Steel materials with a carbon content of less than 0.18 wt.% and/or a tensile strength (R) are generally usedm) Non-alloyed steels, structural steels or micro alloyed fine grained structural steels (e.g. HR 420/S420 MC) below 700 MPa. The primary requirements for commercial vehicle wheels are maximum fatigue life, safety and strength with minimum weight and cost.
The lightening of commercial vehicles has a direct impact on the overall fuel/energy consumption, sustainability and payload increase, since the wheels are also in rotational motion and therefore their mass is an important influencing factor. In addition, due to CO2With increasing and stringent emissions regulations, OEMs are looking for sustainable and cost-effective lightweight solutions for automotive and truck components.
In order to reduce the weight of the wheel, it is known practice to reduce the thickness of the component locally, leaving the overall performance unaffected and still meeting the requirements. For example, the hub flange of the spoke may be about twice as thick as the tapered wheel spoke area or outer flange for engagement with the rim. A local and gradual thickness reduction may be achieved by spinning/spin forming of the spokes and/or the rim, which are examples disclosed in international patent applications WO 2015/159231a1 (for spokes) and WO 2018/051282a1 (for rims).
Another way to achieve weight reduction is to use steel materials with higher strength, as disclosed for example in patent CN 103909381B 1. Generally, high-strength steel is accompanied by a decrease in formability and workability, which makes it difficult to sufficiently exploit the potential for weight reduction. Furthermore, higher material strength does not automatically correlate to higher fatigue performance and safety, which is a key factor enabling further weight reduction of the innovative steel wheels.
The problem that the present application aims to solve is to provide an ultra lightweight and cost effective steel wheel for a commercial vehicle that can be designed with fatigue performance, safety and weight in an optimized manner compared to the known prior art.
Disclosure of Invention
According to the application, the above-mentioned problem is solved by the feature that the maximum thickness of the spoke is less than or equal to 12.00mm and the value of the wheel diameter multiplied by the wheel width divided by the wheel mass is more than 4000mm2/kg, preferably greater than 4400mm2/kg, in particular greater than 4600mm2/kg。
The rim and the spokes are made of a heat-treated and hardened steel material, in particular a steel material of this type having a carbon content of between 0.18 and 0.37% by weight, the wheel spokes and the rim being composed mainly of a martensitic microstructure and having a tensile strength of at least 900 MPa.
Through a comprehensive study of fatigue tests based on special bending specimens of different steel grades, the inventors have surprisingly found that steel materials based on a martensitic microstructure and having a specified chemical composition show significantly improved fatigue properties under cyclic bending loads, which is particularly beneficial for wheel applications. The goal of a particular alternative test (sample strip) is to reproduce the uneven stress state of the wheel during the bending fatigue test. During fatigue testing, one end of a given sample is clamped in the assay device and the opposite free end is exposed to a sinusoidal load (alternating load). A related wheel replacement test method is disclosed in patent EP 3115767B 1.
Based on the test results, table 1 shows exemplary extracts, identifying favorable steel materials with an average cyclic bending fatigue strength at least three times higher than standard steels for commercial vehicle wheels (e.g., HR 420). Furthermore, the fatigue properties of heat treated and hardened steel materials B and C are significantly reduced compared to the favourable steel material a, thus also demonstrating that an increase in material strength and/or carbon content does not automatically lead directly to better fatigue behaviour. Furthermore, an increase of the additional properties of the heat treated and hardened steel material can be achieved by a specific surface treatment.
TABLE 1
| Material | C | Si | Mn | Cr | Mo | Flexural fatigue |
| HR 420 | 0.11 | 0.1 | 1.52 | - | - | 440MPa |
| Steel A | 0.22 | 0.21 | 1.22 | 0.08 | - | 1470MPa |
| Steel B | 0.38 | 0.39 | 0.78 | 1.0 | 0.24 | 950MPa |
| Steel C | 0.45 | 0.41 | 0.62 | 0.31 | 0.08 | 900MPa |
The second part of the present application relates to the application of determined material properties and determined advantageous stress conditions for the development and new design of lightweight steel wheels with diameters of 560mm to 600mm and widths of 200mm to 300 mm. Through further intensive research work based on simulations and subsequent prototype testing, it was determined that if the value of the wheel diameter times the wheel width divided by the wheel mass is greater than 4000mm2/kg, preferably greater than 4400mm2/kg, in particular greater than 4600mm2In the case of/kg, the performance of the wheel according to the application is particularly advantageous. Further, the value of the maximum thickness of the rim portion multiplied by the maximum thickness of the spoke portion does not exceed 56mm2Preferably not more than 50mm2. In particular, the maximum thickness of the rim portion should be less than or equal to 4.50mm and/or the maximum thickness of the spoke portion should be less than or equal to 12.00 mm. Therefore, the fatigue strength and safetyWhile the requirements in terms of aspect are still feasible, a significant weight reduction and reduction of the moment of inertia of the developed wheel can be achieved.
The width and diameter of the wheel are measured from bead seat to bead seat area according to standards defined in, for example, ETRTO, T & RA, and DIN. The total mass of the steel wheel was determined as the wheel mass, regardless of the tire. The maximum thickness of the spokes is generally located at the hub flange, i.e. in the region where the wheel is fastened (bolted) to the hub or wheel axle, and the minimum spoke thickness is generally in the tapered region and/or in the region where it contacts the rim. The maximum thickness of the rim is usually obtained at the well and/or at the junction area of the drop well rim and/or at the rim edge which is in direct contact with the tire and therefore needs to withstand high local stress concentrations.
In order to properly balance the stress distribution of the disclosed lightweight steel wheel, and thereby maximize weight reduction, the maximum thickness combination of the rim and spoke portions is specified to be 56mm2Preferably 50mm2Is very important. Reasonable value of maximum thickness combination should exceed 15mm2Preferably 20mm2. It has been found that when the maximum thickness combination has a value greater than 56mm2The potential for weight reduction cannot be exploited sufficiently and in some applications and designs even results in poor performance because the stiffness and deformation behavior of the wheel between the wheel hub and the tire are not properly balanced, so that high local stress concentrations are introduced in the steel wheel, which leads to overload and early failure. By limiting the maximum rim thickness to at most 4.50mm and the maximum spoke thickness to at most 12.00mm, the best performance results can be obtained. Therefore, according to the new finding of the present application, the maximum thickness ratio of the rim and the spoke should be limited within a specified range and satisfy the standard.
Furthermore, the rim thickness should not be less than the minimum thickness of 1.5mm, preferably not less than 2.0mm, in particular not less than 2.5mm at any location to ensure sufficient local stiffness and strength of the rim. Furthermore, the minimum thickness of the spokes in the region of the hub flange should not be less than 6.0mm, preferably not less than 7.50 mm; and not less than 2.0mm, preferably not less than 2.5mm, and especially not less than 3.0mm in the tapered region to avoid undesirable stress localization in the spoke and thereby prevent early crack initiation and overall component failure.
In order to further optimize the stress distribution in the joining zone of the spoke and rim, it was found that the value of the maximum rim thickness multiplied by the minimum spoke thickness in the tapered zone and/or in the contact zone does not exceed 30mm2The local stress level can be reduced and homogenized. Otherwise, excessive stiffness of the joint will result in the onset of high stress concentrations near the contact area, which may lead to early failure of the martensitic microstructure predominating in the final part (spokes and rim), thereby reducing the overall performance of the disclosed wheel. The product of the minimum thickness of the spokes and the maximum thickness of the rim in the contact area should be more than 7mm2。
According to another embodiment of the steel commercial vehicle wheel according to the present application, the spoke and rim portions are press-fitted and otherwise secured by welding, brazing, bonding or other joining techniques. The press fit results in a doubling of the material of the overlap and contact area of the rim and the spokes. The total thickness of the lap joint in the contact area should be less than 11.0mm, preferably less than 9.5mm, to ensure a favorable transmission of stresses into the different components. It has been found that when the total thickness of the lap joint is greater than 11.0mm, premature failure of the heat treated and hardened steel component in the vicinity of the weld zone is primarily caused by inadequate stiffness transition, thereby resulting in complete failure of the entire wheel. On the other hand, the overall thickness should exceed 5mm to ensure proper fatigue and stiffness properties of the joint.
During assembly, the thermal joining technique will introduce additional heat in the final part (spoke/rim) and may influence/change the material properties of the heat treated and hardened steel dominated by the martensitic microstructure. According to the disclosed design criteria, a heat affected zone with local hardness below 350HV 0.1 and radius of 25mm around the weld zone of the contact area is acceptable, provided that press-fit and additional joining techniques are used. Furthermore, if the wheel spoke has an inspection hole whose hardness in the vicinity of the edge is not less than 350HV 0.1, an additional performance improvement can be obtained.
According to a further embodiment of the steel wheel for commercial vehicles according to the present application, the heat treated and hardened steel is boron steel or manganese boron steel, the microstructure of the heat treated and hardened steel of the spoke and/or rim mainly consisting of martensite, preferably more than 80%, in particular more than 90% of the microstructure consisting of martensite. Heat treatable steels such as 17MnB3, 20MnB5, 22MnB5, 30MnB5, 34MnB5 and the like are suitable for use in the hardening process and as workpieces for making wheel rims and spokes that exhibit desirable and optimal performance during bending fatigue testing and subsequent wheel prototype testing of steel samples. Compared to the conventionally used steel concept, the above-mentioned steels have a higher cyclic bending fatigue strength, which can in particular extend the service life of the respective component and can largely prevent premature material failure.
According to yet another embodiment of the commercial vehicle steel wheel according to the present application, an indirect hot stamping or press hardening process is applied to produce a heat treated and hardened steel material with a predominantly martensitic microstructure in the final part (spoke and rim).
According to yet another embodiment of the steel commercial vehicle wheel according to the present application, the heat treated and hardened spokes and rim have an average surface roughness (Ra) between 0.8 μm and 1.8 μm. In particular, the surface of the wheel disc and rim, which are heat treated and hardened, is mechanically treated, for example by shot peening or shot peening, in order to improve the surface quality of the final part (wheel disc and rim) which is dominated by a martensitic microstructure.
According to an embodiment of the steel commercial vehicle wheel according to the present application, the rim and the spokes are made of heat treated and hardened steel, wherein the rim and the spokes are mainly composed of a martensitic microstructure with a tensile strength of at least 900 MPa. Furthermore, the average tensile strength and/or stiffness of the hub flange region of the spoke is less than the average tensile strength and/or stiffness of the tapered region and/or the contact region of the spoke.
Drawings
The application will be elucidated in more detail below with the aid of the drawing, which depicts sample embodiments. Like parts have like reference numerals. In the drawings:
figure 1 shows a sample embodiment comprising a schematic cross-sectional view of a commercial vehicle wheel according to the present application,
fig. 2 shows a micrograph through the junction and contact area between the rim and the spokes.
Detailed Description
Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view through a sample embodiment of a steel wheel (1) for a commercial vehicle according to the present application. A commercial vehicle wheel (1) comprises: a drop well rim (2) with, for example, 15 ° bead seats for holding a tubeless tire, not shown; and a spoke (3) connected to the rim (2). The commercial vehicle wheel shown has a diameter (D) of 572mm and a width (W) of 229mm, is designed for a truck wheel size of 22.5 x 9.00 and a maximum wheel load of 4000 kg.
The spoke (3) is bowl-shaped and essentially comprises a planar hub flange area (5) and a conical area (10), the hub flange area (5) having a central hole (8) and bolt holes (9) for detachable connection to the hub, the conical area (10) having vent/inspection holes (11) and ending in a junction area (a) of the outer diameter and the rim (2). The spokes (3) are formed in one piece by spinning and have different thicknesses, the maximum thickness (T1) being located in the hub flange region (5) and reaching 11.0 mm.
The thickness of the tapered region (10) varies radially and has a minimum thickness of 4.0mm (T2). The spoke (3) is made of manganese boron steel, in particular 30MnB 5. After the spinning and post-treatment operations (e.g. cutting), the spoke (3) is heat treated and hardened to achieve a martensitic microstructure in the final part. The strength of the spoke (3) after heat treatment and hardening is greater than 1400MPa (Rm), in particular in the tapered region.
The rim (2) is annular and has an overall thickness (T3) of up to 3.7mm, with a maximum rim thickness of 3.7 mm. The rim is also constructed of manganese boron steel, particularly 20MnB 5. After being formed into a ring shape and shaped, the rim is also heat treated and hardened to achieve a fully martensitic microstructure in the final part. The material strength of the rim (2) after heat treatment is more than 1200 MPa.
The spoke (3) and the rim (2) are joined by press fitting and laser welding. The total thickness (O) of the lap joint is 7.7mm and therefore less than the maximum allowed thickness 11.0 mm. All defined thickness requirements are met based on the design thickness of the entire component. The maximum rim thickness (T3) multiplied by the minimum spoke thickness (T2) equals 14.8mm2Which is less than the specified value of 30mm2. The product of the thicknesses of (T1) and (T3) is equal to 40.7mm2Which is less than the specified value of 50mm2. The total wheel mass was about 26kg, so the key performance factor for the designed wheel was 5038mm2/kg, which is greater than the desired 4000mm2/kg。
In contrast, the steel wheel of a commercial vehicle, which is in the state of the art and has the same dimensions and wheel load, weighs about 36 kg. The maximum rim thickness is greater than 4.50mm and the maximum thickness of the spokes in the hub flange is typically greater than 12.0 mm. Thus, standard wheels do not meet all of the requirements of the disclosed wheels.
For further weight reduction, it is also possible to apply the spinning process to the wheel rim (2) instead of only the spokes (3) and to optimize the thickness distribution along the rim width before the heat treatment and hardening process.
The width (W) of the wheel (1) is measured radially from the inboard bead seat area to the outboard bead seat area, and the diameter (D) is measured radially from one bead seat area to the other, as shown in fig. 1.
Fig. 2 shows a micrograph through the joining and contact area (a) between rim (2) and spoke (3). In this embodiment, the spoke (3) and the rim (2) are joined by press-fitting and additional arc welding (F). The thermal joining of the spoke (3) and the rim (2) is not limited to arc welding, and laser welding, CMT welding, laser hybrid welding, brazing may be used, but a joining technique with low and controllable heat input is preferable. Thus, adhesive bonding may also be applied to even stress distribution and avoid more heat input into the wheel component.
Reference numerals:
1 steel wheel for commercial vehicle
2 wheel rim
3 spoke
4.1 bead seat of rim (outer)
4.2 bead seat of rim (inner)
5 spoke wheel hub Flange (connection region)
Well of 6 (deep well) rim (with e.g. 15 degree bead seat)
7.1 rim Flange/edge (outer)
7.2 rim Flange/edge (inner)
8 center hole of spoke
9 bolt hole of hub flange
10 spoke taper region
11 Vent/inspection hole
D wheel diameter/rim diameter [ mm ]
W wheel width/rim width [ mm ]
Contact area of lap joint between A spoke and rim [ mm ]
Radius of the R welding zone (range relating to spokes and/or rims)
Total thickness of lap joint of O contact area
F fusion zone by thermal bonding
(maximum) thickness of T1 spoke (at hub flange region) [ mm ]
(minimum) thickness of T2 spokes (at taper or contact area) [ mm ]
(maximum) thickness (well) of T3 rim [ mm ]
Claims (10)
1. A steel wheel (1) for commercial vehicles having a rim (2) for mounting a tire and a spoke (3) having a hub flange (5) for detachable connection to a wheel hub, wherein the rim (2) and the spoke (3) are made of a heat-treated and hardened steel material, the rim (2) has a maximum thickness (T3) of 4.50mm or less, the wheel diameter (D) is 560mm or more and a wheel width (W) of 200mm or more, characterized in that the spoke (3) has a maximum thickness (T1) of 12.00mm or less, the wheel diameter (D) times the wheel width (W) divided by the wheel mass is largeAt 4000mm2/kg。
2. A steel commercial vehicle wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the maximum thickness (T3) of the rim (2) times the maximum thickness (T1) of the web (3) is less than 56mm2。
3. A steel commercial vehicle wheel according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the maximum thickness (T3) of the rim (2) multiplied by the minimum thickness (T2) of the web (3) is less than 30mm2。
4. A steel wheel for commercial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the wheel disc (3) and the wheel rim (2) are press-fitted and in addition permanently fixed by welding and/or adhesive bonding and/or brazing, wherein the total thickness (O) of the contact areas (a) of the press-fit joints of all wheel parts is less than 11.0 mm.
5. A steel wheel for commercial vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the spoke (3) and/or the rim (2) exhibit an additional heated area with radius (R) of 25mm around the welded area (F).
6. The steel commercial vehicle wheel of claim 1,
characterized in that the value of the wheel diameter (D) multiplied by the wheel width (W) divided by the wheel mass is greater than 4600mm2/kg。
7. A commercial vehicle steel wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the wheel diameter (D) is between 560mm and 600 mm.
8. The steel commercial vehicle wheel of claim 1,
characterized in that the wheel width (W) is between 200mm and 300 mm.
9. The steel commercial vehicle wheel of claim 1,
characterized in that the average surface roughness (Ra) of the spokes (3) and the rim (2) is between 0.8 [ mu ] m and 1.8 [ mu ] m.
10. A steel commercial vehicle wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that the spokes (3) and/or the rim (2) have different thicknesses.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202121298089.6U CN215904242U (en) | 2021-06-10 | 2021-06-10 | Ultra-lightweight steel wheel for commercial vehicles |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202121298089.6U CN215904242U (en) | 2021-06-10 | 2021-06-10 | Ultra-lightweight steel wheel for commercial vehicles |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN215904242U true CN215904242U (en) | 2022-02-25 |
Family
ID=80287782
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202121298089.6U Active CN215904242U (en) | 2021-06-10 | 2021-06-10 | Ultra-lightweight steel wheel for commercial vehicles |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN215904242U (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2022258008A1 (en) * | 2021-06-10 | 2022-12-15 | 蒂森克虏伯钢铁(北京)有限公司 | Ultra-lightweight steel wheel for commercial vehicle |
-
2021
- 2021-06-10 CN CN202121298089.6U patent/CN215904242U/en active Active
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2022258008A1 (en) * | 2021-06-10 | 2022-12-15 | 蒂森克虏伯钢铁(北京)有限公司 | Ultra-lightweight steel wheel for commercial vehicle |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| CN113173034A (en) | Ultra-lightweight steel wheel for commercial vehicles | |
| CN108883659B (en) | Wheel and use | |
| CN215904242U (en) | Ultra-lightweight steel wheel for commercial vehicles | |
| US10661532B2 (en) | Chassis component having high durability | |
| US9486872B2 (en) | Manufacturing method for advanced high-strength steel wheel and jig device thereof | |
| US8231180B2 (en) | Fabricated vehicle wheel and method for producing same | |
| US8047616B2 (en) | Vehicle wheel cover retention system and method for producing same | |
| US8042879B2 (en) | Vehicle wheel and method for manufacturing it | |
| US9097284B2 (en) | Wheel bearing apparatus for a vehicle | |
| US20100025951A1 (en) | Steering knuckle for a motor vehicle | |
| CN214984582U (en) | Ultra-lightweight steel wheel for commercial vehicles | |
| US20190388952A1 (en) | Method for producing a vehicle wheel consisting of sheet metal | |
| US6474385B1 (en) | Welded vehicle wheel | |
| EP0944483A2 (en) | Full face vehicle wheel | |
| CN109414751B (en) | Wheel and use | |
| US11577300B2 (en) | Method and device for producing a wheel rim | |
| US20210206198A1 (en) | Wheel for a commercial vehicle, and use thereof | |
| CN110249062B (en) | Method for producing a wheel in a sheet-metal construction | |
| US20110156474A1 (en) | Automobile wheel | |
| CN102202913B (en) | Bearing device for wheels | |
| KR20110049212A (en) | Wheel for vehicle | |
| CN101542148B (en) | Bearing device for wheel | |
| US20210016602A1 (en) | Wheel hub and method for manufacturing a wheel hub | |
| KR101040420B1 (en) | Method of manufacturing wheel for heavy vehicle and wheel manufactured thereby | |
| Lee et al. | Lightweight Wheel Bearing with Dissimilar Materials for Vehicle |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| GR01 | Patent grant | ||
| GR01 | Patent grant |