Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60B—VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
  • B60B5/00—Wheels, spokes, disc bodies, rims, hubs, wholly or predominantly made of non-metallic material
  • B60B5/02—Wheels, spokes, disc bodies, rims, hubs, wholly or predominantly made of non-metallic material made of synthetic material

Definitions

• THIS INVENTION relates to a vehicle wheel frame, more specifically to a frame of a road wheel for a mechanically powered vehicle or motor vehicle. It relates al ⁇ o to a method of manufacturing ⁇ uch a wheel.
• wheel frame shall be used to denote a portion of a tyred road wheel without the tyre i.e. that portion of the wheel which is colloquially, but incorrectly, referred to as a "rim”.
• a method of manufacturing by moulding a vehicle wheel frame of compo ⁇ ite material, including moulding reinforcing layers into a rim of the wheel frame, at circumferential positions toward axially outer extremities of the rim.
• the reinforcing layers may be in the form of annular bands or rings.
• the reinforcing layers may be of a heat setting moulding material.
• the method may then include laying the reinforcing material up in sub-layers when the rim is laid up, and then heating the material to induce thermal setting.
• At least two sub-layers may be provi ⁇ ded toward each axially outer extremity of the rim and the respective sub-layers toward each axially outer extremity of the rim may be arranged in superimposed, spaced relation.
• a vehicle wheel frame in the form of a moulding of composite material which vehicle wheel frame has reinforcing layers moulded into a rim of the vehicle wheel frame at circumferential positions toward axially outer extremities of the rim.
• the reinforcing layers may be in the form of annular bands or rings of a heat setting moulding material and may be integrally moulded into the rim.
• the heat setting moulding material may be glass reinforced fibre material.
• the annular bands of heat setting material may be between about 1 mm and about 3 mm thick.
• at least two reinforcing layer ⁇ may be arranged toward each axially outer extremity of the rim in superimposed, spaced relation.
• a vehicle wheel frame in accordance with the invention and shown fragmen- tarily is generally indicated by reference numeral 10.
• the wheel frame 10 comprises a radially outer rim generally indicated by reference numeral 12, a hub in the centre of the wheel frame which hub is not shown, and radial support structure fragmentarily indicated by reference numeral 14 to support the rim 12 on the hub.
• the rim 12 is of generally multi-layered structure comprising a radially inner layer 16, a radially outer layer 18 and an intermediate layer 20.
• a radially outer face of the rim 12 is profiled in accordance with applicable standards to seat a tyre.
• a filler material indicated at 22 is used to facilitate forming thickened portions of such a profile without unduly thickening the layer ⁇ 16, 18, 20.
• reinforcing layer ⁇ in regions of the rim " 12 adjacent axially outer extremities of the rim, there are provided reinforcing layer ⁇ . In the drawing, only one ⁇ ide portion of the wheel and thu ⁇ only one outer extremity i ⁇ ⁇ hown.
• the invention i ⁇ illu ⁇ trated with reference to that ⁇ ide portion in which the reinforcing layer ⁇ are generally indicated by reference numeral ⁇ 24 and 26.
• the reinforcing layer ⁇ at the oppo ⁇ ed ⁇ ide of the wheel rim are formed similarly.
• the reinforcing layer 24 is provided in a region intermediate the radially inner layer 16 and the in ⁇ termediate layer 20.
• the reinforcing layer 26 is provided in a region intermediate the radially outer layer 18 and the intermediate layer 20.
• the reinforcing layer ⁇ 24, 26 are adhe ⁇ ively joined.
• the reinforcing layer 24 is laid up with the radially inner layer 16 as one sub-component.
• the reinforcing layer 26 i ⁇ laid up with the radially outer layer 18 as a second sub ⁇ component.
• the intermediate layer 20 and the filler material 22 are also formed on the ⁇ econd sub-component.
• the two sub-components are then adhe ⁇ ively joined.
• the reinforcing layer ⁇ 24, 26 in accordance with the invention inhibit formation of cracks or the propagation of cracks in the event of an impact in the region of the outer extremity of the wheel frame. Second, should cracks develop in the composite material, the reinforcing layers 24, 26 still provide leak tightne ⁇ to a certain extent to cau ⁇ e the wheel to comply with the impact test requirements.
• this invention ameliorates the degree to which a wheel frame of moulded, composite material, is prone to impact cracking.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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• 1996
  • 1996-09-04 EP EP96930658A patent/EP0844932A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-09-04 AU AU69627/96A patent/AU6962796A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-09-04 WO PCT/US1996/014047 patent/WO1997009181A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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