Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60B—VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
  • B60B3/00—Disc wheels, i.e. wheels with load-supporting disc body
  • B60B3/02—Disc wheels, i.e. wheels with load-supporting disc body with a single disc body integral with rim
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60B—VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
  • B60B25/00—Rims built-up of several main parts ; Locking means for the rim parts
  • B60B25/002—Rims split in circumferential direction
  • B60B25/004—Rims split in circumferential direction one rim part comprising the wheel disc
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60B—VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
  • B60B3/00—Disc wheels, i.e. wheels with load-supporting disc body
  • B60B3/06—Disc wheels, i.e. wheels with load-supporting disc body formed by casting
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60B—VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
  • B60B3/00—Disc wheels, i.e. wheels with load-supporting disc body
  • B60B3/10—Disc wheels, i.e. wheels with load-supporting disc body apertured to simulate spoked wheels
• • 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
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T29/00—Metal working
  • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
  • Y10T29/49481—Wheel making
  • Y10T29/49492—Land wheel
  • Y10T29/49524—Rim making
  • Y10T29/49526—Rim making with assembling
• • 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
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T29/00—Metal working
  • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
  • Y10T29/49481—Wheel making
  • Y10T29/49492—Land wheel
  • Y10T29/49533—Hub making
  • Y10T29/49535—Hub making with assembling

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method for producing light alloy rims, in particular aluminum alloy, in particular for motor vehicles. More particularly, the invention " provides a method of producing a rim which has improved properties both in terms of lightness and mechanical strength, as well as a new rim having these improved properties.
• rim styles "which are developing strongly these days are rims of the so-called" full face "type according to Anglo-Saxon terminology, that is to say whose front panel does not have the usual shrinkage relative to the outer rim hook, but on the contrary approaches or even tangents this rim hook, which creates a large mass under the support of the tire.
• Figure la of the drawings shows in axial half-section the shape of such a "full face" rim Ja, the aforementioned large mass Ma.
• Figure lb shows in opposite axial half-section the shape of a more conventional rim Jb.
• the techniques used today are ill-suited to this type of product.
• the tread is produced for example by butt welding (“butt welding” according to English terminology) before being laminated, in an approach similar to that of steel rims. After this part has been produced, the previously machined front face is then attached to this tread.
• Variants of this technology exist, and relate to different types of attachment between the front face and the tread, but these variants do not solve the main problems mentioned above, and in particular the problem of the mechanical resistance of the alloy used for the tread.
• Another still known technology consists in working - from a circular blank which is gradually pushed back on a mandrel to produce a one-piece tread. The bottom of the blank, useless after forming the tread, is then cut and lost. It is understood that this makes the process extremely expensive and economically unsuitable for the mass-produced automobile market.
• the present invention aims to propose a method for producing a light alloy rim which overcomes or at least alleviates the above-mentioned problems and which makes it possible to obtain a light rim at minimum cost, while retaining adequate mechanical properties.
• a light alloy with structural hardening for the tread and by shaping this tread by bending, it was possible to use a technique of fusion welding of the parts (opposite ends) while obtaining final mechanical characteristics "in particular in terms of resistance of the welded region, which were entirely satisfactory.
• the present invention proposes according to a first aspect a method of manufacturing a light alloy rim, such as an aluminum-based alloy, for a motor vehicle, the rim comprising a front face and a tread welded to each other, characterized in that it comprises the steps following:
• the step of shaping the strip is preceded by a step of expanding the strip, after welding of its ends to one another.
• the shaping step is preceded by an at least partial dissolution and quenching operation.
• the weldable structural hardening alloy is an aluminum alloy of the standard 6000 series.
• the step of welding the ends opposite the tread is carried out " by a welding technique chosen from the group comprising welding by electron beam, welding by electron beam under vacuum, MIG (metal / inert gas) welding, MIG Tandem welding, Laser welding and combined M.I .G. / Laser welding.
• a welding technique chosen from the group comprising welding by electron beam, welding by electron beam under vacuum, MIG (metal / inert gas) welding, MIG Tandem welding, Laser welding and combined M.I .G. / Laser welding.
• the molding operation of the front face comprises the production of at least one weight reduction recess, coming from molding. at least one recess is on an inner side of the front face.
• At least one recess is located in the vicinity of a connection zone between the front face and the tread.
• At least one recess opens in a demolding direction of the front face.
• the present invention provides a light alloy rim, such as an aluminum-based alloy, for a motor vehicle, the rim comprising a front face in light alloy and a tread also in light alloy. welded to each other, characterized in that the tread is produced by bending and shaping a piece of alloy with weldable structural hardening, with its ends opposite the welded curved strip to each other with fusion of the material of the strip.
• a light alloy rim such as an aluminum-based alloy
• the weldable structural hardening alloy is an aluminum alloy of the standard 6000 series. " - its front face comprises at least one weight reduction recess, coming from molding. at least one recess is located inner side of the front panel.
• At least one recess is located in the vicinity of a connection zone between the front face and the tread.
• At least one recess opens in a demolding direction of the front face.
• the rim has two rim hooks, one of which is formed at the front face and the other of which is formed at the tread.
• Figure 3a is a half front view of a rim according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention
• Figure 3b is a half view in section axial of the rim of FIG. 3a
• Figure 4 is a perspective view of a tread of the rim of Figures 3a and 3b, after two first steps of bending and welding
• Figure 5 illustrates by three cross sections respectively the shape of the strip bearing before subsequent forming, and the appearance of the tread after two subsequent shaping operations.
• a method for producing a light alloy rim consisting of a front face, preferably having all the lightening that is authorized by the sole molding of this front face, and in particular weight reduction under the supports for the tire.
• This front face is welded with a tread band produced according to a range making it possible to use a wrought alloy with any structural hardening provided that it is weldable.
• FIG. 3a and 3b of the drawings illustrate a rim J produced according to the invention in two parts, namely a front face 10 and a tread 20.
• a Figure 3 of the drawings illustrates the type of lightening which is carried out roughly molding on the rear of the front face of the rim, avoiding, with respect to the one-piece section of FIG. la, to mold the metal in zones 11 and 12 which open, in a direction parallel to the axis xx, towards the inside of the rim.
• FIG. 3b also shows the front rim hook CJ1, formed at the level of the front face 10 to proximity of the recesses 11, 12, and the rear rim hook CJ2, formed at the level of the tread 20. It is important to note here that the type of geometry shown in FIG.
• 3b is likely to be obtained at using very simple molds, consisting for example of two elements, namely a sole (that is to say the lower part of the mold " , producing the front face of the rim with its chosen style) and an upper core (producing the rear face of the rim, and comprising projecting parts which will define the lightening zones 11 and 12).
• front face 10 and the tread 20 are produced separately, unlike the low pressure one-piece or other molding process mentioned in the introduction, it is possible here to very violently cool the periphery of the front face, and to obtain from this has an increased fineness of microstructure and properties " 'at the rim core which it is not possible to obtain by molding a complete monobloc rim, the advantage being all the more appreciable as the diameter of the rim is great.
• the range used is as follows: from a blank sheet made of light alloy, cut to the desired thickness (typically of the order of 3 to 4.5 mm for 15 to 17 inch rims, a strip is produced by bending the sheet to give it a cylindrical shape and welding it end to end by a welding technique illustrated in FIG. 4.
• This technique is preferably a electron beam welding, vacuum or not, or an MIG (inert metal 7 gas) welding technique and its different variants, MIG Tandem welding, Laser welding or combined M.I .G. / Laser.
• the tread is then subjected to a series of shaping operations essentially by shrinking according to the following sequence of steps: - prior widening by expansion of the tread; this operation can be carried out on any type of known expander, for example with segments or else with internal shapes pressed against each other; it has the advantage, in addition to facilitating the subsequent shaping of the tread, to test the quality of its butt weld before any subsequent operation; in this regard, poor weld quality will be revealed at this stage by cracks in line with the welded area; - obtaining the final geometry by a series of shrinking steps as illustrated by way of example in Figure 5, starting from a straight shape in a direction aa; these operations are carried out on a steel mandrel of suitable geometry and on conventional shrinking forming machines (or alternatively by embossing).
• the tread is worked in the above shaping steps, preferably cold in the so-called "T4" state ( solution followed by quenching) or in a thermal state corresponding to a partial dissolution, so as to preserve a potential for subsequent structural hardening.
• the tread is welded to the front face.
• a butt welding technique as shown in FIG. 3b is used, the weld bead being indicated at 30.
• Other techniques " can also be used.
• a small centering heel can be provided.
• conventional welding techniques can be used such as electron beam welding, M.I.G. (metal / inert gas) and its different variants, welding M.I.G. Tandem, laser welding or combined welding M.I .G. /Laser.
• this welding operation is preceded by a light machining of the tread at the level of the welding zone, which makes it possible to obtain a clean and dimensionally well calibrated surface.
• a slight machining on the other side of the tread ensures a good surface appearance and excellent dimensional precision.
• the rim is then ready for the usual final operations of surface treatment, application of paint and baking, then inspection.
• obtaining the final mechanical characteristics preferably results from an income achieved simply by the curing operation of the paint applied to the entire rim (after welding the front face with the tread and after surface treatment), typically for 20 minutes at a temperature of the order of 160 ° to 185 ° C.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Moulds For Moulding Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
• Molds, Cores, And Manufacturing Methods Thereof (AREA)
• Heat Treatment Of Articles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8864992

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

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Family Cites Families (4)

• 2001
  • 2001-06-29 FR FR0108702A patent/FR2826609B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2002
  • 2002-07-01 EP EP02767536A patent/EP1399321A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2002-07-01 US US10/482,567 patent/US20050034305A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-07-01 WO PCT/FR2002/002276 patent/WO2003002359A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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