EP1755906A1

EP1755906A1 - Light-metal wheel

Info

Publication number: EP1755906A1
Application number: EP05761794A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Heinrich Baumgartner
Original assignee: BBS Motorsport and Engineering GmbH
Current assignee: BBS Motorsport and Engineering GmbH
Priority date: 2004-06-16
Filing date: 2005-06-14
Publication date: 2007-02-28
Also published as: JP2008502525A; WO2005123418A1; AU2005254204A1; CN1968830A; US20080143170A1; DE102004028841A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a wheel, especially a light-metal wheel for motor vehicles, consisting of a star of spokes (12) and a wheel rim (10) provided with an inner base (16) and an outer base (14) that respectively merge into an inner rim end (20) on the inner side of the wheel and into an outer rim end (18) on the outer side of the wheel. A hollow chamber (26, 27, 29) extending at least partially continuously in the peripheral direction is formed in the region of the inner side of the wheel and/or the outer side of the wheel, and can be defined by a profiled wall (28) in the region of the inner base (16) of the rim or the outer base (14) of the rim. In order to create an especially cost-effective structure that can be subjected to mechanical stresses, the profiled wall (28) is embodied as a single component.

Description

Light metal bike description

The invention relates to a wheel, in particular a light alloy wheel for motor vehicles, according to the preamble of claim 1.

With light alloy wheels, the desired weight reduction is often accompanied by a decrease in robustness and resistance. In order to create a wheel which, compared to conventional wheels, provides a reduction in weight and an improvement in the mechanical properties, WO 01/17799 AI proposed to use profile segments in the area of the inner rim bed or the outer rim bed which at least have a circumferential direction of the wheel form continuous hollow sections in sections. Half-shells were preferably proposed as profile elements, which were used in the area of the inner rim bed or outer rim bed and were connected to one another and to the adjacent elements of the wheel by means of suitable fastening methods. The manufacture and assembly of wheels designed in this way proves to be relatively complex and costly.

The present invention is therefore based on the problem of further developing a wheel, in particular a light alloy wheel for motor vehicles, in such a way that it is at the same time particularly inexpensive to produce and easy to assemble while maintaining the weight reduction and high mechanical strength.

This problem is solved by a wheel with the characteristics of the

Claim 1.

According to the invention in the area of the inside of the wheel and / or On the outside of the wheel, a hollow chamber is formed which is continuous in the circumferential direction, at least in sections, and which can be delimited by a profile wall in the area of the inner rim bed or outer rim bed, the profile wall being formed in one piece. 5 This results in low manufacturing costs and a simple assembly of the wheel to produce the upper cover of the hollow chamber.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the profile wall is formed from an annular full shell, which can be pushed into the desired area of the inner rim bed or outer rim bed and fastened there. This results in a particularly simple assembly of the wheel.

15 The full shell is preferably pushed from the outside of the wheel into the area of the outer rim bed, so that the full shell is easily accessible from the outside.

If the full shell also has at least one towards 20 _. of the wheel star directed web, which is screwed to at least one spoke of the wheel star, the connection between the full shell and the other elements of the wheel is made in a particularly simple and safe manner.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the full shell is pushed from the inside of the wheel into the area of the outer rim bed, and the area of the inner rim bed is deformed without cutting, so that the full shell is inserted without leaving a separating joint visible from the outside.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the profile wall is formed integrally with the wheel, so that the Positioning costs can be significantly reduced.

Preferably, the tread wall is formed as a non-cutting deformable ring web in the area of the outer rim flange, which is deformable inwards, so that a stable contact surface for the tire is formed in the area of the outer rim bed even without fastening measures between the tread wall and the wheel in the area of the outer rim bed.

Advantageously, the profile wall in the deformed state forms at least the upper section of the outer rim flange, which ensures easy accessibility.

Advantageously, the deformation of the profile wall forms a hollow chamber in the inner rim flange and / or in the outer rim flange, whereby the inner rim flange or the outer rim flange additionally gains stability.

The method according to the invention for producing a wheel has the following steps: casting a blank with a wheel star and a section running perpendicular to it with four radially circumferential ring webs, - turning the contour of the wheel rim in the section and a contact surface on the ring web forming the outer rim horn, Stretching the section and reshaping the ring web forming the profile wall to form the cavity bordering the outer rim horn, - pre-rotating a support surface on the ring ridge forming the ring web and reshaping the ring web forming the profile wall Formation of the cavity bordering the inner rim of the rim.

In one embodiment of the method according to the invention. the formed ring webs to the ring webs forming the outer rim or inner rim by welding, preferably by laser welding. However, this step can also be omitted, since the strength is already guaranteed by supporting the profile walls against the outer rim flange or the inner rim flange.

Further details, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the drawings. It shows:

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of the wheel according to the invention in half section.

FIG. 1 a shows a schematic representation of the manufacturing process of the first embodiment of the wheel according to the invention according to FIG. 1 in half section;

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the wheel according to the invention in half section.

3 shows a third embodiment of the wheel according to the invention in half section;

Fig. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the wheel according to the invention in half section;

5 shows a fifth embodiment of the wheel according to the invention in half section; 6 shows a sixth embodiment of the wheel according to the invention in half section; 7 shows a seventh embodiment of the wheel according to the invention in half section;

8 shows a blank in half section; 9 shows the blank from FIG. 8 after stretching in half section;

10 shows the blank from FIG. 9 after mechanical processing; 11 shows an eighth embodiment of the wheel according to the invention in half section;

12 shows a ninth embodiment of the wheel according to the invention in half section;

13 shows a tenth embodiment of the wheel according to the invention in half section;

The basic structure of a wheel 1 is identical in all embodiments. As usual, the wheel 1 consists of a wheel rim .10 and a wheel star 12.

The wheel rim 10 has a rim outer bed 14 and a rim inner bed 16. The outer rim bed 14 merges into an outer rim horn 18 towards the outside of the wheel, while the inner rim bed 16 merges into an inner rim 20 towards the inside of the wheel. Between the rim outside horn 18 and the rim inside horn 20 a tire (not shown) is held, which rests on the outer rim 14 and the inner rim 16 and lies laterally on the outer rim 18 and the inner rim 20. The wheel star 12 has a plurality of spokes 22, which are usually designed as hollow spokes for reasons of weight saving and can each have a spoke cavity 24. In the area of the outside of the wheel, a hollow chamber 26 is formed which is continuous in the circumferential direction at least in sections and is arranged here in the area of the outer rim bed 14. However, it is also possible to produce a hollow chamber 27 in the region of the inner rim 16 (see FIGS. 11, 12 and 13). Usually (not shown) in the area of the spokes 22 there is a communicating connection between the spoke cavities 24 and the circumferential hollow chamber 26, which results in an extremely stable and at the same time rigid hollow chamber construction, which ensures improved impact behavior.

The hollow chamber 26 is delimited in the area of the outer rim bed 14 by a profile wall 28 which also serves as a bearing surface for the tire. In an analogous manner, the hollow chamber 27 is delimited in the area of the inner rim rim 16 by a profile wall 28, which also serves as a bearing surface for the tire. Alternatively or additionally, the tread wall 28 can be reshaped in such a way that a hollow chamber 29 is formed within the inner rim flange 20 (see FIG. 13) or the outer rim flange 18, so that the tread wall 28 and the hollow chamber 29 formed support the tire outwards.

In all embodiments, this profile wall 28 is preferably se from so-called wrought materials, which are cold deformable, or cast alloys, which can be hot formed. In the embodiments according to FIGS. 1 to 3, it is also possible at any time to manufacture the profile wall 28 and the other elements of the wheel from a matching material, preferably the alloys W AC-ALSil2Mg or EN AC-ALSi7Mg.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, the profile wall 28 consists of a full shell 30, which comprises a large part of the outer rim bed 14 and the outer rim horn 18. The annular full shell 30 is produced separately from the other elements of the wheel 1 and has two flat contact surfaces 35, 36 in the region of the outer rim bed 14 or the spokes 22, which can be connected to two corresponding webs 37, 38 of the wheel. For this purpose, the full shell 30 can be pushed onto the wheel from the outside of the wheel until the contact surfaces 35, 36 and the webs 37, 38 are in the correct position relative to one another. The attachment is then preferably carried out by connection techniques known per se, such as welding or gluing.

Advantageously, the full shell 30 is cast onto the wheel 1 as an axially offset flange 11, separated from the wheel 1 at a contact point 13 and, after machining, to produce the desired shape of the full shell 30 with the contact points 35, 36 as previously described the webs 37, 38 put on (see Fig. La). In this way it is guaranteed that the full shell 30 was cast under the same conditions as the wheel 1.

A similar embodiment is shown in FIG. 2, but the full shell 31 extends further to the inside of the wheel down to where it rests on a long, flat central section 40 of the rim 10, below the outer rim flange 18, the full shell 31 also has a web 42 directed in the direction of the wheel star 12, which comes into engagement with and with a corresponding recess in the wheel star 12 can be screwed, possibly using suitable sealants. This construction is particularly robust and allows easy assembly / disassembly of the full shell 31. If necessary, the full shell 31 in the area of the flat surface 40 of the wheel rim 10 can also be connected to it by the abovementioned connecting means. Such a construction also provides the simple possibility of accommodating a support body on the flat surface 40 for purposes of emergency running.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG

Full shell 32 is only formed as part of the outer rim bed 14, while the outer rim horn 18 is produced integrally with the basic structure of the wheel 1. It is therefore not possible to insert the full shell 32 from the outside of the wheel. Instead, the basic structure of the wheel in the area of the later inner rim bed 16 initially only has a flat, annular base surface 44, over which the full shell 32 can be pushed from the inside of the wheel until the connection to the outer rim flange 18 and to the web 45 provided for this purpose in the area the outer rim bed 14 is made. The known joining techniques mentioned above are also used here. Finally, the flat base surface 44 is deformed in such a way that a suitable inner rim 16 and inner rim horn 20 are created.

4 to 6, embodiments are shown in which the profile wall 28 in the region of the outer rim bed 14 consists of circumferential ring webs formed integrally with the wheel web 48, 49, 50 is formed. In an analogous manner, FIG. 12 shows an embodiment in which the profile wall in the region of the inner rim rim 16 is formed on a circumferential ring web 53 which is formed integrally with the wheel web. The blank, which in each case forms the ring web 48, 49, 50, 53, is shown, like an intermediate state during the deformation, as a white area with a black outline, while the final state is shown hatched. Material is removed on the outside of the ring webs 48, 49, 50, 53 formed in the blank after the deformation in order to achieve the desired thickness and shape of the profile wall 28. In particular, a circumferential groove is worked into the tread wall 28, in which the tire is supported both inwards and outwards. A particularly simple variant is shown in Fig. 4, in which the annular rib 48 forms merely an extension of the wheel center 12 and is bent towards the inside of the wheel down in such a way that both an outer rim 14 is formed as well ^as' a land 54 for connection to the wheel rim 10 Due to the geometry of the bent profile wall 28, this embodiment is very resilient.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the outer rim flange 18 is formed separately from the ring web 49, which can be split off from it by using suitable separating means and folded over inwards. As shown in FIG. 12, the ring web 53 can also be integrally formed separately from the inner rim flange 20, which can be folded over to form the encircling hollow chamber 27.

A similar embodiment is shown in FIG. 6, in which case the ring web 50 has a second projection 56 which projects at an angle and which, after the deformation process, does the same Rim outside horn 18 forms.

It is also possible to arrange an annular web 51 in the area of the outer rim bed 14 which can be deformed outwards and, if desired, surrounds the wheel star 12 in the area of the outer rim horn 18 from above (cf. FIG. 7). FIG. 11 shows a further embodiment, in which an annular web 52 is arranged in an analogous manner in the region of the inner rim bed 16 and is deformed outward. In this exemplary embodiment, however, the inner rim flange 20 is not enclosed by the reshaped ring web 52 from above, but lies on a step on the side of the inner rim flange 20 facing the wheel rim 10. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, a connection of the deformed web to the respectively opposite surfaces is possible, but not absolutely necessary, since the deformation already provides sufficient load-bearing capacity.

FIG. 13 shows a further preferred embodiment, in which an annular web 54 is arranged in the region of the inner rim bed 16 in such a way that after the annular web 54 has been deformed outward onto a circumferential annular web 55 by the annular webs 54 and 55, the inner rim flange 20 has one inside trained circumferential hollow chamber 29 is formed. A rim inner horn 20 formed in this way has increased stability with lower weight. In an analogous manner (not shown), an outer fig horn, which has a hollow chamber, can also be formed from two circumferential ring webs.

Furthermore, there is also the possibility of a circumferential hollow space in the area of the inner rim bed or the outer rim bed as well as in the inner rim rim or in the outer rim horn. to arrange chamber.

Many other geometrical embodiments are conceivable which have not been described so far, but which implement the inventive idea.

The method for producing a wheel according to the invention in accordance with an embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10.

FIG. 8 shows a blank 101 in half section, which already shows the wheel star 12 with the spokes 22 and has a section 110 running perpendicular to it, from which the wheel rim 10 is machined. Section 110 has four radially extending ring webs 118, 120, 128, 129. The blank 101 is cast from an aluminum alloy, for example from the alloys WN AC-ALSil2Mg or EN AC-ALSi7Mg.

After the blank 101 has cooled, the contour of the wheel rim 10 is rotated in the section 110. A support surface for the ring web 128 to be formed is rotated on the ring web 118. Subsequently, the ring web 128, possibly after machining, is bent outwards so that the free end of the ring web 128 is on the contact surface in the

Ring web 118 rests and so the outer rim bed 14 is formed. Section 110 is also ironed to define the final width of wheel rim 10.

Subsequently, a support surface for the ring web 129 to be formed is rotated on the ring web 120 and the ring web 129, possibly after machining, is bent outwards until it rests on the support surface in the ring web 129 rests, whereby the inner rim 16 is formed (see FIG. 9).

The two reshaped ring webs 128 and 129 can be fixed at certain points by welding, preferably by laser welding, on the contact surfaces of the ring webs 118 and 120 or by a completely circumferential weld seam. The cavity 26 formed by the profile walls 28 can be sealed off by a completely circumferential weld seam. Such attachment is not necessary for reasons of strength; In order to achieve the effect essential to the invention, it is sufficient if the ring webs 128 and 129 or the profile walls 28 formed from them are supported against the outer rim flange 18 formed from the ring web 118 or against the inner rim flange 20 formed from the ring web 120. The additional, labor and cost-causing manufacturing step of welding can therefore preferably be omitted.

The blank 101 is then subjected to a heat treatment in a known manner in order to anneal the stresses in the material which are caused by the deformation steps.

This is also followed, in a known manner, by mechanical machining of the blank 101, in which the outer rim flange 18 is worked from the ring web 118, while the ring web 120 is used to form the inner rim flange 20. Material is removed from the surface of the ring webs 128 and 129 to form the tread walls 28 in the area of the inner rim bed 16 and the outer rim bed 14. In particular, a circumferential groove is worked into the outside of the tread walls 28, in which the tire is both inward and inward can support to the outside. After achieving the desired shape of the wheel 1 (see. Fig. 10) is a surface coating, for example. Plotted a ^'paint on the wheel 1.

Of course, the method described can also be used to produce wheels according to the invention which have a profile wall 28 only in the area of the outer rim bed 14 or only in the area of the inner rim bed 16.

Claims

Expectations

1. wheel, in particular light alloy wheel for motor vehicles, consisting essentially of a wheel star (12) and a wheel rim (10), the wheel rim having a rim inner bed (16) and a rim outer bed (14) which in a rim inner horn (20) on one Merging the inside of the wheel or into a rim outside horn (18) on an outside of the wheel, wherein in the area of the inside of the wheel and / or the outside of the wheel a hollow chamber (26, 27, 29) is formed which is continuous in the circumferential direction and which is formed in the area of the inside rim (16) or The outer rim bed (14) can be delimited by a profile wall (28), characterized in that the profile wall (28) is formed in one piece.

2. Wheel according to claim 1, so that the profile wall (28) is formed from an annular full shell (30, 31, 32).

3. Wheel according to claim 2, so that the full shell (30, 31, 32) is pushed into the area of the inner rim bed (16) or outer rim bed (14) and fastened there.

4. Wheel according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the full shell (30, 31) is pushed from the outside of the wheel into the area of the outer rim bed (14).

5. Wheel according to claim 4, so that the full shell (30, 31) forms at least part of the outer rim bed (14) and the outer rim horn (18).

6. Wheel according to claim 5, so that the full shell (31) has at least one web (42) directed in the direction of the wheel star, which is screwed to at least one spoke (22) of the wheel star (12).

7. Wheel according to claim 2 or 3, so that the full shell (32) is pushed from the inside of the wheel into the area of the outer rim bed (14) and the area of the inner rim bed (16) is deformed without cutting.

8. Wheel according to claim 1, so that the profile wall (28) is integrally formed with the wheel.

9. Wheel according to claim 8, so that the profile wall (28) is designed as an annular web (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54) that can be deformed without cutting.

10. Wheel according to claim 9, characterized in that the annular web (48, 49, 50) is arranged in the region of the outer rim flange (18) and is deformable inwards.

11. The wheel of claim 9, so that the annular web (51) is arranged in the region of the outer rim flange (18) and is deformable to the outside.

12. The wheel of claim 9, that the ring-shaped web (53) is arranged in the region of the inner rim flange (20) and is deformable inwards.

13. Wheel according to claim 9, so that the annular web (52) is arranged in the region of the inner rim flange (20) and is deformable to the outside.

14. Wheel according to one of claims 8 to 13, so that the profile wall (28) in the deformed state forms at least the upper section of the outer rim flange (18).

15. Wheel according to one of claims 8 to 14, so that a hollow chamber (29) is formed in the inner rim flange (20) and / or in the outer rim flange (18) by deformation of the profile wall (28).

16. A method for producing a wheel according to one of claims 8 to 15, comprising the steps of casting a blank (101) with a wheel star (12) and a section (110) running perpendicular thereto with four radially circumferential ring webs (118, 120, 128, 129), - turning the contour of the wheel rim (10) in the section (110) and a support surface on the ring web (118), - stretching the section (110) and reshaping the ring web (128), - pre-rotating a support surface on the ring web (120) and - reshaping the ring web (129).

17. The method according to claim 16, so that the ring webs (128, 129) are then attached to the ring webs (118, 120) by welding.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, so that the blank (101) is then subjected to a heat treatment.

19. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, so that machining of the blank (101) is carried out.

20. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that a surface coating is applied to the wheel (1).