GB1348893A - Manufacture of vehicle wheel rims - Google Patents

Abstract

1348893 Stamping DUNLOP Ltd 19 April 1971 [21 March 1970] 33825/73 Divided out of 1348891 Heading B3Q [Also in Division B7] In the manufacture of a vehicle wheel rim, a body of elastomeric material, e.g. rubber or polyurethane is located within an open-ended sheet metal tubular rim blank and is compressed axially of the blank so as to cause expansion of the body radially of the blank and deformation of the latter. As illustrated in Fig. 1 radial expansion of the body 130, effected by movement of member 138 towards base member 134, forces the blank 131 radially outwardly against the inner wall 133 of die 132. The die 132 comprises a pair of semi-cylindrical segments lockable on the base member 134. In the arrangement of Fig. 3, a wheel rim blank with a tyre thereon and provided with tyre bead retaining flanges and a well is formed into its desired shape by the action of a die comprising die members 30, 42. The die member 30 includes two axially movable collars 35, 36 and rings 37, 38 of elastomeric material. Upon the die members approaching, the well is first axially compressed to form beading 34 and the collars then move axially towards shoulder 39 so as to compress the rings 37, 38 and forms radially outwardly extending protrusions 43, 44 in the wheel rim. The Specification discloses apparatus for producing a wheel rim with a single radially outwardly extending protrusion (Fig. 4, not shown) and a method in which a diametrically undersized wheel rim is expanded to the required size.