Accessory for light metal wheel rims.
It is known that, especially for cars, more and more use is made of light metal wheel rims, not only for their aesthetic look, but also for the mechanical characteristics of such wheels and the road-holding of the vehicle that is equipped with them.
A very important disadvantage of such light metal rims, however, is that they are very sensitive to damages on the one hand, which may be caused by chippings and such, whereas, in specific situations, they are very sensitive to the action of chemicals and products coming from abrasive particles of among others brake discs, brake blocks or such.
The present invention to this aim has an accessory for an object which can be provided and replaced in a very simple manner on such light metal rims, as a result of which the major part of the light metal rim, in other words the part which is most subject to damages by loose particles on the road, such as chippings and such and/or to damages by chemicals, abrasive dust of brake blocks and such, is protected.
To this end, such an accessory will so to say cover a major part of the flank of such a light metal rim.
One can either wait to cover such a rim part until a specific damage has been found, in order to hide said damage, or one can provide such an accessory as of the purchase of a specific vehicle, of specific wheel rims respectively.
According to a preferred embodiment, such wheel rims will be made such that they have been designed beforehand so as to receive such an accessory, but nothing excludes to treat existing rims and to provide them with means which make it possible to attach such an accessory on them.
The accessory according to the invention which has the above-mentioned and other advantages to this end consists of a light metal wheel rim, characterised in that it mainly consists of a cylindrical part which is provided with a flange on each side edge, an outer flange and an inner flange respectively, whereby this accessory is connected to the light metal rim by means of screws which can work in conjunction with threaded holes in the rim.
In order to better explain the characteristics of the invention, the following preferred embodiments are described as an example only without being limitative in any way, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
figure 1 represents an exploded view in perspective of a light metal wheel rim and an accessory to be provided on it according to the invention; figure 2 represents a section to a larger scale according to line II-II in figure 1; figure 3 represents a section which is similar to that in figure 2, but after the accessory according to the invention has been attached on the light metal rim; figure 4 shows a section to a larger scale according to line IV-IV in figure 1; figure 5 shows a section which is similar to that of figure 4, but after the accessory according to the invention has been attached on the light metal rim;
figure 6 shows a partial section according to line VI-
VI in figure 5; figures 7, 8 and 9 are views which are similar to that in figure 3, but for variants of the embodiment.
The figures represent a light metal wheel rim 1, for example for a car wheel, which in this embodiment consists of an inner and an outer edge, 2-3 respectively, and a fastening flange 4, whereby the latter is connected to the actual rim by means of spokes 5.
The edge 3 of the rim 1 is connected to a far end of the above-mentioned spokes 5 by means of a relatively large cylindrical part 6 by means of an edge 7 in which threaded holes 8 are provided on appropriate places .
The cylindrical part 6 in this case has a conical reduction.
The accessory according to the invention mainly consists of a cylindrical part 9 which also has a conical reduction, whereby this conical reduction preferably coincides with the conical reduction of the cylindrical part 6 of the wheel rim 1 and, on the one hand and on the other hand, two flanges on this part 9, an outer flange 10 and an inner flange 11 respectively.
The flange 10 is preferably provided with an inwardly directed open rib 12 on its addendum line, which can be provided in a circumferential groove 13 in this case which is provided to this aim in the edge 3 of the rim 1.
The flange 11 of the accessory according to the invention is in this case provided with bore holes 14 in appropriate
places which coincide in number and distance with the places of the threaded holes 8 in the wheel rim 1.
Finally, the flange 11 can be provided with recesses 15 when the spokes 5 on the wheel rim are placed such that they reach up to or almost up to the cylindrical part 6 of the rim 1 so as to create room for these spokes 5.
In the variant of the embodiment according to figure 7, a cylindrical groove 16 is provided in the edge 3 of the wheel rim 1, whereas the flange 11 of the accessory has an inwardly directed circumferential rib 17 which is possibly interrupted on the place of the spokes 5 which fits exactly in the circumferential groove 16 of the wheel rim 1, and whereby a space 19 is provided in this case in the flange 11, on the place of every screw 18, in which the head of said screw 18 can be countersunk.
According to a variant of the embodiment, when the accessory has been attached on the place of the edge 7 of the wheel rim, either said edge 7 or the flange 11 of the accessory, or both the edge 7 and the flange 11 will be made to incline as is schematically represented by means of the chain line 20 represented in figure 2 so as to obtain that, when the accessory is attached, extra tension is created between the wheel rim 1 and the accessory, so that the latter is pulled even more firmly against the rim 1.
When the attachment is carried out on the place of the edge 3 and the flange 10, it is of course possible to apply an identical technique by making the flange 10 and/or the edge 3 incline.
In the case of the latter attachment , it would even be possible to implement the accessory without a flange 11, as
is represented in figure 8, whereby the lower free end of the accessory in this case could be provided with protruding pins 21 in several places which can work in conjunction with bore holes 22 in the edge 7 of the wheel rim.
Finally, according to a very special embodiment, the accessory according to the invention could be attached to the wheel rim 1 in a place situated between the flanges 10 and 11, and this also by means of screws 1-8 whose heads can for example be provided in a local space 23.
Such an embodiment is particularly interesting among others in the case of wheel rims 1 with a bent part 6.
As already mentioned, it is known that, when a light metal wheel rim 1 is applied without making use of an accessory according to the invention, especially the cylindrical part 6 of such a wheel rim 1 will be easily damaged by chippings, the action of chemicals and/or of abrasive dust, for example of brake blocks or such.
Finally, either in order to avoid such damages or to appropriately hide such damages which have already been caused, an accessory is applied according to the present invention which can be provided such on the wheel rim 1 that at least the above-mentioned cylindrical part 6 is entirely protected. The rib 12, which works in conjunction with the groove 13 in the wheel rim 1, will hereby provide for a firm anchoring of the accessory in relation to the wheel rim 1, and the accessory will be efficiently attached in relation to the wheel rim by means of the above- mentioned screws 18.
It is clear that an accessory is obtained in this manner, either to hide earlier damages, or to prevent damages to be expected, as the accessory can be replaced in a simple manner should such damage occur.
Indeed, the accessory can be realised and provided in a simple manner, whereby this accessory will be preferably made of plastic, such that the cost price thereof is relatively low.
Another advantage which is thus obtained is that not only a protection is provided for a part of the wheel rim 1, but that said wheel rim 1 can possibly be given another look by making use of coloured accessories.
The latter implies that such accessories can be periodically changed, so that the wheels obtain a totally different aspect.
When the above-mentioned spokes continue as represented in the figures, the edge 11 will be provided with the above- mentioned recesses 15. Naturally, when there is enough space to provide the accessory, such recesses will not be provided.
In case of a wheel rim 1 which is provided to be equipped with an accessory according to the invention, the above- mentioned circumferential groove 13 and possibly the circumferential groove 16 will naturally be provided beforehand, and the required threaded holes 8 will be provided, whereas in case of a rim 1 upon which one wishes to provide an accessory according to the invention, such circumferential grooves and threaded holes can naturally be provided later, when such an accessory is first applied.
According to a variant of the embodiment, the holes 14 can be provided in a flange 10 of the accessory, and the threaded holes 18 can be provided in the edge 3 of the rim 1. Naturally, holes 14 could be provided both in the flange 10 and in the flange 11, whereby threaded holes 8 are provided both in the edge 3 and in the edge 7 and/or in the cylindrical part 6.
According to yet another variant of the embodiment, the rib 12 will be made thus wide that the heads of the screws 18 can be countersunk in it .
It is clear that in this manner is obtained a complete protection of at least the very vulnerable cylindrical part 6 of the wheel rim 1, whereby such an accessory which is used to this end can be made in various forms and dimensions while still remaining within the scope of the invention.