Method for Manufacturing a Vehicle Wheel

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a one-piece vehicle wheel of light metal having a hub part and a tire rim for an inflatable tire.

A method for manufacturing a vehicle wheel from a light metal plate or disk is known from the German Auslegeschrift No. 10 68 654. This plate or disk is brought by forging and pressing into the shape of a dish with a thickened outer edge portion which is preformed angularly shaped. The preformed edge is then formed by a rolling-pressing step into a rim base with legs of different length. For the manufacture of the edge constructed in a special manner, additional costly operating steps are neccessary with this prior art method, such as forging and pressing, to which the light metal plate or disk is exposed. These operating steps are very costly with light metal and are realizable only after heating the same to the melting temperature.

It is the object of the present invention to simplify the manufacture of a one-piece vehicle wheel from a light metal plate or disk.

The underlying problems are solved according to the present invention in that the edge, in a first operating step, receives an obliquely outwardly directed outer edge part and in a subsequent further operating step the edge is split in a longitudinal center plane of the wheel into two ring-shaped parts of idential thickness, with one of the parts having a greater accumulation of material at its distal end. These ring-shaped parts are then lengthened by a rolling-pressing operation into a rim base with legs of different lengths and of approximately identical thickness.

One of the advantages primarily achieved with the present invention includes the forming of the rim base with different lengths of legs and with identical wall thickness. This becomes possible in a simple manner either by an operating step carried out on the plate or the formed wheel dish.

This operating step includes a simple bending of the outermost edge section of the plate out of its plane and of a central splitting of the edge in a plane parallel to the plane extending centrally the wheel dish. A unilateral larger material accumulation is produced for a leg portion of greater length by the angular bending and the material prior to when the splitting occurs such that the longer leg of the rim base is formed from the portion with the greater material proportion and the shorter leg of the rim base is formed from the portion with the smaller material proportion.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which shows, for purposes of illustration only, the essential operating steps for the manufacture of a one-piece light metal vehicle wheel in accordance with the method of the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view through a light metal plate or disk for the manufacture of a vehicle wheel in accordance with the present invention in the starting condition;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a preformed rim dish with an edge;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a completely formed wheel dish with an angularly bent outer edge according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the centrally split edge during the splitting operation in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view through the wheel dish with a completed cut-open edge; and

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view through the vehicle wheel with a completely formed wheel base.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the various views to designate like parts, a wheel dish 2 with an edge 3 (FIG. 2) is preformed in a pressing operation from a light metal disk or plate 1, illustrated in FIG. 1. In a subsequent operating step according to FIG. 3, the wheel dish 2 is brought into its final shape generally designated by reference numeral 4. At the same time, the outer edge portion 5 is angularly bent so that it projects obliquely outwardly out of the longitudinal center plane X--X of the wheel. In a further operating step illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the edge 3 is split open in the direction of arrow 8 in the longitudinal center plane X--X of the wheel. This takes place preferably by means of a cutting roller which effects a V-shaped splitting of the edge 5 up to the boundary 9 of the wheel dish 4 into two equally thick annular ring-shaped parts 6 and 7. After this splitting operation, the one annular ring part 7 has a greater material accumulation at its distal end than the other annular ring part 6. These parts 6 and 7 are subsequently elongated by a rolling-pressing operation into the legs 10 and 11 which then form the completed rim base. The rim base includes a leg 10 of smaller length b and a leg 11 of greater length B. Both legs 10 and 11 can thus be manufactured of identical thickness d by reason of the bent end forming a differing material accumulation at the distal end of part 7 notwithstanding different leg lengths b and B.

The operating step of the angular bending can take place in any phase of the manufacturing operation prior to the splitting and rolling-pressing step. Thus, it is possible to carry out the angular bending either during the manufacture of the plate or disk itself or during the forming of the wheel dish according to FIG. 3.

While I have shown and described only one embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to those skilled in the art, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims.