# US 10,369,838 B2 · Bicycle wheel component with braking area made of composite material and related manufacturing process > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,369,838 B2 - Document ID: US10369838B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/287,340 - Filed: 2016-10-06 - Published: 2017-04-13 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-10-07 - Assignees: Campagnolo S.r.l. - Applicants: Campagnolo S.r.l. - Inventors: Paolo Fabris - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10369838B2 ## CPC - B60B 5/02: made of synthetic material - B23K 26/402: involving non-metallic material, e.g. isolators - B29C 69/001: {a shaping technique combined with cutting, e.g. in parts or slices combined with rearranging and joining the cut parts (for reinforced material B29C70/545; B29C49/4278, B29C51/268 take precedence)} - B60B 1/00: Spoked wheels; Spokes thereof (non-metallic B60B5/00 {; spoked wheels comprising rail-engaging elements B60B17/001; making wheel spokes B21F39/00}) - B60B 21/00: Rims (non-metallic B60B5/00; of high resiliency B60B9/00; capable of carrying more than one tyre B60B11/04; multiple rims on a single wheel body B60B11/06; of multi-part type B60B25/00; metal tyres B60C) - B60B 21/08: characterised by having braking surfaces - B23K 2103/172: {wherein at least one of the layers is non-metallic} - B23K 2103/50: {Inorganic materials other than metals or composite materials} - B29K 2105/08: of continuous length, e.g. cords, rovings, mats, fabrics, strands or yarns - B29K 2307/04: Carbon - B29L 2031/3091: {Bicycles} - B29L 2031/32: Wheels, pinions, pulleys, castors or rollers {, Rims (inner tubes B29L2023/245; gears B29L2015/003; tyres B29L2030/00)} - B60B 1/003: {specially adapted for bicycles (B60B1/041 takes precedence)} - B60B 1/02: Wheels with wire or other tension spokes - B60B 1/06: Wheels with compression spokes (wheels of high resiliency B60B9/00) - B60B 3/00: Disc wheels, i.e. wheels with load-supporting disc body (non- metallic B60B5/00; wheel cover discs B60B7/00 {; disc wheels comprising rail-engaging elements B60B17/0006}) - B60B 2310/204: by moulding, e.g. injection moulding, i.e. casting of plastics material - B60B 2310/228: by machining - B60B 2310/60: Surface treatment; After treatment - B60B 2360/341: with fibres - B60B 2900/115: Complexity - B60B 2900/131: Vibrations - B60B 2900/133: Noise - B60B 2900/325: Reliability - B60Y 2200/13: Bicycles; Tricycles - B62L 1/10: by the elements moving substantially parallel to the wheel axis - B60B: VEHICLE WHEELS (making wheels or wheel parts by rolling B21H1/00, by forging, hammering or pressing B21K1/28); CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION - B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - B29K: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR {MOULDS, } REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS - B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES - B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY - B62L: BRAKES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CYCLES {(arrangements in cycles for adjusting wheel-braking force to meet varying vehicular or ground-surface conditions B60T8/00)} ## Abstract A process for manufacturing a bicycle wheel component, comprising the steps of providing a component having at least one braking area that cooperates with a braking body made by molding of composite material having structural fibers in a polymeric material, and post-molding machining of at least one region of the braking area by removing only polymeric material, without removal of the structural fiber, from the entire region so that the structural fiber outcrops at least in part from the polymeric material, and removing the structural fiber and possibly the polymeric material according to at least one groove within the region. A bicycle wheel component having a braking area of composite material, wherein in a region of the braking area, the structural fiber outcrops at least from the polymeric material, and the region comprises a groove through the structural fiber and possibly the polymeric material of the composite material. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A bicycle wheel component comprising: at least one braking area configured to cooperate with a braking body, said braking area being made substantially of composite material comprising structural fibers incorporated in a polymeric material, wherein at least one region of said at least one braking area comprises a surface layer defined by the polymeric material, and structural fibers that project beyond the surface layer, and at least one groove is cut through the structural fibers that project beyond the surface layer and the cut structural fibers represent no more than 9% of a surface of the at least one braking area. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The bicycle wheel component according to claim 1, wherein said at least one region of said at least one braking area comprises, in a surface layer, an amount of polymeric material smaller than, and an amount of structural fiber substantially equal to, a neighboring zone of said at least one region of said at least one braking area. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The bicycle wheel component according to claim 1, wherein said at least one region of said at least one braking area comprises, in a surface layer, an amount of polymeric material less than 40% with respect to the amount of polymeric material present in a neighboring zone. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The bicycle wheel component according to claim 1, wherein the cut structural fibers represent no more than 5% of the surface of the braking area. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The bicycle wheel component according to claim 1, wherein said at least one groove comprises a pattern of grooves. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The bicycle wheel component according to claim 1, wherein the wheel component is selected among a rim of a spoked wheel, a rim or a peripheral portion of a disc wheel, a rim or a peripheral portion of a spider wheel, said at least one braking area in such cases being at least one brake track annularly extending to cooperate with a pad of a rim brake; and a disc of a disc brake, said at least one braking area in this case being at least one brake track annularly extending to cooperate with a pad of a disc brake. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The bicycle wheel component according to claim 1, wherein, at least at said at least one braking area, the composite material has a fiber content (Fiber areal weight—FAW) in a surface layer lower than a fiber content in a non-surface layer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The bicycle wheel component according to claim 1, wherein said at least one groove extends through the polymeric material of the composite material. ### Claim 9 A bicycle wheel component comprising at least one braking area configured to cooperate with a braking body, said braking area being made substantially of composite material comprising structural fibers incorporated in a polymeric material, wherein in at least one region of said at least one braking area, a portion of the structural fibers outcrops from the polymeric material, said at least one region of said at least one braking area comprises a plurality of cut structural fibers, and the cut structural fibers represent no more than 9% of a surface of the braking area. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The bicycle wheel component according to claim 9, further comprising a groove through the cut structural fibers and the polymeric material. ### Claim 11 A bicycle wheel component comprising at least one braking area configured to cooperate with a braking body, said braking area being made substantially of composite material comprising structural fibers incorporated in a polymeric material, wherein in at least one region of said at least one braking area, the structural fibers outcrop at least in part from the polymeric material, and said at least one region of said at least one braking area comprises at least one groove through at least the structural fibers, at least at said at least one braking area, the composite material has a fiber content (Fiber areal weight—FAW) in a surface layer lower than a fiber content in a non-surface layer, and at least at said at least one braking area, the composite material has a fiber content (Fiber areal weight—FAW) in a surface layer equal to 100 g/m2 or less.