A method of operating a bearingless hub assembly comprising:
- a rim comprising:
- a tube magnet,
- a cylindrical body characterized by an outer end and an inner end,
- a rim center hole axially centered through the cylindrical body and configured to fittedly receive the tube magnet,
- a plurality of embedded magnets, and
- a plurality of magnet slots disposed about the outer end and the inner end of the cylindrical body at a magnet slot depth and configured to fittedly receive a respective one of the plurality of embedded magnets;
- a front rim cap comprising:
- a front rim cap center hole axially centered through the front rim cap, and
- a front rim cap ring magnet;
- a rear rim cap comprising:
- a rear rim cap center hole axially centered through the rear rim cap, and
- at least one rear rim cap loop magnet;
- a front drive plate comprising:
- a first front drive center hole axially centered in the front drive plate,
- a second front drive center hole axially centered in the front drive plate and opposite the first front drive center hole, and
- a front drive plate ring magnet;
- a rear drive plate comprising:
- a rear drive center hole axially centered through the rear drive plate, and
- at least one rear drive plate loop magnet;
- and
- a spindle assembly comprising:
- a threaded insert characterized by a fastening portion comprising an externally-threaded cylinder having first and second ends, and
- a sleeve magnet having an internally-threaded sleeve bore configured to receive the fastening portion of the threaded insert from the second end of the externally-threaded cylinder;
- wherein the front rim cap is fixedly mounted to the outer end of the cylindrical body of the rim and configured to secure, in relation to the rim, an outer subset of the plurality of embedded magnets disposed about the outer end of the cylindrical body;
- wherein the rear rim cap is fixedly mounted to the inner end of the cylindrical body of the rim and configured to secure, in relation to the rim, an inner subset of the plurality of embedded magnets disposed about the inner end of the cylindrical body;
- wherein the spindle assembly is positioned to extend, starting from the second end of the fastening portion of the threaded insert, through the rear drive center hole of the rear drive plate, the rear rim cap center hole of the rear rim cap, the rim center hole of the rim, the front rim cap center hole of the front rim cap, and the first and second front drive center holes of the front drive plate, in turn, such that
- a respective first substantially similar polarity of the tube magnet and the sleeve magnet create a first repel force that operates to freely mount the rim center hole of the rim proximate to the threaded insert of the spindle assembly at a first levitation spacing of the first repel force,
- a respective second substantially similar polarity of the front rim cap ring magnet and the front drive plate ring magnet create a second repel force that operates to freely mount the front rim cap proximate to the front drive plate at a second levitation spacing of the second repel force, and
- a respective third substantially similar polarity of the at least one rear rim cap loop magnet and the at least one rear drive plate loop magnet create a third repel force that operates to freely mount the rear rim cap proximate to the rear drive plate at a third levitation spacing of the third repel force;
- the method comprising:
- mechanically mounting to at least one of the front drive plate and the rear drive plate an electromagnetic actuator;
- positioning the electromagnetic actuator at one of the outer end and the inner end of the rim, defined as a powered end, and proximate a circumference of the powered end of the rim;
- and
- creating, using an electromagnetic field of the electromagnetic actuator and a respective polarity of a subset of the plurality of embedded magnets at the powered end, a rotational force that operates to freely spin the rim about an axis of the rim in a spin direction defined by the electromagnetic field.