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US 11,325,416 B2Granted
Composite wheel assembly and method of construction thereof
AssigneeLacks Wheel Trim Systems, LLC
InventorsGarry Van Houten, Gerald Nuiver
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A composite wheel assembly and method of construction thereof is provided. The composite wheel assembly includes a lightweight annular fiber-reinforced barrel having an inner surface and an outer surface configured to support a tire thereon. A lightweight metal central hub assembly is fixed to the barrel. The metal central hub assembly includes a central hub portion and plurality of support spokes extending outwardly from the metal central hub portion. A wheel cladding contrasting in at least one of material type, color, texture and surface finish to an outwardly facing surface of the central hub assembly is fixed to the outwardly facing surface of the central hub assembly.
Claims42
A composite wheel assembly, comprising:
- an annular fiber-reinforced barrel extending about a central axis about which said composite wheel assembly rotates, said annular fiber-reinforced barrel having a barrel inner surface, facing said central axis, and a barrel outer surface, facing away from said central axis, said barrel inner surface and said barrel outer surface extending axially between an environmental side and a brake side of said annular fiber-reinforced barrel, with at least one flange extending radially inwardly from said barrel inner surface between said environmental side and said brake side, with a region of said barrel inner surface extending from said at least one flange to said environmental side;
- a metal central hub assembly having a central hub portion with a through opening extending about said central axis and a plurality of fastener openings configured for receipt of fasteners to facilitate fixation of the composite wheel assembly to a vehicle, and a plurality of support spokes extending radially outwardly from said central hub portion, said metal central hub assembly being attached to said at least one flange of said fiber-reinforced barrel;
- a wheel cladding having a central hub region and a plurality of cladding spokes extending radially outward from said central hub region, said central hub region having a plurality of lugnut apertures configured to align with said plurality of fastener openings, said wheel cladding being fixedly bonded to at least a portion of an outwardly facing surface of said metal central hub assembly;
- and
- a plurality of decorative members bonded to an outer surface of said wheel cladding;
- wherein at least some of said cladding spokes have recessed pockets extending radially outwardly from said central hub region, and wherein at least some of said plurality of decorative members are bonded to said cladding spokes in said recessed pockets.
3 more elements
A method of constructing a composite wheel assembly, comprising:
- providing an annular fiber-reinforced barrel extending about a central axis about which said composite wheel assembly rotates, with said annular fiber-reinforced barrel having a barrel inner surface facing said central axis and a barrel outer surface facing away from said central axis with at least one flange extending radially inwardly from said barrel inner surface;
- providing a metal central hub assembly having a central hub portion with a through opening extending about said central axis and a plurality of support spokes extending radially outwardly from said central hub portion;
- attaching said metal central hub assembly to said at least one flange of said fiber-reinforced barrel;
- fixedly bonding a wheel cladding to at least a portion of an outwardly facing surface of said metal central hub assembly, said wheel cladding having a central hub region and a plurality of cladding spokes extending radially outward from said central hub region;
- providing said flange with a plurality of flange through openings having counter-bores and providing said metal central hub assembly with a plurality of hub openings, aligning said flange through openings with said hub openings, and fixing a plurality of fasteners having enlarged tool receiving heads in said flange through openings and said hub openings and disposing said enlarged tool receiving heads in said counter-bores to fix said metal central hub assembly to said fiber-reinforced barrel;
- bonding a plurality of decorative members to an outer surface of said wheel cladding;
- wherein at least some of said cladding spokes have recessed pockets extending radially outwardly from said central hub region, and wherein at least some of said plurality of decorative members are bonded to said cladding spokes in said recessed pockets.
4 more elements
A method of constructing a composite wheel assembly, comprising:
- providing an annular fiber-reinforced barrel extending about a central axis about which said composite wheel assembly rotates, with said annular fiber-reinforced barrel having a barrel inner surface facing said central axis and a barrel outer surface facing away from said central axis with at least one flange extending radially inwardly from said barrel inner surface;
- providing a metal central hub assembly having a central hub portion with a through opening extending about said central axis and a plurality of support spokes extending radially outwardly from said central hub portion;
- attaching said metal central hub assembly to said at least one flange of said fiber-reinforced barrel;
- fixedly bonding a wheel cladding to at least a portion of an outwardly facing surface of said metal central hub assembly;
- providing said flange with a plurality of flange through openings having counter-bores and providing said metal central hub assembly with a plurality of hub openings, aligning said flange through openings with said hub openings, and fixing a plurality of fasteners having enlarged tool receiving heads in said flange through openings and said hub openings and disposing said enlarged tool receiving heads in said counter-bores to fix said metal central hub assembly to said fiber-reinforced barrel;
- providing said hub openings as through openings, extending said fasteners through said flange through openings and through said hub openings and threading nuts on threaded shanks of said fasteners;
- and
- bringing said nuts into abutment with said metal central hub assembly with said nuts being disposed between said metal central hub assembly and said wheel cladding.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.