Composite rim of vehicle wheel and method of manufacturing the same
AssigneesHyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
InventorsJeong Min Cho, Chi Hoon Choi, Young Chan Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed are a composite rim of a vehicle wheel and a method of manufacturing the same, which is reduced in weight through the use of a continuous fiber composite. The rim of a vehicle wheel may be formed by stacking composite sheets, each prepared by impregnating fibers with a resin to form a sheet. The composite sheets may be stacked in multiple layers such that end portions of the respective composite sheets may contact each other in a circumferential direction of the wheel, and discontinuous interfaces, formed at the contacting end portions of the respective composite sheets along an axial direction of the wheel, may not be aligned with each other.
Claims8
A rim of a vehicle wheel, comprising:
- a plurality of composite sheets, each of which comprises a fabric sheet and a resin, where the resin is impregnated in the fabric sheet,
- wherein each of the fabric sheet comprises:
- continuous fibers;
- a base layer comprising one or more of the composite sheets wherein end portions of the respective composite sheets in the base layer contact each other in the circumferential direction of the wheel and discontinuous interfaces of the respective composite sheets in the base layer are formed at the contacting end portions of the respective composite sheets in the base layer in the axial direction of the wheel;
- and
- a reinforcement layer disposed on the base layer and comprising one or more of the composite sheets wherein end portions of the respective composite sheets in the reinforcement layer contact each other in the circumferential direction of the wheel and discontinuous interfaces of the respective composite sheets in the reinforcement layer are formed at the contacting end portions of the respective composite sheets in the reinforcement layer in the axial direction of the wheel,
- wherein the reinforcement layer is formed in multiple layers by stacking the one or more composite sheets, and the discontinuous interfaces of the respective composite sheets in the reinforcement layer are not aligned with each other, and
- wherein the discontinuous interfaces formed in the base layer and the discontinuous interfaces formed in the reinforcement layer are not aligned with each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.