Hybrid metal and composite polymer wheels for motor vehicles

A motor vehicle, comprising:

• a vehicle body with a wheel well;
• and
• a wheel assembly located at least partially within the wheel well, the wheel assembly including:
• an inflatable tire;
• a wheel face with a central hub, an annular spoke rim circumscribing and coaxial with the central hub, and multiple spokes circumferentially spaced about and projecting radially outward from the central hub, the spokes extending between and connecting the annular spoke rim and the central hub, the central hub being rotatably attached to the vehicle body, and the wheel face, including the central hub, the annular spoke rim, and the spokes, being fabricated as a single-piece structure from a fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) material;
• and
• a wheel barrel circumscribing and coaxial with the wheel face, the wheel barrel including an annular rim mounting thereon the inflatable tire, the wheel barrel being fabricated from a metallic material and including a series of overmold through holes circumferentially spaced about and extending through the annular rim, wherein the FRP material of the spokes and annular spoke rim extends through the overmold through holes of the annular rim and thereby mounts the wheel face to the wheel barrel,
• wherein the annular rim includes a rim well with rim flanges projecting radially outwards from opposing edges of the rim well, and wherein the FRP material of the wheel face forms integral rivets and/or integral backing plates each abutting the rim well of the annular rim.

A method of manufacturing a wheel for a wheel assembly of a motor vehicle, the wheel assembly including a tire, and the motor vehicle including a vehicle body, the method comprising:

• forming a wheel barrel from a metallic material, the wheel barrel including an annular rim configured to mount thereon the tire;
• adding, to the wheel barrel, a series of overmold through holes circumferentially spaced about and extending through the annular rim;
• and
• overmolding, onto the wheel barrel, a wheel face from a fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) material such that the FRP material extends through the overmold through holes and thereby mounts the wheel face to the wheel barrel, the wheel face including a central hub, an annular spoke rim circumscribing the central hub, and multiple spokes circumferentially spaced about and projecting radially outward from the central hub, the spokes extending between and connecting the spoke rim and the central hub, the central hub being configured to rotatably attach to the vehicle body, wherein the wheel face, including the central hub, the spoke rim, and the spokes, is fabricated as a single-piece structure from the FRP material,
• wherein the annular rim includes a rim well with rim flanges projecting radially outwards from opposing edges of the rim well, and wherein the FRP material of the wheel face forms integral rivets and/or integral backing plates each abutting the rim well of the annular rim.