Vehicle wheel having a hammer-debossed texture
AssigneeVolvo Car Corporation
InventorPetter Allström
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Wheels for use on vehicles and methods of manufacturing vehicle wheels are described in the present disclosure. According to one embodiment, a method includes a step of manufacturing a wheel that includes a rim, a center disk, and a plurality of spokes. The rim may include a substantially-cylindrical barrel adapted to seal a tubeless tire. The center disk may include a central bore adapted for engagement with an axle of a vehicle. Also, the plurality of spokes may be adapted to connect the center disk to the rim. The method further includes the step of deforming outwardly-facing surfaces of the spokes using one or more hammering or punching instruments.
Claims16
A method of forming a vehicle wheel, comprising the steps of:
- providing a wheel that includes a rim, a center disk, and a plurality of spokes, where the rim has a substantially-cylindrical barrel on one side of the rim adapted to seal a tubeless tire, where the center disk has a central bore adapted for engagement with an axle of a vehicle, and where the plurality of spokes are adapted to connect the center disk to the rim;
- providing a sheet of material including at least one of chromium, aluminum, nickel, copper, bronze, and tin, the sheet of material including a sheet rim and a plurality of sheet spokes;
- deforming one or more outwardly-facing surfaces of each sheet spoke of the plurality of sheet spokes of the sheet of material using one or more hammering or punching instruments, wherein each of the deformed one or more outwardly-facing surfaces of each sheet spoke of the plurality of sheet spokes is entirely positioned at a radial distance from a center of the sheet of material greater than a radial separation distance such that all of the outwardly-facing surfaces of the plurality of sheet spokes positioned at radial distances from the center of the sheet of material greater than the radial separation distance define worked surfaces;
- leaving one or more outwardly-facing surfaces of each sheet spoke of the plurality of sheet spokes of the sheet of material positioned at a radial distance from the center of the sheet of material less than the radial separation distance undeformed by the one or more hammering or punching instruments such that all of the outwardly-facing surfaces of the plurality of sheet spokes positioned at radial distances from the center of the sheet of material less than the radial separation distance define smooth unworked surfaces;
- and
- plating, subsequent to deforming the one or more outwardly-facing surfaces of the plurality of sheet spokes of the sheet of material, one or more outwardly-facing surfaces of the plurality of spokes of the wheel with the sheet of material such that one or more inwardly-facing surfaces of the plurality of sheet spokes of the sheet of material are disposed on the one or more outwardly-facing surfaces of the plurality of spokes of the wheel, the one or more outwardly-facing surfaces of the plurality of spokes disposed on a side of the plurality of spokes opposite from a side of the plurality of spokes facing the substantially-cylindrical barrel such that the one or more deformed outwardly-facing surfaces of each sheet spoke of the plurality of sheet spokes and all the undeformed outwardly-facing surfaces of the plurality of sheet spokes of the sheet of material are visible from an exterior side of the vehicle when the wheel plated with the sheet of material is disposed on the axle of the vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.