Vehicle wheel and method for producing such a wheel

A commercial vehicle wheel comprising:

• a wheel disc secured to the rim, wherein the wheel disc includes a hub located centrally within the wheel disc and having a plurality of bolt holes formed therein;
• and
• an annular rim secured to the disc, wherein the rim defines an axis and inboard and outboard sides, the rim including:
• an outboard bead seat;
• an inboard bead seat;
• an outboard well flank connected to the outboard bead scat and extending radially inwardly and towards the inboard side of the rim;
• an inboard well flank connected to the inboard bead seat and extending radially inwardly and towards the outboard side of the rim;
• and
• a well portion defined between the outboard and inboard well flanks, wherein the well portion includes:
• a first transition portion increasing in thickness in the direction from the outboard side to the inboard side;
• a second transition portion decreasing in thickness in the direction from the outboard side to the inboard side;
• a straight cylindrical portion disposed between the first and second portions;
• a third transition portion increasing in thickness in the direction from the outboard side to the inboard side;
• a curved portion disposed between the second and third transition portions;
• a fourth transition portion decreasing in thickness in the direction from the outboard side to the inboard side.

A method of forming a wheel rim comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a blank;
• (b) forming the blank into a hoop defining a cylindrically shaped inner surface and a cylindrically shaped outer surface;
• (c) flow forming one of the inner and outer surfaces of the hoop to create at least three transition portions having a varying thickness cross-sectional profile;
• and
• (d) subsequently to step (c), performing at least one rolling operation on the hoop to form an outboard bead seat, an outboard well flank, an inboard bead seat, an inboard well flank, and a contoured well portion disposed between the outboard and inboard well flanks, wherein the well portion includes at least three transition portions having varying thickness cross-sectional profiles derived from the flow forming process of step (c), thereby forming the wheel rim.

A method of forming a vehicle wheel comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a blank;
• (b) forming the blank into a hoop defining a cylindrically shaped inner surface and a cylindrically shaped outer surface, wherein the hoop defines an outboard side and an inboard side;
• (c) flow forming the outer surface of the hoop to form a plurality of transition points where changes in the thickness of the hoop occur such that the flow forming forms a plurality of first portions having a decreasing thickness in the direction from the outboard side to the inboard side, and forms a plurality of second portions having an increasing thickness in the direction from the outboard side to the inboard side;
• (d) subsequently to step (c), performing at least one rolling operation on the hoop to form an outboard bead seat, an outboard well flank, an inboard bead seat, an inboard well flank, and a contoured well portion disposed between the outboard and inboard well flanks, wherein the wheel well portion includes transition portions having varying cross-sectional profiles derived from the flow forming process of step (c);
• (e) providing a wheel disc;
• and
• (f) securing the wheel disc to the wheel rim, thereby forming the vehicle wheel.