Process for making a vehicle wheel
AssigneeSuperior Industries International, Inc.
InventorJames E. Skeen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for making an aluminum vehicle wheel. The process includes casting the body of the wheel from aluminum. The drop center of the wheel is shot peened to seal air-transfer holes and also to increase the fatigue strength thereof. Next, both the drop center and the face of the wheel are shot peened with a finer shot to thereby reduce the surface roughness of the drop center and the face.
Claims12
A process for making a vehicle wheel from a casting, having a drop center area and a face area, said process including the steps of:
- shot peening the wheel's drop center area to seal any air-transfer holes therein and to also increase the fatigue strength thereof;
- and
- thereafter shot peening both said drop center area and the face area of said wheel with finer shot to thereby reduce the surface roughness of said drop center area and said face area.
A process for making a vehicle wheel from a casting having a drop center area and a face area, said process including the steps of:
- shot peening the wheel's drop center area to seal any air-transfer holes therein and to also increase the fatigue strength thereof;
- and
- cleaning said drop center area;
- and
- thereafter shot peening both said drop center area and the face area of said wheel with finer shot to thereby reduce the surface roughness of said drop center area and said face area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.