Wire spoke vehicle wheel and method of manufacture
AssigneeMotor Wheel Corporation
InventorRichard W. Smith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A composite ornamental vehicle wheel assembly comprising a steel wheel having an overlay molded thereon along the axially outboard surface of the wheel disc and the radially inboard surface of the rim. A plurality of wire spoke elements are mounted in paired axially spaced circumferential arrays between nipples threaded into the overlay adjacent the wheel rim and support pockets formed in the overlay radially inwardly of the rim. Annular retaining elements are mounted to the overlay structure and capture the inner ends of the various spoke elements in assembly.
Claims7
A method of manufacturing a composite vehicle wheel assembly comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a vehicle wheel including a disc having an axially oriented outboard face and a rim having a radially oriented inboard face contiguous with said disc outboard face, said disc including a central hub opening and an array of mounting openings surrounding said hub opening, at least said rim and disc face portions of said wheel being formed in a molding operation to include on said disc outboard face a hollow shell circumferentially surrounding said hub opening, a ledge axially projecting from said disc outboard face radially intermediate said mounting openings and said rim, and a circumferential array of radially facing pockets on each of said ledge and shell opening at an edge of said ledge and shell remote from said disc,
- (b) fixedly securing on said inboard rim face first and second pluralities of nipples in respective axially spaced circumferential arrays by embedding a portion of each said nipple into said face, said first plurality being mounted adjacent an edge of said rim face axially remote from said disc and said second plurality being mounted at the juncture of said rim and disc faces, each of said nipples including a nipple opening directed generally radially inwardly,
- (c) mounting a first plurality of wire spokes to said wheel by inserting one end of each said wire spoke of said first plurality into a corresponding said nipple opening among said first plurality of nipples, seating the second end of each said wire spoke of said first plurality in a corresponding said pocket on said ledge and then assembling an annular retaining ring onto said ledge to secure said second ends in said pockets, and
- (d) mounting a second plurality of wire spokes to said wheel by inserting one end of each said wire spoke of said second plurality into a corresponding nipple opening among said second plurality of nipples and seating the second end of each said wire spoke of said second plurality in a corresponding said pocket on said shell, and then assembling an annular retaining ring onto said shell to secure said second ends in said pockets.
A composite vehicle wheel assembly comprising a metal disc wheel having a disc with an axially outboard face and a rim permanently secured to said disc with a radially inboard face extending axially outwardly with respect to and contiguously with said disc outboard face, an overlay of elastomeric construction permanently adhesively secured to said disc wheel and including at least a first portion disposed adjacent to said rim inboard face and a second portion secured to said disc outboard face radially inwardly of said first portion, a plurality of nipple means individually embedded in and fixedly secured to said first portion of said overlay in a circumferential array extending around said rim inboard face, each of said nipple means having a nipple opening directed generally radially inwardly, a plurality of wire spokes each having an outer end removably received in a corresponding said nipple opening and an inner end seated against said second portion of said overlay, and retaining ring means removably secured to said second portion of said overlay for securing said inner ends of said wire spokes onto said second portion of said overlay whereby said spokes are removably anchored to said elastomeric construction of said overlay and thereby secured against rattling.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.