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US 4,419,908 AGranted
Mold and method of making spoked wheels and product of same
AssigneeKelsey-Hayes Company
InventorHarold J. Reikowski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fiberglass reinforced plastics steering wheel is disclosed and a mold and method for making same. The wheel is made by disposing binder and the fiberglass in an annular cavity and in ramp-like radial cavities of a mold and are pressed into shape by a wedge-shaped member.
Claims11
A method of producing a spoked wheel from parallelly oriented fiber reinforced materials, comprising:
- providing a mold having a central support with an annular ring thereabout having a mold groove in its top surface adjacent its periphery, and at least two ramps connecting said groove with said central support, placing a segmental cover plate having a mold groove in its bottom surface over the mold groove in said annular ring and leaving an entrance channel between the ring and cover which communicates with the periphery of said ring and cover;
- placing a hub having parallel top and bottom flanges on said central support;
- wrapping binder impregnated parallel fibers into said entrance channel up said ramps, and between said flange of said hub until parallel fibers and binder build up in said mold grooves to said entrance channel;
- and forcing a wedge shaped member into said entrance channel to move the parallel fibers laterally to fill the mold grooves in the annular ring and its cover plate;
- and hardening the binder.
2 more elements
A mold for producing spoked wheels and the like from parallel filament reinforced binders, comprising:
- a central pedestal having an upper surface for supporting a hub thereon;
- a generally annular rim surrounding and spaced apart from said pedestal;
- at least two ramps connecting said upper surface of said pedestal with said annular rim;
- a mold groove in the top surface of said annular rim and to which groove said ramps extend;
- a pair of vertical guide plates for each ramp with respective guide plates being on opposite sides of said ramp;
- a segmental cover plate for a portion of said groove in said rim between said ramps, said cover plate having a mold groove in its bottom surface which groove overlies said mold groove in said rim, there being a space between said rim and cover plate leading from said grooves to the periphery of said rim to provide an annular access channel to said mold grooves of said rim and cover plate, said access channel having a width that is a fraction of the combined depth of said mold grooves;
- a collapsible band extending around said rim externally of said access channel, said band having a radially inwardly extending annular projection adapted to fit into said access channel and compact material up into the mold groove of said cover plate and down into the mold groove of said rim;
- and stop means for limiting the radially inward movement of said annular projection into said access channel to in turn limit the displacement of materials in said mold grooves.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.