US 5,664,329 AGranted

Method for fabricating a one-piece metal vehicle wheel

AssigneeCosma International Inc.

InventorHarald P. Nickel

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Abstract

An improved method for fabricating a vehicle wheel from a one-piece sheet metal blank involves a nine station transfer die. In a first station, a sheet metal blank is drawn into a dish-shaped wall, a cylindrical outside wall, a first contour, and a first side wall. In the second station, the dish-shaped wall is reverse drawn to form a hub and an inside wall, and a valve hole is punched into the first contour. In the third station, the hub is flattened to be substantially perpendicular to an axial centerline of the partially fabricated wheel, and an outer peripheral edge of the first side wall is trimmed. In the fourth station, the inside wall is laterally formed so as to be in contact with the outside wall, and an outer peripheral edge of the first side wall is wiped over to form a flange. In the fifth station, a second contour is laterally formed. In the sixth station, a first offset and inner and outer hub-stiffening embosses are drawn into the hub. In the seventh station, a second offset is drawn in the hub, and a second side wall is laterally formed to complete a tire engaging rim. In the eighth station a center aperture and a plurality of wheel mounting holes are punched in the hub. Finally, in the ninth station, the center aperture and the wheel mounting holes are extruded, and a plurality of rim-stiffening embosses are laterally formed in the rim.

A method of forming a metal, one piece vehicle wheel for supporting a tire thereon, said wheel having an axial centerline, a rim for mounting radially inward edges of the tire, and a hub for supporting the wheel on a vehicle, said method comprising:

(1) providing a sheet metal blank and shaping said blank in a first axial direction to construct a dish-shaped wall and to construct an outside wall and a first side wall of said rim for supporting one of the radially inward edges of the tire to be mounted, said outside wall including an axial portion generally parallel to said axial centerline, and a first contour portion extending from said axial portion of said outside wall to said first side wall;
(2) shaping a central portion of said dish-shaped wall in a second axial direction to construct said hub in a generally dome shape and to fold an annular radially outward portion of said dish-shaped wall inside said outside wall to construct an inside wall in surrounding relation to said hub, and piercing a valve hole in said first contour portion to receive a tire valve stem;
(3) flattening said hub and trimming an outer peripheral portion of said first side wall;
(4) shaping said inside wall radially outwardly so that an extent of said inside wall is parallel to and in contact with said axial portion of said outside wall to construct a double walled axial portion and shaping an outer peripheral edge of said side wall to construct a first side wall stiffening flange;
(5) shaping a portion of said double walled axial portion radially outwardly to construct a second contour portion of said rim;
(6) shaping a portion of said hub in the first axial direction to construct a first offset constructed and arranged to stiffen said hub and shaping a plurality of circumferentially spaced hub-stiffening embosses in said hub, said plurality of hub-stiffening embosses being radially arranged in surrounding relation to the centerline of the wheel;
(7) shaping said first offset in the second axial direction to construct a second offset constructed and arranged to further stiffen said hub and to construct a plurality of circumferentially spaced sockets radially arranged in surrounding relation to the centerline of the wheel and shaping a portion of said second contour to construct a second side wall for supporting the radially inward edge of the tire to be mounted;
(8) piercing a center hole and a plurality of wheel mounting holes surrounding said center hole in said hub, each of said plurality of wheel mounting holes being formed in a corresponding one of said plurality of sockets;
and
(9) shaping a plurality of circumferentially spaced rim-stiffening embosses in said rim and shaping said center hole and each of said plurality of wheel mounting holes to construct a center hole flange for said center hole and a wheel mounting hole flange for each of said plurality of wheel mounting holes.

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Abstract

Claims22