Method for making wheel rim
OwnerDonald Melbingerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods for forming a soft lip for a wheel rim are disclosed herein. The wheel rim may be a cold-formed, spun-formed, or rolled-formed cylindrical blank, wherein the blank includes an upturned outer edge. As the blank is spun, a blunting roller lowered to contact the upturned outer edge to blunt the outer edge into a work-strengthened annular bead, and finish off the external surface of the annular bead to form a soft lip.
Claims17
A method for forming a smooth blunted outer edge of a wheel rim comprising:
- providing a wheel rim having an upturned outer edge comprising an internal surface, an upper surface, and an external surface;
- providing a blunting roller comprising a concave surface;
- spinning the wheel rim;
- contacting the blunting roller to the upturned outer edge to form both a blunted outer edge and a guiding edge extending outward away from said blunted outer edge;
- and
- finishing the blunted outer edge to form a smooth outer edge.
A method for forming a smooth lip outer edge of a wheel rim comprising:
- providing a wheel rim having an upturned outer edge comprising an internal surface, upper surface, and an external surface, wherein the upturned outer edge is substantially perpendicular to a major axis of rotation for the rim;
- spinning the wheel rim;
- contacting a blunting roller comprising a concave surface to the upturned outer edge to form both a blunted portion and a guiding edge extending outward away from said blunted portion;
- and
- finishing the blunted portion to form a smooth lip outer edge.
A method for forming a smooth lip outer edge of a wheel rim comprising:
- providing a wheel rim having an upturned outer edge comprising an internal surface, upper surface, and an external surface, wherein the upturned outer edge is substantially perpendicular to a major axis of rotation for the rim;
- spinning the wheel rim;
- contacting a blunting roller to the upturned outer edge to form both a blunted portion and a guiding edge extending outward away from said blunted portion;
- pre-machining the upturned outer edge prior to contacting the blunting roller to the upturned outer edge;
- and
- finishing the blunted portion to form a smooth lip outer edge,
- wherein the pre-machining comprises truing up said upturned outer edge so that its upper surface forms a cylinder.
A method for making a smooth lip wheel rim, comprising:
- forming a cylindrical wheel blank having a first end and a second end;
- forming a radially extending flange on the first end of the cylindrical wheel blank;
- spinning the cylindrical wheel blank;
- truing the radially extending flange by pre-machining its upper edge surface so that its upper edge surface forms a cylinder
- applying a blunting roller to the radially extending flange to form a blunted annular bead;
- removing a portion of the radially extending flange to create a beveled surface on the flange;
- and
- finishing an outer surface of said blunted annular bead to form a smooth lip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.