Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Wheel making
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-22
2003-04-15
Echols, P. W. (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Wheel making
C029S525000, C029S802000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06546629
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to vehicle wheels and in particular to an improved method and apparatus for producing a vehicle wheel.
A conventional vehicle wheel is typically of a two-piece construction and includes an inner wheel disc and an outer “full” wheel rim. The wheel disc can be cast, forged, or fabricated from steel, aluminum, or other alloys, and includes an inner annular wheel mounting portion and an outer annular portion. The wheel mounting portion of the wheel disc defines an inboard mounting surface and includes a center pilot or hub hole, and a plurality of lug receiving holes formed therethrough for mounting the vehicle wheel to an axle of the vehicle. The wheel rim is fabricated from steel, aluminum, or other alloys, and includes an inboard tire bead seat retaining flange, an inboard tire bead seat, an axially extending well, an outboard tire bead seat, and an outboard tire bead seat retaining flange. In some instances, a three-piece wheel construction having a mounting cup secured to the wheel disc is used. In both types of constructions, the outer annular portion of the wheel disc is secured to the wheel rim by welding.
In the above vehicle wheel constructions, after the wheel disc and the wheel rim have been assembled and welded together several finishing operations may be required to produce a wheel having the desired specifications. First, at least one of the inboard and outboard tire bead seats and/or at least one of the inboard and outboard tire bead seat retaining flanges may have to be generally be processed so that the tire bead seats are oriented and located coaxial with the wheel axis (commonly referred to as “radial runout”), and the tire bead seat retaining flanges are oriented in a parallel relationship relative to an inboard mounting surface of the wheel disc (commonly referred to as “lateral” or “axial” runout”). Following this, the location of center pilot hole, the lug receiving holes, or both may have to be corrected by an appropriate method, such as reboring the center pilot hole and repunching the lug receiving holes, so that an axis of the center pilot hole is oriented in a coaxial relationship relative to the wheel axis and the tire bead seats and the axes of the lug receiving holes are oriented parallel to the wheel axis.
FIGS. 6 and 7
illustrate a typical prior art assembly tooling apparatus, indicated generally at
200
, which is used to assemble a prior art wheel disc
220
and a prior art wheel rim
240
together to produce a vehicle wheel. The prior assembly tooling apparatus
200
includes a plurality tooling members which are moveable between an intermediate working position, shown in prior art
FIG. 6
, and a final working position, shown in prior art FIG.
7
.
As shown in prior art
FIGS. 6 and 7
, the prior art assembly tooling apparatus
200
includes a wheel rim tooling station, indicated generally at
202
, and a wheel disc tooling station, indicated generally at
204
. The wheel rim tooling station
202
includes an upper wheel rim detail tooling member
206
and a lower wheel rim detail tooling member
208
. The upper wheel rim detail tooling member
206
includes a pair of tooling members
206
A and
206
B which are connected together by a plurality of bolts
207
(only one of such bolts
207
is illustrated in FIGS.
6
and
7
). The tooling members
206
A and
206
B can be uninterrupted continuous annular tooling members which are effective to engage and support a generally radially extending inner surface
242
A of an inboard tire bead seat retaining flange
242
of the wheel rim
240
around the entire periphery thereof, or can be a segmented tooling member (i.e., not an uninterrupted continuous tooling member), so as not to provide full (i.e., 360 degree) contact and support at the associated surface.
The lower wheel rim detail tooling member
208
includes a pair of tooling members
208
A and
208
B which are connected together by a plurality of bolts
209
(only one of such bolts
209
is illustrated in FIGS.
6
and
7
). The tooling members
208
A and
208
B can be uninterrupted continuous annular tooling members which are effective to engage and support a generally radially outwardly extending inner surface
246
A of a section of a well
246
of the wheel rim
240
around the entire periphery thereof, or can be a segmented tooling member (i.e., not an uninterrupted continuous tooling member), so as not to provide full (i.e., 360 degree) contact and support at the associated surface. In addition, the lower wheel rim detail tooling member
208
can include a locating member
211
which is adapted to extend through a valve stem opening
240
A provided in the wheel rim
240
. The lower wheel rim detail tooling member
208
is selectively moveable by a cylinder B
1
which is actuated by suitable means, such as such as by hydraulic, pneumatic, or similar means.
The wheel disc tooling station
204
includes an outer retainer
212
, an inner retainer
214
, a center pilot plug
216
, and a bottom center detail tooling member
218
. The inner retainer
214
is operatively connected to the outer retainer
212
by one or more bolts
215
and is selectively moveable by a cylinder B
2
. The center pilot plug
216
is operatively connected to the inner retainer
214
by a bolt
219
and moveable therewith, and the bottom center detail tooling member
218
is selectively moveable by a cylinder B
3
. The cylinders B
2
, and B
3
are actuated by suitable means, such as by hydraulic, pneumatic, or similar means.
The outer retainer
212
is preferably an uninterrupted continuous annular member which is effective to engage and support an inner surface
224
A of an outer annular portion
224
of the wheel disc
220
around the entire periphery thereof, or can be a segmented tooling member (i.e., not an uninterrupted continuous tooling member), so as not to provide full (i.e., 360 degree) contact and support at the associated surface. The inner retainer
214
includes a plurality of separate tooling members (four of such tooling members
214
A-
214
D being illustrated in FIGS.
6
and
7
), which are operatively connected together by suitable means, such as for example by bolts
217
A-
217
C. The tooling member
214
D is preferably an uninterrupted continuous annular tooling member which is effective to engage and support an inboard mounting surface
222
A of a wheel mounting portion
222
of the wheel disc
220
around the entire periphery thereof. The center pilot plug
216
defines an outer diameter which is slightly less than an inner diameter defined by the center pilot hole
228
of the wheel disc
220
so as to be received therein in a slight interference fit therewith.
The bottom center detail tooling member
218
includes a plurality of separate tooling members
218
A-
218
C which are connected together by bolts
219
A and
219
B and which are operatively connected to the cylinder B
3
. The tooling member
218
B includes an outer annular extension
224
which is effective to engage an outer surface
222
B of the wheel disc
220
adjacent the bolt hole openings
230
except at the embossed surface areas of the bolt hole openings
230
or any other non-uniform surface area located thereon. The tooling member
218
B further includes a locating member
221
which is adapted to extend through one of the bolt hole openings
230
provided in the wheel disc
220
.
The prior art assembly tooling apparatus
200
shown in
FIGS. 6 and 7
is operated in the following manner to assemble the wheel disc
220
and the wheel rim
240
together. First, the wheel rim
240
and the wheel disc
220
are supported by the assembly tooling apparatus
200
as shown in FIG.
6
. In particular, the wheel rim
240
is engaged and supported at the surface
246
A by the tooling member
208
A, and the wheel disc
220
is engaged and supported at the surfaces
224
A,
222
A,
222
B,
228
, and
230
by the tooling members
212
,
214
D,
218
B,
216
, and
221
respectively. Next, with the wheel disc
220
held stationa
Echols P. W.
Hayes Lemmerz International Inc.
MacMillan Sobanski & Todd LLC
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