Lightweight composite wheel hub, wheel hub unit assembly and wheel hub manufacturing method

Abstract

The invention discloses a lightweight composite wheel hub, a wheel hub unit assembly and a manufacturing method of a wheel hub, and relates to the technical field of commercial vehicle wheel hubs. The lightweight composite wheel hub comprises a cast iron frame body and an aluminum alloy cladding body, wherein the aluminum alloy cladding body is cast and wrapped on the outside of the cast iron frame body; the cast iron frame body comprises a sleeve-shaped frame body and a rudder-shaped frame, wherein the rudder-shaped frame is integrally arranged on the outside of the sleeve-shaped frame body, the aluminum alloy cladding body comprises a sleeve-shaped frame cladding body cast on the sleeve-shaped frame body and a rudder-shaped frame cladding body cast on the rudder-shaped frame, wherein the sleeve-shaped frame cladding body and the rudder-shaped frame cladding body are integrally cast and formed; the rudder-shaped frame comprises a plurality of tillers and a rudder ring connecting the plurality of tillers together, wherein one end of the tiller is integrally arranged with the sleeve-shaped frame body, and the other end of the tiller is provided with a wheel bolt mounting hole, and the sleeve-shaped frame body is provided with a half-axle bolt mounting hole or an end cover bolt mounting hole. The lightweight composite wheel hub can not only realize the lightweight of the wheel hub, but also has a high strength in structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of commercial vehicle wheel hubs, and in particular to a lightweight composite wheel hub, a wheel hub unit assembly and a method for manufacturing the wheel hub. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid growth of China's economy, high-end logistics represented by e-commerce, hazardous chemicals, cold chain, etc. has developed rapidly, and the requirements for lightweight vehicles have become more prominent. Taking a tractor as an example (running about 200,000 kilometers per year), every 1Kg weight reduction can earn nearly 200 yuan more in freight each year; therefore, the demand for lightweighting by commercial vehicle users and vehicle manufacturers is imminent.

[0003] The material of traditional commercial vehicle wheels is ductile iron, which is heavy and has a large space for lightweighting. However, the wheel is an important safety component that carries and rotates the vehicle, and its load-bearing capacity and other performance indicators are required to be high.

[0004] The density of general ductile iron is about 7.2-7.3Kg / m 3 , the density of aluminum is only 2.7Kg / m 3 , which is about 37.5% of ductile iron; so using aluminum alloy instead of cast iron will become an important method for wheel hub lightweighting; but at the same time, the corresponding wheel hub fatigue strength must be maintained. That is, while achieving wheel hub lightweighting, ensuring the fatigue strength of the wheel hub is an urgent problem to be solved in the current wheel hub production. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to overcome the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a lightweight composite wheel hub, which can achieve lightweight of the wheel hub and has a high strength structure.

[0006] As the same inventive concept, another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a lightweight composite wheel hub.

[0007] As the same inventive concept, another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a wheel hub unit assembly.

[0008] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0009] A lightweight composite wheel hub comprises: a cast iron frame body and an aluminum alloy cladding body, wherein the aluminum alloy cladding body is cast and wrapped around the outside of the cast iron frame body; the cast iron frame body comprises a sleeve-shaped frame body and a rudder-shaped frame, wherein the rudder-shaped frame is integrally arranged on the outside of the sleeve-shaped frame body, the aluminum alloy cladding body comprises a sleeve-shaped frame cladding body cast on the sleeve-shaped frame body and a rudder-shaped frame cladding body cast on the rudder-shaped frame, and the sleeve-shaped frame cladding body and the rudder-shaped frame cladding body are integrally cast; the rudder-shaped frame comprises a plurality of tiller handles and a rudder ring connecting the plurality of tiller handles together, one end of the tiller handle is integrally arranged with the sleeve-shaped frame body, the other end of the tiller handle is provided with a wheel bolt mounting hole, and the sleeve-shaped frame body is provided with a half-axle bolt mounting hole or an end cover bolt mounting hole.

[0010] Preferably, the portion of the sleeve-shaped skeleton body where the half-axle bolt mounting hole or the end cover bolt mounting hole is opened protrudes outward to form a protruding portion, and a groove portion is formed between adjacent protruding portions.

[0011] Preferably, the outer side wall of the protrusion is provided with a machined step.

[0012] Preferably, the outer side wall of the groove portion is provided with a casting step.

[0013] Preferably, a portion of the rudder-like frame where the wheel bolt mounting hole is opened is provided with a bolt mounting end surface, and the bolt mounting end surface is exposed from the rudder-like frame sheathing body.

[0014] Preferably, an anti-rotation stopper is provided on the rudder-shaped frame to prevent the wheel bolts from rotating.

[0015] Preferably, a first bearing hole, a wheel hub inner cavity, a second bearing hole and a first oil seal mounting hole are opened inside the cast iron frame body, the first bearing hole and the second bearing hole are respectively located on both sides of the wheel hub inner cavity, and the first oil seal mounting hole is located on the outside of the first bearing hole.

[0016] In order to solve the above second technical problem, the wheel hub manufacturing method adopted by the present invention comprises the following steps:

[0017] A. casting the cast iron frame body by a sand casting method;

[0018] B. Shot blasting and polishing the cast iron frame;

[0019] C. machining a positioning end surface on the cast iron frame body, wherein the positioning end surface is used to position the cast iron frame body in the aluminum casting mold;

[0020] D. pickling and preheating the machined cast iron frame;

[0021] E. placing the cast iron frame in step D in the aluminum casting mold, and wrapping the aluminum alloy onto the cast iron frame by casting to form a composite wheel hub;

[0022] F. Improving the strength of the aluminum alloy portion of the composite wheel hub in step E by heat treatment;

[0023] G. Process the composite wheel hub in step F into a finished product.

[0024] Preferably, in step C, a step is machined on the protruding portion of the sleeve-shaped skeleton body where the half-axle bolt mounting hole or the end cover bolt mounting hole is opened.

[0025] In order to solve the third technical problem mentioned above, the present invention provides a wheel hub unit assembly, which adopts the above-mentioned lightweight composite wheel hub.

[0026] After adopting the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0027] The composite wheel hub of the present invention comprises a cast iron frame body and an aluminum alloy cladding body cast and wrapped around the cast iron frame body. Parts with higher requirements for fatigue strength and hardness are concentrated and integrated on the cast iron frame body. Most of the load of the wheel hub acts on the cast iron frame body. The cast iron frame body and the aluminum alloy cladding body are tightly combined and not easy to separate, and the bearing capacity of the wheel hub is stronger.

[0028] In the present invention, the cast iron frame body includes a sleeve-shaped frame body and a rudder-shaped frame. The rudder-shaped frame is integrally arranged on the outside of the sleeve-shaped frame body. The rudder-shaped frame includes multiple tiller handles and a rudder ring connecting the multiple tiller handles together. One end of the tiller handle is integrally arranged with the sleeve-shaped frame body. This rudder-shaped frame with a hollow structure can maximize the weight reduction effect while ensuring the hardness and fatigue strength of the wheel hub.

[0029] In addition, the bearing of the hub unit assembly in the present invention generates a large amount of friction heat when rotating under load, and the oil seal also generates a large amount of heat, with the highest temperature reaching 120°C. High temperature will affect the hardness of the bearing rolling element and the sealing effect and aging speed of the oil seal rubber part. The thermal conductivity coefficient of aluminum is much higher than that of cast iron, so the aluminum alloy coating can not only reduce weight but also enhance the heat dissipation effect.

[0030] In summary, compared with the traditional cast iron wheel hub, the overall weight of the present invention is light, and the weight reduction can reach 28-35%. Compared with the wheel hub made of lightweight materials such as aluminum alloy, the structural strength is high, which meets the requirement of high load-bearing capacity of the wheel hub as a vehicle load-bearing component, and the cost is low, saving about 20-30% of the cost of the pure aluminum wheel hub. It not only achieves the lightweight of the wheel hub, but also ensures the fatigue strength requirements of the wheel hub, and has good heat dissipation effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 is a stereoscopic view of the lightweight composite wheel hub of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of ;

[0033] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the lightweight composite wheel hub of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cast iron frame;

[0035] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of ;

[0036] Figure 6 is a three-dimensional diagram of the hub unit assembly of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure in;

[0038] In the figure: 1-cast iron frame body, 11-sleeve-shaped frame body, 110-protrusion, 1101-machined step, 111-groove, 1110-casting step, 12-rudder-shaped frame, 121-anti-rotation baffle, 123-tiller, 124-rudder ring, 2-aluminum alloy sheath, 21-sleeve-shaped frame sheath, 22-rudder-shaped frame sheath, 31-wheel bolt mounting hole, 32-bolt mounting end face, 33-bolt mounting end face, 41-first bearing hole, 42-wheel hub inner cavity, 43-second bearing hole, 44-semi-axle bolt mounting hole, 45-first oil seal mounting hole, 46-second oil seal mounting hole, 51-first bearing, 52-second bearing, 53-first oil seal, 54-second oil seal, 55-retaining ring, 56-sealing ring, 57-ABS gear ring, 58-wheel bolt. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0040] like Figures 1 to 3 The lightweight composite wheel hub shown together comprises a cast iron frame body 1 and an aluminum alloy cladding body 2, wherein the aluminum alloy cladding body 2 is cast and wrapped around the outer side of the cast iron frame body 1;

[0041] The cast iron frame body 1 includes a sleeve-shaped frame body 11 and a rudder-shaped frame 12. The rudder-shaped frame 12 is integrally arranged on the outside of the sleeve-shaped frame body 11. The aluminum alloy sheath 2 includes a sleeve-shaped frame sheath 21 cast on the sleeve-shaped frame body 11 and a rudder-shaped frame sheath 22 cast on the rudder-shaped frame 12. The sleeve-shaped frame sheath 21 and the rudder-shaped frame sheath 22 are integrally cast.

[0042] like Figure 4 As shown, the rudder-shaped frame 12 includes a plurality of tillers 123 and a rudder ring 124 connecting the plurality of tillers 123. One end of the tiller 123 is integrally arranged with the sleeve-shaped frame body 11. The other end of the tiller 123 is provided with a wheel bolt mounting hole 31. The sleeve-shaped frame body 11 is provided with a half-axle bolt mounting hole 44 or an end cover bolt mounting hole. The cast iron hollow integrated structure of the rudder-shaped frame 12 ensures both strength and weight reduction.

[0043] The difference between the hub structure installed on the driving shaft and the hub structure installed on the non-driving shaft is that the position of the connecting flange is slightly different in the axial direction. In this embodiment, the rudder-shaped skeleton 12 and the rudder-shaped skeleton sheath 22 jointly form a connecting flange. When the hub is installed on the driving shaft, the sleeve-shaped skeleton body 11 has a half-shaft bolt mounting hole 44, and the flange at the end of the half-shaft is provided with a corresponding half-shaft bolt mounting hole, and the half-shaft bolts connect the hub and the half-shaft; when the hub is installed on the non-driving shaft, the sleeve-shaped skeleton body 11 has an end cover bolt mounting hole, and the hub end cover is also provided with a corresponding end cover bolt mounting hole, and the end cover bolts connect the end cover and the hub. In this embodiment Figures 1 to 7 The hub shown in is the hub mounted on the drive shaft.

[0044] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the portion of the sleeve-shaped frame body 11 where the half-axle bolt mounting hole 44 is opened protrudes outward to form a protruding portion 110, and a groove portion 111 is formed between adjacent protruding portions 110. The protruding portion 110 and the groove portion 111 can prevent the sleeve-shaped frame body 11 from rotating circumferentially relative to the sleeve-shaped frame covering body 21, thereby preventing the cast iron frame body 1 and the aluminum alloy covering body 2 from rotating circumferentially, thereby increasing the integrity of the lightweight composite wheel hub and preventing the cast iron frame body 1 and the aluminum alloy covering body 2 from being disengaged.

[0045] Correspondingly, the surface of the aluminum alloy cladding 2 is also provided with protrusions and grooves corresponding to the protrusions 110 and grooves 111 of the sleeve-shaped skeleton body 11. The undulations can increase the heat dissipation area of ​​the aluminum alloy cladding 2. After the hub unit assembly is installed on the vehicle, when the vehicle is driving, the bearings in the hub unit assembly rotate under load. The bearings will generate a large amount of friction heat when rotating under load, and the oil seal will also generate a large amount of heat. The highest temperature can reach 120°C. High temperature will affect the hardness of the bearing rolling element and the sealing effect and aging speed of the oil seal rubber parts. The thermal conductivity coefficient of aluminum is much higher than that of cast iron, so the aluminum alloy cladding not only reduces weight but also enhances the heat dissipation effect.

[0046] The outer wall of the protrusion 110 is provided with a machined step 1101. The outer wall of the groove 111 is provided with a cast step 1110. The machined step 1101 and the cast step 1110 can increase the surface area of ​​the cast iron frame, thereby improving the adhesion between the bonding surfaces when the aluminum alloy cladding 2 and the cast iron frame 1 are combined. In addition, the machined step 1101 and the cast step 1110 can also prevent the aluminum alloy cladding 2 and the cast iron frame from axial relative dislocation and sliding, thereby increasing the integrity of the lightweight composite wheel hub, preventing the cast iron frame 1 and the aluminum alloy cladding 2 from being disengaged, and improving the reliability of the combination of the lightweight composite wheel hub.

[0047] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the portion of the rudder-shaped frame 12 where the wheel bolt mounting hole 31 is opened is provided with a bolt mounting end face (32, 33), and the bolt mounting end face (32, 33) is exposed from the rudder-shaped frame covering body 22. Cast iron material has high fatigue strength, and the bolt mounting end face (32, 33) of the cast iron material is exposed. After the wheel bolt 58 is pressed and installed, the bolt mounting end face (32, 33) directly contacts the wheel bolt and is subjected to the pressure transmitted from the wheel bolt. The bolt mounting end face (32, 33) of the cast iron material is not easily squeezed, deformed or even crushed.

[0048] An anti-rotation stopper 121 is provided on the rudder-shaped frame 12 to prevent the wheel bolts from rotating.

[0049] like Figure 5 As shown, a first bearing hole 41, a hub inner cavity 42, a second bearing hole 43 and a first oil seal mounting hole 45 are opened in an inner portion of the cast iron frame body. The first bearing hole 41 and the second bearing hole 43 are respectively located on both sides of the hub inner cavity 42, and the first oil seal mounting hole 45 is located on the outer side of the first bearing hole 41, that is, on the side close to the half-axle bolt hole 44.

[0050] The reasons for providing the above-mentioned half-axle bolt mounting hole 44, the first bearing hole 41, the second bearing hole 43, the anti-rotation stop 121 and the first oil seal mounting hole 45 on the cast iron frame body 1 are analyzed as follows:

[0051] When installing the half-axle bolts, a large torque is required to tighten them, so the position of the half-axle bolt mounting hole 44 needs to be made of cast iron material to improve the thread strength at this location.

[0052] The first bearing hole 41 and the second bearing hole 43 are the main bearing areas, and thus require higher strength and hardness, so these locations are made of cast iron.

[0053] The area at the wheel bolt mounting hole 31 and the bolt mounting end surface (32, 33) of the portion of the rudder-shaped frame 12 where the wheel bolt mounting hole 31 is opened is made of cast iron material to prevent the wheel bolt 58 from crushing the above-mentioned wheel bolt mounting hole 31 and the bolt mounting end surface (32, 33) when subjected to force. Therefore, this position requires high strength and hardness.

[0054] The anti-rotation stop 121 is subjected to a greater extrusion force when preventing the wheel bolt 58 from rotating, and thus requires a material with a higher hardness and a certain thickness, so this position is configured to be made of cast iron.

[0055] The first oil seal mounting hole 45 needs to be assembled with an oil seal, so high requirements are placed on maintaining the cylindricity and strength of this position. At the same time, the first oil seal mounting hole 45 is located on the inner side of the wheel hub. When the wheel hub moves, the heat generated by the internal components is not easy to dissipate. The thermal deformation amount at this location is required to be relatively stable, and aluminum alloy is prone to thermal deformation, which can cause oil leakage. Therefore, the first oil seal mounting hole 45 is made of cast iron.

[0056] The bearing hole, wheel bolt installation position, oil seal installation position and other parts with high strength and hardness requirements are connected together and cast to form a cast iron frame body. This integrated structure ensures good structural performance. Other parts with relatively low strength and hardness requirements are cast with aluminum alloy and coated on the cast iron frame body, which reduces the weight of the wheel hub as a whole. Therefore, the lightweight composite wheel hub of the present invention can achieve lightweight of the wheel hub and its structure has high strength.

[0057] The above-mentioned method for manufacturing a lightweight composite wheel hub comprises the following steps:

[0058] A. Casting the cast iron frame body 1 by sand casting;

[0059] B. Shot blasting and polishing the cast iron frame body 1;

[0060] C. Processing a positioning end surface on the cast iron frame 1, the positioning end surface is used to position the cast iron frame 1 in the aluminum casting mold;

[0061] D. pickling and preheating the machined cast iron frame body 1;

[0062] E. placing the cast iron frame in step D in the aluminum casting mold, and wrapping the aluminum alloy onto the cast iron frame by casting to form a composite wheel hub;

[0063] F. Improving the strength of the aluminum alloy portion of the composite wheel hub in step E by heat treatment;

[0064] G. Process the composite wheel hub in step F into a finished product.

[0065] In the step C, a machining step 1101 is machined on the protruding portion 110 of the sleeve-shaped frame body 1 where the half-axle bolt mounting hole or the end cover bolt mounting hole is opened. The machining step 1101 can enhance the axial positioning of the aluminum alloy cladding body 2, prevent the aluminum alloy cladding body 2 from axially disengaging from the cast iron frame body 1, and increase the bonding strength.

[0066] The above-mentioned positioning end face can be one of the bolt mounting end face 32 and the bolt mounting end face 33 formed by mechanical processing. The positioning end face of this embodiment is the bolt mounting end face 33. The reason is that the bolt mounting end face 33 has a larger area, and it is more stable to use this end face as the positioning end face during casting, and the cast iron frame body 1 is not easy to shake and tilt.

[0067] According to different vehicle models and road environment changes, the weight ratio of the cast iron frame and the aluminum alloy cladding can be adjusted to meet different needs.

[0068] The present invention also provides a wheel hub unit assembly, which includes the above-mentioned lightweight composite wheel hub.

[0069] by Figure 6 and Figure 7 The hub unit including the lightweight hub is specifically described as follows:

[0070] The wheel hub unit assembly includes a lightweight composite wheel hub and related parts assembled therewith, and the related parts mainly include: a first bearing 51, a second bearing 52, a first oil seal 53, a second oil seal 54, a retaining ring 55, a sealing ring 56, an ABS gear ring 57, a wheel bolt 58 and a half-axle bolt; a wheel bolt 58 is pressed into the wheel bolt mounting hole 31, the first bearing 51 is pressed into the first bearing hole 41, the second bearing 52 is pressed into the second bearing hole 43, a retaining ring 55 and a sealing ring 56 are installed at the connection between the inner ring of the first bearing 51 and the inner ring of the second bearing 52, the first oil seal 53 is pressed into the first oil seal mounting hole 45, the second oil seal 54 is pressed into the second oil seal mounting hole 46 outside the second bearing hole, the half-axle bolt is pressed into the half-axle bolt mounting hole 44, and an ABS gear ring 57 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the end of the lightweight composite wheel hub close to the second bearing 52.

[0071] The above-mentioned related parts may also have other structures. The above-mentioned are only preferred embodiments of the present invention. Other hub unit assemblies including the lightweight composite hub of the present invention are also within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0072] Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Lightweight composite wheel hub, characterized in that: include: A cast iron frame body and an aluminum alloy cladding body, wherein the cast iron frame body is placed in an aluminum casting mold, an aluminum alloy is wrapped onto the cast iron frame body by a casting method, and the aluminum alloy cladding body is cast and wrapped around the outside of the cast iron frame body; The cast iron frame body comprises a sleeve-shaped frame body and a rudder-shaped frame, wherein the rudder-shaped frame is integrally arranged outside the sleeve-shaped frame body, and the aluminum alloy cladding body comprises a sleeve-shaped frame cladding body cast on the sleeve-shaped frame body and a rudder-shaped frame cladding body cast on the rudder-shaped frame, wherein the sleeve-shaped frame cladding body and the rudder-shaped frame cladding body are integrally cast; The rudder-like frame comprises a plurality of rudder handles and a rudder ring connecting the plurality of rudder handles together, the plurality of rudder handles are arranged at intervals along the outer circumference direction of the sleeve-like frame body, each of the rudder handles extends outwardly along the radial direction of the sleeve-like frame body, one end of the rudder handle is integrally arranged with the sleeve-like frame body, the other end of the rudder handle is provided with a wheel bolt mounting hole, and the sleeve-like frame body is provided with a bolt mounting hole; The rudder-shaped frame is provided with an anti-rotation stopper to prevent the wheel bolts from rotating; The cast iron frame body is provided with a first bearing hole, a wheel hub inner cavity, a second bearing hole and a first oil seal mounting hole. The first bearing hole and the second bearing hole are respectively located on both sides of the wheel hub inner cavity, and the first oil seal mounting hole is located on the outer side of the first bearing hole.

2. The lightweight composite wheel hub according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of protrusions extending in the axial direction and arranged at intervals are arranged on the outer peripheral side wall of the sleeve-shaped skeleton body, and grooves are formed between adjacent protrusions.

3. The lightweight composite wheel hub according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer side wall of the protrusion is provided with a plurality of machined steps arranged at intervals.

4. The lightweight composite wheel hub according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer side wall of the groove portion is provided with a plurality of casting steps arranged at intervals.

5. The lightweight composite wheel hub according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both ends of the wheel bolt mounting hole of the rudder-shaped frame are arranged as bolt mounting end faces, and the bolt mounting end faces are exposed from the rudder-shaped frame sheathing body.

6. The lightweight composite wheel hub according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bolt mounting hole is a half-axle bolt mounting hole.

7. The lightweight composite wheel hub according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bolt mounting hole is an end cover bolt mounting hole.

8. A method for manufacturing a lightweight composite wheel hub as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: A. casting the cast iron frame body by a sand casting method; B. Shot blasting and polishing the cast iron frame; C. machining a positioning end surface on the cast iron frame body, wherein the positioning end surface is used to position the cast iron frame body in the aluminum casting mold; D. pickling and preheating the machined cast iron frame; E. placing the cast iron frame in step D in the aluminum casting mold, and wrapping the aluminum alloy onto the cast iron frame by casting to form a composite wheel hub; F. Improving the strength of the aluminum alloy portion of the composite wheel hub in step E by heat treatment; G. Process the composite wheel hub in step F into a finished product.

9. The method for manufacturing a lightweight composite wheel hub according to claim 8, characterized in that: In step C, a plurality of protrusions extending in the axial direction and arranged at intervals are arranged on the outer peripheral side wall of the sleeve-shaped frame body of the cast iron frame body, and a plurality of machining steps arranged at intervals are machined on the outer side wall of the protrusions.

10. A wheel hub unit assembly, characterized in that: A lightweight composite wheel hub comprising any one of claims 1 to 7.

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