A method of manufacturing a spoke assembly

Abstract

The application discloses a manufacturing method of a spoke assembly, and comprises the following steps: S1, providing a cylindrical preform made of carbon fibers; S2, providing a first connecting piece and a second connecting piece with tapered through holes; S3, sleeving the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece on the middle part of the preform respectively; S4, coating a continuous carbon fiber layer on both ends of the preform to form a tapered column section; S5, placing the preform in an end forming die, so that the tapered column section is once cured and formed into a fixed joint; S6, applying a pulling force to the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece towards the end side, so as to force the first connecting piece and the second connecting piece to be sleeved on the fixed joints at both ends of the preform respectively; and S7, coating a continuous carbon fiber layer on the middle part of the preform, and placing the whole preform in a main body forming die for curing and forming, so that the middle part of the preform forms a main body part, and the preform is processed into a spoke, which is not prone to delamination and slippage, and is safer and more reliable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of carbon fiber spoke manufacturing technology, and more specifically to a method for manufacturing a spoke assembly. Background Technology

[0002] Spoke assemblies are primarily used on bicycle rims. A spoke assembly includes a spoke 1' and a nut and a crown respectively mounted at both ends of the spoke 1'. (See attached image.) Figure 7 and 8 As shown, the spoke 1' structure includes a flat body 11' in the middle and cylindrical ends at both ends. The inner section of the end is a cylindrical transition section 12', and the outer section is machined into a fixed joint 13'. The tooth cap and the cap head are respectively fixedly fitted onto the fixed joints 13' at both ends, while the cylindrical transition section 12' is exposed on the cap head or the outside of the cap head.

[0003] The existing manufacturing process of spoke assembly is as follows: First, a preform made of cylindrical carbon fiber is heated and cured, so that the middle part of the preform is heated and cured to form a flat main body 11', and the two ends of the preform are also cured to form a cylindrical structure. The cylindrical structure includes a cylindrical transition section 12' on the side near the middle of the spoke 1' and a fixing section on the side away from the middle of the spoke 1'. Then, the cap and the tooth cap are respectively inserted into the cylindrical transition section 12' of the cylindrical structure at both ends of the spoke 1'. Then, the fixing section is wrapped with a carbon fiber layer and heated and cured to form a fixing joint 13'. The tooth cap and the cap head are pulled outward toward both ends of the spoke 1'. Through the limiting effect of the fixing joint 13', the tooth cap and the cap head are respectively fixedly sleeved on the fixing joint 13' at both ends of the spoke 1'.

[0004] The spoke assembly produced by the above manufacturing method has the following shortcomings:

[0005] (1) The inner and outer carbon fiber layers that cover the spoke 1' at the position of the fixed joint 13' are heated and cured in two separate steps. That is, the inner layer 131' (i.e. cylindrical structure) and the outer layer 132' of the fixed joint are heated and cured in sequence, which makes the fibers in the inner and outer carbon fiber layers of the fixed joint 13' disconnected or discontinuously distributed, which is prone to delamination and slippage, and poses certain safety hazards.

[0006] (2) Since the width of the main body 11' is greater than the diameter of the end, if the main body 11' is processed first, the cylindrical transition section 12' at the end must be reserved for a longer length for the temporary fitting of the tooth cap or the head cap until the fixed section at the end is covered with carbon fiber layer and cured to form the fixed joint 13'. Then the tooth cap or the head cap is removed from the cylindrical transition section 12' and fixed outside the fixed joint 13'. This manufacturing method makes the length of the cylindrical transition section 12' longer. Correspondingly, the length of the main body 11' is relatively short. That is, the length of the main body 11' accounts for a smaller proportion of the overall length of the spoke 1'. As a result, the bicycle has greater wind resistance during riding, is not easy to break through the wind, and has insufficient stability, which affects the user's riding efficiency and riding experience. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a method for manufacturing spoke components to solve the aforementioned technical problems.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is: a method for manufacturing a spoke assembly, comprising the following steps:

[0009] S1. Provide a preform made of cylindrical carbon fiber;

[0010] S2. Provide a first connector and a second connector, both of which have tapered through holes;

[0011] S3. Fit the first connector and the second connector into appropriate positions in the middle of the preform through the through holes;

[0012] S4. Cover both ends of the preform with continuous carbon fiber layers to form a conical column segment;

[0013] S5. Place the preform in the end forming mold, so that the conical sections at both ends of the preform are solidified and formed into a fixed joint in one step, so that the fibers in the inner and outer carbon fiber layers that are successively covered can be continuously distributed along the taper of the fixed joint.

[0014] S6. Apply a tensile force toward the end side to both the first connector and the second connector, forcing the first connector and the second connector to be respectively fitted onto the fixed joints at both ends of the preform.

[0015] S7. A continuous carbon fiber layer is wrapped around the middle of the preform, and the entire preform is placed in the main molding mold to solidify and form the main body, thereby forming the main body in the middle of the preform, and thus processing the preform into spokes.

[0016] S8. Apply a pulling force towards the end side to both the first connector and the second connector again, forcing the first connector and the second connector to be more securely fitted onto the fixed joint, and ensuring the overall length of the spoke assembly is accurate, thereby forming a complete spoke assembly.

[0017] Preferably, in step S7, the main body molding mold solidifies the middle part of the preform to form a flat main body.

[0018] Preferably, the spokes include a cylindrical transition section located between the body and the fixed joint, the cylindrical transition section being exposed outside the first connector or the second connector, and the length of the cylindrical transition section being less than the length of the first connector and the second connector, respectively.

[0019] Preferably, the spokes further include an inclined transition section located between the main body and the cylindrical transition section. The width of the inclined transition section gradually decreases from the main body towards the cylindrical transition section. The two ends of the inclined transition section are a round end face and a flat surface, respectively. The round end face corresponds to and matches the cylindrical transition section, and the flat surface corresponds to and matches the main body.

[0020] Preferably, the direction of the spoke assembly toward the center of the spoke assembly is defined as the inner side, and the direction away from the center of the spoke assembly is defined as the outer side. The through hole is a tapered through hole that gradually increases in size from the inside to the outside, and the fastener is a tapered fastener that gradually increases in size from the inside to the outside. The tapered through hole and the tapered fastener are correspondingly limited and fitted.

[0021] Preferably, the first connector is a nut for connecting and mating with the rim, and the second connector is a cap for connecting and mating with the hub.

[0022] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0023] (1) The tapered sections at both ends of the preform are solidified and formed into a fixed joint by the end forming mold. That is, the inner layer of the fixed joint of the spoke and the outer layer of the fixed joint are heated and solidified together, so that the fibers in the inner and outer carbon fiber layers that are successively covered at the fixed joint can be continuously distributed along the taper of the fixed joint without breaking. This makes the fixed joint less prone to delamination and slippage, and more safe and reliable.

[0024] (2) The cylindrical transition section at the end of the spoke does not need to be reserved for a long length. Correspondingly, the length of the main body can be processed to be relatively longer, so that the length of the main body accounts for a larger proportion of the overall length of the spoke. Since the main body is flat, the longer the main body, the less wind resistance the bicycle will have during riding, and the easier it will be to break the wind. After testing, the wind-breaking performance of the spoke assembly made by the manufacturing method of this invention is 20-30% higher than that of the spoke assembly made by the traditional manufacturing method. It also has good stability, which improves the user's riding efficiency and riding experience. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is an assembly diagram of the spoke assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the spoke assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Sectional view at point AA;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cap head according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the spoke fastener after one-time molding according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the appearance of spokes in the prior art;

[0032] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the fixed joint of the spokes in the prior art after secondary forming;

[0033] Attached image captions:

[0034] Existing technology components: 1' spokes, 11' body, 12' cylindrical transition section, 13' fastener, 131' inner layer of fastener, 132' outer layer of fastener, 2' cap.

[0035] The invention comprises: 1 spoke, 11 main body, 12 inclined transition section, 13 cylindrical transition section, 14 fastener, 2 tooth cap, 3 cap head, and 4 through hole. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To further illustrate the various embodiments, the present invention provides accompanying drawings. These drawings are part of the disclosure of the present invention, primarily used to illustrate the embodiments and to explain the operating principles of the embodiments in conjunction with the relevant descriptions in the specification. With reference to these drawings, those skilled in the art should be able to understand other possible implementations and the advantages of the present invention. Components in the drawings are not drawn to scale, and similar component symbols are generally used to represent similar components.

[0037] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more; the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," "front end," "rear end," "head," "tail," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0038] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0039] For ease of description, the direction of the spoke assembly toward the center of the spoke assembly is defined as the inside, and the direction away from the center of the spoke assembly is defined as the outside.

[0040] See Figure 1-6 As shown, as an embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a spoke assembly is provided, comprising the following steps:

[0041] S1. Provide a preform made of cylindrical carbon fiber;

[0042] S2. Provide a first connector and a second connector, both of which have a tapered through hole 4;

[0043] S3. Fit the first connector and the second connector into appropriate positions in the middle of the preform through the through hole 4;

[0044] S4. Cover both ends of the preform with continuous carbon fiber layers to form a conical column segment;

[0045] S5. Place the preform in the end forming mold so that the conical sections at both ends of the preform are solidified and formed into a fixed joint 14 in one step, so that the fibers in the inner and outer carbon fiber layers that are successively covered at the fixed joint 14 can be continuously distributed along the taper of the fixed joint.

[0046] S6. Apply a tensile force toward the end side to both the first connector and the second connector, forcing the first connector and the second connector to be respectively fitted onto the fixed joints 14 at both ends of the preform.

[0047] S7. A continuous carbon fiber layer is wrapped around the middle of the preform, and the entire preform is placed in the main body molding mold and cured to form the main body 11 in the middle of the preform, thereby processing the preform into a spoke.

[0048] S8. Apply a pulling force towards the end side to both the first connector and the second connector again, forcing the first connector and the second connector to be more securely fitted onto the fixed joint 14, and ensuring the overall length of the spoke assembly is accurate, thereby forming a complete spoke assembly.

[0049] In step S7, the main body molding mold solidifies the middle part of the preform to form a flat main body.

[0050] The first connector is a toothed cap 2 for connecting and mating with the rim, and the second connector is a cap 3 for connecting and mating with the hub.

[0051] The spoke 1 includes a cylindrical transition section 13 located between the main body 11 and the fixed joint 14. The cylindrical transition section 13 is exposed outside the first connector or the second connector, and the length of the cylindrical transition section 13 is less than the length of the first connector and the second connector, respectively.

[0052] The manufacturing method of the spoke assembly of the present invention has the following advantages:

[0053] (1) The end forming mold solidifies the conical sections at both ends of the preform into a fixed joint 14 in one step. That is, the inner layer of the fixed joint 14 of the spoke 1 and the outer layer of the fixed joint 14 are heated and solidified together, so that the fibers in the inner and outer carbon fiber layers that are successively covered at the fixed joint 14 can be continuously distributed along the taper of the fixed joint 14 without breaking. This makes the fixed joint 14 less prone to delamination and slippage, and more safe and reliable.

[0054] (2) The tooth cap 2 and the cap head 3 are temporarily fitted onto the appropriate position in the middle of the preform. After the two ends of the preform are covered with continuous carbon fiber layers to form a conical column segment and are heated and cured to form a fixed joint 14, the tooth cap 2 or the cap head 3 is pulled towards both ends and fitted onto the fixed joints 14 at both ends of the preform. Then, a continuous carbon fiber layer is covered onto the middle of the preform, and the entire preform is placed in the main molding mold for curing. This allows the middle of the preform to be heated and cured to form a flat main body 11, thus processing the preform into a spoke 1. A second pulling force is applied to the tooth cap 2 or the cap head 3 towards the end side, forcing the tooth cap 2 or the cap head 3 to be fitted more securely onto the preform. The spoke assembly is fixed to the joint 14, ensuring the overall length of the spoke assembly is accurate, thus forming a complete spoke assembly. This method eliminates the need for a long pre-reserved cylindrical transition section 13 at the end of the spoke 1. Correspondingly, the length of the main body 11 can be processed to be relatively longer, making the proportion of the length of the main body 11 to the overall length of the spoke 1 larger. Furthermore, since the main body 11 is flat, the longer the main body 11 is, the less wind resistance the bicycle will experience during riding, making it easier to break through the wind. After testing, the wind-breaking performance of the spoke assembly manufactured by the method of this invention is improved by 20-30% compared to the wind-breaking performance of the spoke assembly manufactured by the traditional manufacturing method, and it also has good stability, improving the user's riding efficiency and riding experience.

[0055] Of course, in other cases, the main body can also be processed into other shapes besides flat, such as cylindrical or rhomboid.

[0056] In this embodiment, the direction of the spoke assembly toward the center of the spoke assembly is defined as the inner side, and the direction away from the center of the spoke assembly is defined as the outer side. The through hole 4 is a tapered through hole that gradually increases in size from the inside to the outside, and the fastener 14 is a tapered fastener that gradually increases in size from the inside to the outside. The tapered through hole and the tapered fastener are correspondingly limited and matched, thereby realizing the fastener 14 on the ends of the spoke 1 to fix the tooth cap 2 and the cap head 3 respectively. Since the rim and hub respectively exert outward pulling force on the tooth cap 2 and the cap head 3, the tapered structure of the tapered through hole and the tapered fastener makes the force on the tooth cap 2 and the cap head 3 more stable and the installation more secure.

[0057] In this embodiment, the spoke 1 also includes an inclined transition section 12 located between the main body 11 and the cylindrical transition section 13. The width of the inclined transition section 12 gradually decreases from the main body 11 toward the cylindrical transition section 13. The two ends of the inclined transition section 12 are a round end face and a flat surface, respectively. The round end face corresponds to and matches the cylindrical transition section 13, and the flat surface corresponds to and matches the main body 11, thereby making the transition between the main body 11 and the cylindrical transition section 13 smoother and more stable.

[0058] Although the invention has been specifically shown and described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes in form and detail made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims fall within the protection scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a spoke assembly, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: S1. Provide a preform made of cylindrical carbon fiber; S2. Provide a first connector and a second connector, both of which have tapered through holes; S3. Fit the first connector and the second connector into appropriate positions in the middle of the preform through the through holes; S4. Cover both ends of the preform with continuous carbon fiber layers to form a conical column segment; S5. Place the preform in the end forming mold, so that the conical sections at both ends of the preform are solidified and formed into a fixed joint in one step, so that the fibers in the inner and outer carbon fiber layers that are successively covered can be continuously distributed along the taper of the fixed joint. S6. Apply a tensile force toward the end side to both the first connector and the second connector, forcing the first connector and the second connector to be respectively fitted onto the fixed joints at both ends of the preform. S7. A continuous carbon fiber layer is wrapped around the middle of the preform, and the entire preform is placed in the main molding mold to solidify and form the main body, thereby forming the main body in the middle of the preform, and thus processing the preform into spokes. S8. Apply a pulling force towards the end side to both the first connector and the second connector again, forcing the first connector and the second connector to be more securely fitted onto the fixed joint, and ensuring the overall length of the spoke assembly is accurate, thereby forming a complete spoke assembly.

2. The method for manufacturing a spoke assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S7, the main body molding mold solidifies the middle part of the preform to form a flat main body.

3. The method for manufacturing a spoke assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spokes include a cylindrical transition section located between the body and the fixed joint. The cylindrical transition section is exposed outside the first connector or the second connector, and the length of the cylindrical transition section is less than the length of the first connector and the second connector, respectively.

4. The method for manufacturing a spoke assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The spokes also include an inclined transition section located between the main body and the cylindrical transition section. The width of the inclined transition section gradually decreases from the main body toward the cylindrical transition section. The two ends of the inclined transition section are a round end face and a flat surface, respectively. The round end face matches the cylindrical transition section, and the flat surface matches the main body.

5. The method for manufacturing a spoke assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The direction of the spoke assembly toward the center of the spoke assembly is defined as the inner side, and the direction away from the center of the spoke assembly is defined as the outer side. The through hole is a tapered through hole that gradually increases in size from the inside to the outside, and the fastener is a tapered fastener that gradually increases in size from the inside to the outside. The tapered through hole and the tapered fastener are correspondingly limited and fitted.

6. The method for manufacturing a spoke assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first connector is a nut for connecting and mating with the rim, and the second connector is a cap for connecting and mating with the hub.

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