One-Piece Composite Wheel With Reinforced Honeycomb Core
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for lightweight composite wheels with increased strength and improved manufacturability, as existing composite wheels are often heavy and costly to produce due to their multi-piece designs requiring additional components like bolts and adhesives.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece composite wheel design featuring a three-dimensionally reinforced honeycomb disc core embedded with composite material, which forms both the disc and rim sections, reducing the need for fasteners and other components and enhancing structural support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If composite wheels are made as multi-piece designs with bolts and adhesives, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple wheel components (disc, rim, spokes) into a single integral composite structure manufactured as one piece using resin infusion molding. This eliminates the need for separate bolts, adhesives, and assembly operations, directly reducing device complexity while maintaining manufacturing flexibility through the molding process.
Solution Approach 2:
The single-piece composite wheel structure performs multiple functions that would traditionally require separate components: the integrated design provides structural support, connection between hub and rim, and structural integrity all through one monolithic component, reducing the overall number of parts needed in the wheel assembly.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional composite wheel designs are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a foam core within the composite wheel structure that provides structural support while significantly reducing weight compared to solid composite construction. The foam material creates a lightweight yet rigid framework that maintains wheel strength while decreasing overall mass.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite structure combining foam core with fiber-reinforced resin layers, creating a hybrid material system that optimizes both weight and strength properties. The composite construction allows for tailored material distribution to achieve maximum strength-to-weight ratio.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multi-piece composite wheels are manufactured, then design flexibility is improved, but productivity decreases due to assembly requirements
Solution Approach 1:
By combining all wheel components into a single molded piece, the patent eliminates multiple assembly steps including fastening operations with bolts and adhesives. The resin infusion molding process manufactures the entire wheel in one operation, significantly increasing production speed and productivity while maintaining design flexibility through mold configuration.
4Manufacturing precision
If additional components like sleeves and collars are used, then alignment precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The integral one-piece construction inherently provides precise alignment between all wheel features (hub bore, rim, spokes) since they are formed simultaneously in the mold as a single unit. This eliminates the need for separate alignment components like sleeves and collars, reducing device complexity while maintaining or improving alignment precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A one-piece composite wheel has a disc core made from a three-dimensionally reinforced honeycomb structure, with the disc core embedded by a composite material to form a disc section of the wheel. The composite material also forms the rim of the wheel, with the rim being integral with the disc section.