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 the requirement of multiple parts and additional components for assembly.
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 utilizing a manufacturing process that integrates the disc and rim cores within a mold to form a single, lightweight yet strong wheel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If composite wheels are made from two main pieces joined by metal bolts and adhesives, then the wheel can be manufactured with conventional processes, but the wheel weight increases and manufacturing cost increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple wheel components (disc, rim, spokes) into a single monolithic composite structure manufactured in one piece. This eliminates the need for separate parts joined by bolts and adhesives, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining manufacturability through conventional composite molding processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates unnecessary intermediate components (bolts, adhesives, sleeves, collars) from the wheel assembly. By removing these additional parts, the wheel achieves lower weight without compromising structural integrity or ease of manufacture.
2Weight of moving object
If the wheel is made lighter using composite materials, then the weight decreases, but the strength may be reduced compared to conventional metal wheels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials with strategic fiber reinforcement patterns to achieve high strength-to-weight ratio. The monolithic composite structure allows for optimized fiber orientation and distribution that maintains structural strength while minimizing weight, outperforming conventional metal wheels in this critical aspect.
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.