Composite Wheel Hub Mounting Structure for Delamination Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Composite wheels face challenges in achieving increased hub thickness and stiffness while maintaining resistance to delamination, as conventional counterbores are undesirable in composite materials and the use of discrete metallic adapters adds complexity, weight, and cost.
Innovation Solution
A composite wheel design featuring a recessed fastening region with a front-to-fastener ply that transfers loads between the fastening region and the hub, allowing for increased hub thickness and stiffness without delamination, and eliminating the need for discrete adapters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the hub thickness is increased to improve stiffness, then wheel stiffness is improved, but the risk of delamination increases due to the need for counterbores
Solution Approach 1:
The hub is segmented into two functional zones: a thicker front region providing stiffness and a recessed fastening region accommodating standard wheel lugs. This segmentation allows the hub to simultaneously achieve improved stiffness while maintaining compatibility with standard mounting hardware without requiring counterbores that would cause delamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The hub thickness is optimized locally rather than uniformly. The front region has increased thickness for stiffness, while the fastening region is recessed to accommodate standard wheel lugs. This local quality variation allows the structure to achieve maximum stiffness where needed while avoiding delamination risks in the fastening zone.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional counterbores are used to accommodate wheel nuts, then standard length wheel lugs can be used, but delamination occurs in the composite layers
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of recessing the fastening region into the hub (conventional counterbore approach), the invention inverts the approach by having the fastening region recessed while maintaining the front face alignment. This inversion allows standard wheel lugs to be used without creating counterbores that would cause delamination in the composite layers.
Solution Approach 2:
A recessed fastening region acts as an intermediary structure between the hub body and the wheel nuts. This intermediary allows standard length wheel lugs to be accommodated while distributing loads through the composite plies without creating delamination-prone counterbore geometries.
3Ease of operation
If discrete metallic adapters are used to facilitate mounting, then mounting capability is improved, but device complexity, weight, and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting function is merged directly into the hub structure through the recessed fastening region design. This eliminates the need for separate discrete metallic adapters, thereby reducing device complexity, weight, and cost while maintaining full mounting capability for standard wheel lugs.
Solution Approach 2:
The hub structure is designed to be universal by incorporating a recessed fastening region that works with standard length wheel lugs. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for vehicle-specific or wheel-specific adapters, simplifying the overall system while maintaining broad compatibility.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a composite wheel (200) including a hub (202), a rim (204) and a connection structure (206) connecting the hub (202) to the rim (204). The hub (202) has front (208) and rear (209) faces and is formed with one or more mounting formations (216) for, in use, receiving a fastener to mount the hub (202) to a mounting surface of a vehicle. Each mounting formation (216) includes a fastening region (218) recessed into the front face (208) of the hub (202) and includes a fastener aperture (212) defining a passage between the fastening region (218) and the rear face (209) of the hub. Each mounting formation (216) also includes a front-to-fastener ply (224) extending between a front region of the hub and the fastening region (218) for, in use, transferring load between the front region of the hub (202) and the fastening region (218).