Compound Wheel Assembly Using Expanding Petals to Prevent Wheel Hop
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual assembly of compound wheels is labor-intensive, prone to errors, and results in low production efficiency and potential wheel hop due to misalignment, affecting vehicle smoothness and safety.
Innovation Solution
A compound wheel assembling apparatus featuring a tensioning and fixing component with expanding petals and an expanding core, along with a locating ring, which ensures automatic assembly, reduces labor intensity, improves efficiency, and guarantees coaxiality between the hub and wheel rim, preventing wheel hop.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual assembling is used, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but labor intensity is high and production efficiency is low
Solution Approach 1:
The expanding core automatically pushes the expanding petals to move toward the inner side wall of the center hole through its own upward movement, and the springs automatically compress and release to drive the petals outward. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual intervention in the tensioning and fixing process, significantly reducing labor intensity while maintaining high production efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated mechanical system consisting of the expanding core, expanding petals, and springs. This automated system performs the tensioning and fixing operations that previously required manual labor, thereby improving productivity while reducing labor intensity.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual assembling is used, then operational flexibility is maintained, but assembling accuracy is low causing wheel hop
Solution Approach 1:
The expanding petals act as intermediaries between the expanding core and the hub inner side wall. They transmit the tensioning force uniformly and accurately to the hub, ensuring precise positioning and high coaxiality. This intermediary mechanism guarantees assembling accuracy and prevents wheel hop by eliminating manual positioning errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The locating ring is preliminarily positioned on the base plate with its center axis overlapping the base plate's center axis before the assembling operation. This preliminary positioning ensures that the hub and wheel rim achieve high coaxiality during assembly, guaranteeing assembling accuracy and preventing wheel hop from misalignment.
3Productivity
If automatic assembling is implemented, then production efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tensioning and fixing component is segmented into independent functional elements: the expanding core, multiple expanding petals, and springs. Each element performs a specific function, and they work together through simple mechanical interactions. This segmentation allows the automatic assembling apparatus to achieve high productivity without excessive complexity, as each component is straightforward in design and operation.
4Reliability
If tensioning and fixing component is designed with expanding mechanism, then assembling reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The expanding petals are nested within the T-shaped sliding chutes of the flange plate and base plate. The expanding core is positioned centrally and pushes the petals outward in a nested configuration. This nesting arrangement ensures that the tensioning force is applied uniformly and reliably to fix the hub, improving assembling reliability while keeping the structural complexity manageable through space-efficient design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus enables reliable and efficient assembly of compound wheels, reducing labor costs and ensuring product quality by maintaining high coaxiality, thus preventing wheel hop and enhancing driving safety and smoothness.
Implementation Method 1
the springs are arranged between the expanding petals and the flange plate; when the expanding petals move along the T-shaped sliding chutes to the inner side wall of the center hole of the hub, the springs are compressed by the expanding petals
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a compound wheel assembling apparatus including a tensioning and fixing component and a locating ring; the tensioning and fixing component is arranged to extend into a center hole of a flange to tension and fix a flange; the tensioning and fixing component includes a base plate, a flange plate, springs, expanding petals and an expanding core; the locating ring is arranged around the base plate, and has a center axis overlapping a center axis of the base plate; the locating ring has a circle of circular-ring-shaped protrusion on its outer side.