Forged Rail Wheel Web Recesses for Lower Unsprung Mass
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rail vehicle wheels have high mass, leading to increased unsprung masses, wear, noise pollution, and manufacturing complexity, with existing designs requiring significant effort to form and arrange spoked structures.
Innovation Solution
A forged wheel design with material recessed out of the solid wheel web between the hub and rim, featuring recesses extending in the circumferential or radial direction, optimized for reduced mass and improved acoustic properties, which can be manufactured with less effort and used for various rail vehicles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If solid wheels with large mass are used, then strength and structural integrity are improved, but unsprung masses increase and wear and noise pollution increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel web is segmented into multiple recesses that extend in the circumferential direction, creating a spoke-like structure that divides the solid web into separate sections. This segmentation reduces overall mass while maintaining structural integrity through the distributed reinforcement pattern.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel web features varying local densities through strategically placed recesses with different dimensions and positions. The solid sections provide strength where needed, while recessed areas reduce mass, creating a non-uniform structure optimized for both strength and weight reduction.
2Weight of moving object
If spoked structures are formed in conventional wheels, then mass is reduced, but manufacturing effort and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The recesses are formed as integral parts of the wheel web during the initial forging process, rather than being added as separate components or requiring complex post-processing. This preliminary formation of the mass-reducing structure simplifies manufacturing by combining multiple operations into one.
Solution Approach 2:
The forging process parameters are optimized to directly create the complex recess geometry in a single operation. By controlling the forging parameters, the wheel web is shaped with integrated recesses that would otherwise require multiple manufacturing steps.
3Weight of moving object
If material is recessed out of the wheel web, then mass is reduced and acoustic properties are improved, but structural strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The recesses are designed with asymmetric geometries where at least one first distance and one second distance from the recess center point to the edge differ. This asymmetric design optimizes the distribution of material to maintain strength while maximizing mass reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The recesses feature curved transitions and rounded corners rather than sharp angles, distributing stress more evenly throughout the wheel web. The curved geometry of the recesses helps maintain structural integrity by avoiding stress concentration points.
Data Source
AI summary
A forged wheel for a chassis of a rail vehicle includes a wheel web, a wheel hub and a wheel rim with a running surface and a wheel flange, where material is recessed out of the wheel web, which is solid in sections, between the wheel hub and the wheel rim, in sections extending in the circumferential direction or transversely with respect to a radial direction of the wheel web, and where at least a first distance and a second distance between a recess centre point of a first recess in the wheel web and an edge of the first recess differ in size such that a lightweight wheel that can be manufactured with little outlay and that has high strength and quality is obtained.