Multipiece Road Wheel Hollow Cavity Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing road wheel designs face challenges in balancing weight reduction with structural integrity and manufacturing complexity, particularly in supporting elastomeric pads under loading while maintaining vehicle clearance, with many designs requiring significant material and complex fabrication methods.
Innovation Solution
A multipiece road wheel assembly comprising two rim halves connected via fasteners, with a hollow cavity and a wear ring, fabricated using various methods including additive manufacturing, to provide superior stiffness and resistance to deformation while minimizing material usage and manufacturing complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a single-piece road wheel with integral radial stiffening ribs is used, then structural support for the cantilevered end is improved, but the design catches debris from the external environment and increases manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The road wheel is divided into multiple separate components: a cylindrical hoop, a mounting disc, and a wear ring, which are assembled together rather than formed as a single integral piece. This segmentation simplifies manufacturing of each individual component while achieving the required structural support through the assembled configuration.
2Strength
If aluminum road wheels with integral thicker local section at the cantilevered end are used, then resistance to deflection and strain is improved, but significant additional material is required resulting in weight penalty
Solution Approach 1:
The wear ring provides localized reinforcement at the cantilevered end where it is needed for structural support, while the rest of the road wheel maintains a lighter, uniform thickness. This localized quality enhancement achieves the required deflection resistance without the weight penalty of a uniformly thicker design.
3Weight of moving object
If a multipiece road wheel design with hollow cavity is used, then weight is reduced and manufacturing is simplified, but structural integrity under loading must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The road wheel employs a composite structure combining a cylindrical hoop, mounting disc, and wear ring made from different materials or with different properties, assembled together to achieve both weight reduction and structural integrity. The wear ring provides enhanced local strength while the hollow cavity reduces overall weight.
Data Source
AI summary
A road wheel for a tracked vehicle includes a first rim half and a second rim half operatively connected to the first rim half. The first rim half includes at least a first portion that is angled away from the second rim half. The second rim half includes at least a first portion that is angled away from the first rim half. A hollow cavity is formed between the first portion of the first rim half and the first portion of the second rim half.