Vehicle Wheel Disc with Jet Tail Rim Junctions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle wheels made from lightweight metals face a trade-off between reduced mass and compromised stiffness and rigidity, as removing material to reduce weight often decreases structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle wheel design featuring a unitarily produced wheel disc and rim, with strategically placed 'jet tail' rim junctions, bridge junctions, and hub pockets, which provide additional stiffness and weight reduction without sacrificing structural integrity, using materials like aluminum or composite materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If mass is removed from the wheel to reduce weight, then the weight of the wheel is reduced, but the stiffness and rigidity of the wheel are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel design implements local quality by creating regions of varying material density and structural thickness. The wheel disc includes varying thickness regions where material is strategically removed in some areas while maintained or reinforced in others. This allows weight reduction in non-critical areas while preserving stiffness and rigidity in load-bearing regions, resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel is segmented into multiple functional regions including the wheel mounting portion, spokes, wheel rim, and bridge junctions. Each segment is optimized independently for its specific function. The bridge junctions connecting spokes to the wheel rim are specifically designed with reinforcement features that maintain structural integrity while allowing overall weight reduction, addressing the strength-stiffness contradiction through functional segmentation.
2Weight of moving object
If material is removed to reduce mass, then weight reduction is achieved, but structural integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel design employs composite construction by combining different material properties and densities within the wheel disc. The varying thickness regions and reinforced bridge junctions create a composite structure that optimizes the strength-to-weight ratio. This allows material removal for weight reduction while maintaining structural integrity through strategically placed high-strength regions and composite-like material distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel design incorporates preliminary reinforcement features during the design and manufacturing process. Bridge junctions are pre-designed with enhanced structural characteristics before final assembly, ensuring that structural integrity is maintained from the outset. This preliminary action prevents structural failures that might occur after material removal, resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and structural reliability.
3Ease of manufacture
If the wheel disc and rim are produced separately and joined, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but device complexity and potential weak points increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel design merges the wheel disc and wheel rim into a more integrated structure through the bridge junctions that directly connect spokes to the rim. This merging reduces the number of separate components and joining operations required, simplifying the overall construction while maintaining manufacturing flexibility. The integrated design eliminates potential weak points from multiple joints while preserving the ability to manufacture components separately if desired.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 2A
AI summary
A wheel disc comprises a wheel mounting portion defining a wheel axis, a plurality of spokes radially extending from the wheel mounting portion, and a rim junction on at least one spoke of the plurality of spokes. The rim junction is at an end of the at least one spoke opposite the wheel mounting portion. A first portion of the rim junction extends in an axial direction. Second and third portions of the rim junction extend in a circumferential direction. The axial direction is parallel to the wheel axis and the circumferential direction is in a plane perpendicular to the wheel axis.