Utility Vehicle Wheel Disc Variable Thickness Transition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wheel discs for utility vehicles are heavy due to uniform material distribution, which does not optimize weight savings while maintaining strength properties.
Innovation Solution
A wheel disc design with a transition region having variable material thickness, where specific ratios of material thickness and length to height are optimized across segments, allowing for a 10% weight reduction without compromising strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If uniform material thickness is used in the wheel disc, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but weight increases without optimizing strength properties
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel disc implements variable material thickness across different regions, with thicker material (0.9-1.25 times base thickness) in high-stress areas near the hub fitting flange and thinner material (0.45-0.7 times base thickness) in lower-stress areas toward the disc edge. This local differentiation optimizes strength where needed while reducing weight where less material is required, directly resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition region is divided into multiple segments with different thickness ratios and length-to-height ratios. Each segment is optimized independently based on its specific stress conditions, allowing precise control over material distribution. This segmentation enables the complex variable thickness profile needed for weight optimization while maintaining manufacturability through systematic design.
2Weight of moving object
If material is reduced in the transition region, then weight savings are achieved, but strength properties may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies different material thickness ratios to different segments based on their specific stress conditions. Segments closer to the hub fitting flange (where stresses are highest) maintain thickness ratios of 0.9-1.25, while segments toward the disc edge can use thinner material with ratios of 0.45-0.7. This ensures strength is preserved in critical areas while enabling weight reduction in less critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention systematically varies the material thickness parameter across the transition region by controlling the ratio of material thickness at the inner end to the outer end of each segment. By adjusting this ratio and the segment length-to-height ratio, the design optimizes the balance between weight and strength, achieving up to 10% weight reduction while maintaining required strength properties through precise parameter control.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention proposes a wheel disc for a disc wheel, especially for utility vehicles; with an essentially radially extending hub fitting flange (11) and an essentially cylindrical disc edge (13) which can be joined to a wheel rim, and with a transition region (14) extending between the hub fitting flange (11) and the disc edge (13), wherein the transition region is subdivided into at least five segments (Ατ to v) passing into each other or into the hub fitting flange (11) or the disc edge (13), each of which has an outer end situated closer to the hub fitting flange (11) and an inner end situated closer to the disc edge (13), wherein neighbouring segments (Ατ to v) have curvatures (R) with different directions and variable material thickness, with the ratios of the material thicknesses and the ratio of their lengths (La) to heights (Hr) are chosen as follows: (Formula I).