Vehicle Wheel Disk Flange Non-Contact Portion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle wheels face issues with rigidity and durability due to the distribution of load and bending moments, particularly in the spoke area, which can lead to deformation and stress concentration, affecting the wheel's overall performance and durability.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle wheel design incorporates a rim with a drop portion and a disk having a hub coupling portion, with spokes extending outwardly and a disk flange that connects radially outer ends, featuring a vent window and a non-contact portion on the disk flange, which reduces stress concentration and enhances rigidity by allowing the spoke to handle bending moments effectively through its bottom wall, side wall, and brim portions, while the non-contact portion minimizes contact with the rim, improving durability and assembly accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the disk flange contacts the radially inner surface of the rim, then assembly stability is improved, but stress concentration increases at the spoke area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful contact between the disk flange and the radially inner surface of the rim by providing a non-contact portion on the disk flange. This removes the source of stress concentration while maintaining assembly stability through alternative means such as the spoke structure and hub coupling portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The disk flange is designed with differentiated local properties: a contact portion for stable assembly and a non-contact portion to avoid stress concentration. This local differentiation allows the structure to simultaneously achieve stability and reduce stress at critical areas.
2Ease of manufacture
If the spoke structure is simplified, then manufacturing ease is improved, but rigidity and load distribution deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The spoke is segmented into multiple functional portions: a bottom wall portion for load bearing, side wall portions for structural integrity, and a brim portion for connection. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall manufacturing feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel employs a composite structure combining the disk, rim, and spoke as integrated components with distinct material properties and functions. The spoke acts as a composite element connecting the hub coupling portion to the disk flange, providing both structural strength and load distribution.
3Manufacturing precision
If the hub coupling portion axially inner surface is positioned between the disk flange ends, then assembly accuracy is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hub coupling portion axially inner surface is pre-positioned between the axially outer end and axially inner end of the disk flange. This preliminary positioning ensures accurate assembly alignment before final assembly, reducing the need for complex adjustment mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle wheel having a rim and a disk. A disk flange of the disk may have a non-contact portion non-contacting a radially inner surface of the rim, at a radially outer extension of a width center line of a spoke. As a result, the rigidity of a portion of the disk in the circumferential direction of the wheel where the spoke is provided may be decreased compared with a wheel (conventional) where such non-contact portion is not provided. A difference in rigidity of the disk in the circumferential direction of the wheel between a portion where the vent window is provided and a portion where the spoke is provided may be smaller than that in the case of the conventional wheel, whereby a durability of the wheel and a run-out accuracy of the wheel may be improved.