Wheel Rim Sleeve Packaging for Facing Surface Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wheel packaging methods fail to adequately protect the visible facing surfaces of high-value wheels during transport, leading to potential scratches or damage, especially for carbon fibre wheels which are highly polished and aesthetically important.
Innovation Solution
A packaging system comprising a sleeve that positions the wheel axis vertically, with a protective sleeve extending above the visible facing surface to prevent contact during transport, using corrugated cardboard for durability and protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the wheel is packaged in a standing up orientation with top and bottom trays, then the wheel is substantially enclosed and supported, but the walls of the trays can come into contact with the visible facing surfaces and damage them
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the packaging orientation from standing up (horizontal wheel axis) to lying down (vertical wheel axis). This dimensional change repositions the visible facing surfaces to face upward, away from potential contact with packaging walls, while the sleeve provides protection from above. This resolves the contradiction by eliminating the harmful contact while maintaining enclosure and support.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a sleeve as an intermediary protective element that extends above the visible facing surface. This sleeve acts as a mediator between the packaging structure and the wheel surface, preventing direct contact between packaging walls and the vulnerable facing surfaces while allowing the wheel to remain enclosed and supported.
2Reliability
If the packaging provides complete enclosure of the wheel, then protection is maximized, but the visible facing surfaces remain vulnerable to contact damage from packaging walls
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the wheel orientation to lying down with vertical axis, the packaging provides complete enclosure in three dimensions while the facing surfaces face upward. This spatial reconfiguration ensures that enclosing walls do not contact the vulnerable surfaces, resolving the contradiction between complete enclosure and surface protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The sleeve provides localized protection specifically above the visible facing surfaces, extending higher than the wheel radius to create a protective zone. This local quality enhancement protects the vulnerable facing surfaces while the rest of the wheel remains enclosed by the standard packaging structure.
3Productivity
If multiple wheels are stacked on pallets for bulk transport, then shipping efficiency is improved, but the risk of damage to visible facing surfaces increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lying down orientation with vertical wheel axis allows wheels to be stacked horizontally on pallets rather than vertically. This enables multiple wheels to be arranged in rows and columns, maximizing pallet utilization and shipping efficiency while the sleeve extending above each wheel prevents contact damage during stacking and transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The sleeve acts as a protective intermediary that extends above each wheel's visible facing surface, preventing contact between stacked wheels or between wheels and pallets during bulk transport. This allows efficient stacking while eliminating the damage risk, resolving the contradiction between productivity and protection.
Data Source
AI summary
Packaging for a wheel 10 is provided that has a cylindrical rim 11 and first and second cylindrical flanges 12, 13 extending from opposite axial ends of the rim 11. The packaging comprising first and second sleeves 22, 44 in which the first sleeve 22 extends about the rim 11 and bears against a facing surface of the first flange 12 and the second sleeve 44 extends about the rim 11 and extends through the first sleeve 22, extending past the first flange 12 to form a support surface 66 spaced from the first flange 12. A method of packaging a wheel and a bulk package for shipping is also provided.