JPH08132803A - Resin wheels - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a resin wheel suppressing an increase in weight to be kept lightweight, remarkably improved with the vertical rigidity balance and horizontal rigidity balance of the wheel as compared with the same kind of conventional wheel and having good riding comfortableness and good running performance such as the cornering characteristic. CONSTITUTION: This resin wheel is constituted of a hub 2, two right and left resin wheels 1, 1' having the same shape and integrally molded with a center hub coupling section 1a and multiple plate-like spokes 1b,..., 1b',... radially extended at the same length and at the same angle from the hub coupling section 1a, and rim sections 3 at the tips of the plate-like spoke sections 1b,..., 1b',.... Various sections are connected so that the plate-like spokes 1b,..., 1b',... of two wheels 1, 1' respectively are located in turn in the peripheral direction of the wheel in particular.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a resin wheel used for bicycles, wheelchairs and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, metal wheels have been used for a long time as wheels for bicycles and the like. As is well known, a metal wheel passes a spoke from a hub to a rim, and the spoke tension balances the rim. By the way, in applications such as racing bicycles where high performance is required, composite wheels are often used because of weight reduction and mechanical requirements. In addition, there are many cases in which composite wheels are used in high-class cars and the like, where design and hobby are important.

Disc-shaped disc wheels and spoke-integrated composite wheels are well known as conventional composite wheels. The disc-shaped disc wheel supports the rim with a disc-shaped structure instead of the spokes to form the wheel, and (a) is lightweight, (b) has a small number of parts, and is easy to manufacture. ) There are advantages such as low air resistance from the front and (d) little transmission loss of driving force. On the other hand, (a ') It is a structure that does not easily absorb vibration due to the unevenness of the road surface, giving unpleasant vibration to the occupant, (b') Large air resistance from the lateral direction (oblique direction), (c ') Further It is known that it is difficult to reduce the weight, and (d ') the disk part is hollow, the vibration from the road resonates like a drum and the running noise is large.

In the spoke-integrated composite wheel, one spoke has a thickness of 20 to 30 mm and a thickness of 50 to 50 mm.
The rim portion is supported by a plurality of spokes having a shape close to the blade cross section having a width of 70 mm, and the number of spokes is generally 3 to 5. This wheel has advantages such as (a) further weight reduction, and (b) less air resistance not only from the front but also from the lateral direction (at an angle). On the other hand, (a ')
When manufacturing wheels, there are many processes such as adhesion of spokes.
′) Due to the small number of spokes supporting the rim, it is known that there is a large variation in rigidity in the vertical and horizontal directions depending on the circumferential position of the wheel, which tends to give fatigue to an occupant. Therefore, it is desirable to improve the rigidity balance between the vertical and horizontal wheels in the spoke-integrated composite wheel, but simply increasing the number of spokes has a limit because it significantly increases air resistance and weight.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to improve the rigidity balance of the wheels of a spoke-integrated composite wheel while suppressing the increase of air resistance and weight as much as possible. And It should be noted that the ease of manufacturing work is maintained.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the first invention of the present application, a hub made of resin wheels is provided with two locking portions (10) at a predetermined distance in the axial direction. 2)
And at least the central hub engaging portion (1a) and the hub engaging portion (1a).
A pair of left and right resin-made wheels (1, b) of the same shape integrally molded with a plurality of plate-shaped spokes (1b, ..., 1b ', ...) that extend from a) at equal angles and radially extend to the same length. 1 ')
And a rim part (3) with a diameter adapted to the tip of the plate-shaped spoke part
, And the two wheels (1,1 ') are arranged such that the respective plate-shaped spokes (1b, ..., 1b', ...) are alternately arranged in the wheel circumferential direction. ) Left and right locking parts (10,10
′) And the inner peripheral surface of the rim portion (3).

In the second invention of the present application, in the resin wheel, the plate-shaped spokes (1b, ..., 1b) of each wheel (1,1 ') are
´,…) are 2 to 8 on one side. Further, in the third invention of the present application, in both of the above-mentioned inventions, two pieces in which the hub engaging portion (1a), the plate-shaped spokes (1b, ..., 1b ′, ...) And the rim portion (3) are integrally molded are provided. Wheels (1,1 ') and side rims (1c, 1c
′) The top rim (4) joined between the two is included.
In the fourth invention of the present application, in each of the aforementioned inventions, the wheel (1,1
′) And the rim portion (3) are made of thermosetting resin such as epoxy resin, vinyl ester resin, unsaturated polyester resin, phenol resin, or thermoreversible resin such as nylon resin, polyether sulfone resin, polybutyl terephthalate resin. Either of them is a fiber reinforced resin reinforced with carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, ceramic fiber, metal fiber, or the like. Further, in the fifth invention of the present application, as the fiber for resin reinforcement of the resin wheel of the fourth invention, a fiber structured in a woven form is used.

[0008]

[Operation] The left and right wheels (1,1 ') are fixedly supported by the hub engaging portions (1a) on the center side, and by the two engaging portions (10,10') separated by a predetermined distance from the hub (2). Each of the plate-shaped spokes (1b, ..., 1b ', ...) integrated with the hub engaging portion (1a) is alternately located on the left and right sides in the wheel circumferential direction, and its tip is located inside the rim portion (3). It is connected to the peripheral surface and provides high rigidity against lateral stress. Furthermore, since many support points are distributed along the circumference of the rim, the vertical and horizontal rigidity balance of the wheel is good. This leads to improved ride comfort and improved stability of cornering.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1A and 1B are views showing a resin wheel (composite wheel) for a bicycle, which is an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a front view in which the left half is omitted, and (b) is a side sectional view. The wheel of the embodiment has a hub (2) provided with two locking portions that are axially separated from each other by a predetermined distance, and the hub (2).
Two wheels (1,1 ') attached to the left and right of (2),
It is composed of the rim portion (3) on the outer peripheral portion of the wheel (1,1 ').

The hub (2) includes a hub connecting pipe (2a) made of a light alloy having small diameters at both ends and steps, and the connecting pipe (2a).
The outer hubs (2c, 2c ') made of light alloy and formed with the hub flange (2b) are joined to both ends of the left and right sides. The outer hubs (2c, 2c ') are joined to each other when the wheel is assembled (detailed later) by the collar-shaped inner flange retainer (5, 5') and the wheel (1, 1 ').
´) Therefore, in the assembled state of the hub (2), the engaging portions (10, 10 ') are formed by the inner flange retainers (5, 5') and the like at two locations keeping a constant distance in the axial direction thereof. The engaging portion of the hub (2) may be provided in another shape such as a flange having flanges at both ends of the hub coupling pipe (2a). In short, according to the present invention, the hub (2) is fixed to the center of the wheel (1,1 ') while keeping a certain distance in the axial direction.
It suffices if the locking portions (10, 10 ') are formed at one place.

The left and right wheels (1, 1 ') may have exactly the same shape in terms of parts, and are made of a resin material, and the hub engaging portion at the center is formed.
(1a) and a plurality of plate-shaped spokes (1b, ..., 1b) radially extending from the hub engaging portion (1a) at equal angles and at equal lengths (three in the embodiment, therefore the mutual angle is 120 degrees). ´,…) and the side rims (1c, 1c´) are integrally molded, and the left and right plate-shaped spokes (1b,…, 1b´,…) are positioned alternately in the wheel circumferential direction. Each part to be described later is joined by shifting by a half pitch so that one-sided plate-shaped spokes (1b,
…, 1b´,…) between plate-like spokes (1b,…, 1b)
´,…) are arranged. Side rims on both sides (1c, 1c
´) is joined at the contact part (circumferential shape) and further top rim (4)
Is joined to support a tube or tire not shown.

For the material of the wheel (1,1 '), for example, a fiber reinforced resin obtained by reinforced epoxy resin with carbon fiber is suitable because it is lightweight and has sufficient strength. Other than this, vinyl ester resin, unsaturated polyester resin,
A thermosetting resin such as phenol resin or a thermoreversible resin such as nylon resin, polyether sulfone resin, polybutyl terephthalate resin can be used,
As the reinforcing fiber, various combinations using glass fiber, aramid fiber, ceramic fiber, metal fiber and the like can be used. For molding, autoclave molding, press molding, vacuum bag molding, SMC, hand layup, etc. are used.

In particular, it is preferable to use, as a reinforcing fiber, a fabric-like fiber having a thickness of 0.2 to 0.3 mm, which is a woven fabric composed of the above-mentioned various fibers, in a multi-layer structure because the workability is very good. As the woven fiber, plain weave, satin weave, twill weave, etc. can be selected,
The use of these is preferable because a wheel having an attractive appearance can be obtained. Conversely, if you want to further reduce the weight,
If the fibers are mixed in the direction in which high rigidity is required, the desired strength can be obtained with a smaller amount of both the resin material and the fiber material, and thus the weight is reduced. It should be noted that the wheel may be formed by using the above-mentioned various resins alone without using the reinforcing fiber for applications where strength is not required so much.

In order to reduce the air resistance, the plate-shaped spokes have a cross-section of the blade shown in FIG. 4 (a) (FIG. 5) or front and rear edges as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 (b). The shape may be rounded with R. In addition, in order to increase the rigidity, see Fig. 4 (c).
It is effective to add ribs as shown in the sectional view of FIG.

Next, a process of assembling the wheel of the embodiment will be described. 1.) First, insert the hole in the center of the hub engaging portion (1a) of the wheel (1) and the inner flange retainer (5) into the outer hub (2c) from the inside. 2.) Next, attach the outer hub (2c) to the inner cylindrical portion of the hub coupling pipe (2a) at one end with the wheel (1) and inner flange retainer (5).
Insert and join while sandwiching. Joining is performed by press fitting, adhesion, or a combination of both.

3.) Then, another outer hub (2c ')
Insert the central hole of the other wheel (1 ') and the inner flange retainer (5') from the inside, and join the three parts as one unit to the other end of the coupling pipe (2a) exactly as described above. At this time, be sure to make a group of plate-shaped spokes (1b ′, 1b) of the wheel (1 ′).
, ') Are joined to the already fixed plate-like spokes (1b, 1b, ...) Of the facing wheel (1) at an angle of 60 degrees, which is offset by half a pitch. That is, the two wheels are joined at the left and right engaging portions of the hub so that the plate-shaped spokes are alternately located in the wheel circumferential direction. 4.) After that, the inner contact parts of the two side rims (1c, 1c '), the top rim (4) for receiving the tire, the light alloy hub flange (2b) fitting part and the inner surface of the hub connecting pipe (2a) A completed wheel is obtained by adhesively joining the wheels. For bonding in the above process, for example, a room temperature curing type epoxy adhesive is used. Since each component may be deformed due to strain when heated, a low-temperature or normal-temperature curing type adhesive is preferable.

In the wheels of the above-described embodiments, the rigidity balance of the entire wheels is remarkably improved as compared with the conventional wheels. 2 and 3 are graphs showing the results of measuring the rigidity depending on the angle of several spoke-integrated composite wheels including the examples. FIG. 2 shows the vertical rigidity, and FIG. 3 shows the lateral rigidity. Each composite wheel used for the measurement has a diameter of 27 inches and a compatible tire width of 19 mm.

In FIG. 2, the hub portion of the wheel to be measured is attached to the hawk, the wheel outer periphery is in contact with a solid base plane, and the hawk extends upright by applying a constant load to the hawk. (Rigidity) was measured at predetermined points along the circumference. From the figure, compared with the four-spoke wheel and the three-spoke wheel of the conventional structure, the position on the circumference of the wheel of the embodiment shown by the solid line changes. However, the variation of the measured value is within a very small width, and it can be seen that the vertical rigidity of the wheel is substantially constant regardless of the direction (rotation).

The above characteristics mean that, in a bicycle having wheels mounted thereon, the running performance is high, the riding comfort is good, and the fatigue of the occupant can be reduced. This is because the plate-shaped spokes on the left and right wheels are offset by a half pitch, and the spokes are efficiently placed at multiple places (6 places) on the circumference, and it is possible to use a small amount of material without any increase in weight. The vertical rigidity of the wheel is improved. By the way, if the left and right plate-shaped spokes are joined at the same position on the rim by using the wheels used in the embodiment symmetrically without shifting the pitch by half a pitch, the parts with low rigidity (3 places along the circumference) However, as a result, the rigidity remains the same as that of the conventional three-spoke wheel, and on the other hand, the rigidity is further increased at the joint with high rigidity.

In FIG. 3, the hub portion of the wheel to be measured is firmly supported, and a constant load is applied to the outer peripheral portion of the wheel from the side to determine the amount of movement (lateral rigidity) of the load application point at predetermined points along the circumference. As compared with the four-spoke wheel and the three-spoke wheel of the conventional structure shown in the figure, the wheel of the embodiment shown by the solid line has a very small fluctuation range of the measured value even if the position on the circumference changes. Also, it can be seen that the lateral rigidity of the wheels is substantially constant regardless of the direction (even when rotated).

This means that in a bicycle or the like having wheels mounted thereon, for example, the stability in cornering is good and the vehicle can bend a curve at a high speed. Again, it can be seen that the lateral rigidity of the wheels has also been improved as a result of efficiently arranging the spokes from the left and right with the two wheels at a large number of places (6 places) on the circumference. Regarding lateral rigidity, if plate-shaped spokes were joined symmetrically at the same position on the rim, the parts with low lateral rigidity (same rigidity as conventional three-spoke wheels) and parts with high lateral rigidity (joint point: lateral The difference in (the rigidity increases) becomes large, and the rigidity balance of the wheels deteriorates, which does not lead to improvement of the running performance.

As can be seen from the embodiments described above, in the wheel of the present invention, two resinous wheels are used on the left and right, and the hub and the rim are arranged so that the plate-like spokes are alternately located in the wheel circumferential direction. A wheel having good running performance, in which the balance of longitudinal rigidity and lateral rigidity is both improved while suppressing an increase in weight and being lightweight, can be obtained. Needless to say, since it is a plate-shaped spoke, the front projection area in the rotating direction is small and the wheel air resistance is small (improved by about 12% compared to the conventional product), it is easy to manufacture and it is lightweight (about 20% lighter than the conventional product). ) Has the advantages of composite wheels.

In the embodiment, three-sided plate-shaped spokes are used, but if two-sided plate-shaped spokes are used on one side (henceforth, there are 4 to 12 joining points on the rim circumference; multiples of the prior art), a wheel is used. It is possible to obtain a material having a good rigidity balance while maintaining other favorable characteristics, and it is possible to appropriately achieve the object of the present invention. Further, in the embodiment, the hub portion, the plate-shaped spoke portion, and the side rim portion are integrally formed into a wheel, but the wheel portion may be configured so that the hub portion and the plate-shaped spoke portion are integrally formed and joined to a separate rim. good. Conversely, one side of the top rim portion (up to the central portion) may be integrally formed.

[0024]

As described above, in each of the inventions of the present application, the resin wheel is provided with the hub provided with the two engaging portions at the predetermined distance in the axial direction, and at least the central hub engaging portion. Two resin-made right and left wheels of the same shape integrally formed with a plurality of plate-shaped spokes that extend from the hub engaging portion at equal angles and radially extend to the same length, and at the tip of the plate-shaped spoke portion. And a rim portion having a suitable diameter, the two wheels are respectively joined to the left and right locking portions of the hub so that the respective plate-shaped spokes are alternately located in the wheel circumferential direction, and the rim portion is also provided. Since the structure is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the part, the weight increase is suppressed and the weight is kept lighter, and the balance of vertical rigidity and lateral rigidity of the wheel is significantly improved compared to the conventional wheels of the same type. Obtained resin wheels with good running performance That. Further, if a fiber reinforced resin is used, higher strength can be obtained, and if a woven reinforcing fiber is used, designability is increased.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a resin wheel of the present invention.
(a) and a side sectional view (b).

FIG. 2 is a characteristic diagram showing the vertical rigidity of the resin wheel of the embodiment together with those of other wheels.

FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing the lateral rigidity of the resin wheel of the embodiment together with those of other wheels.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional shape example (three states) of the plate-shaped spoke according to each invention of the present application.

[Explanation of symbols]

 (1)… Wheel (1a)… Hub engaging part (1b,…, 1b ′,…)… Slab spoke (2)… Hub (2a)… Hub coupling pipe (2c, 2c´)… Outer hub (2b) )… Hub flange (3)… Rim part (4)… Top rim (5,5 ′)… Inner flange retainer (10)… Locking part

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A hub (2) provided with locking portions (10) at two positions spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the axial direction, at least a central hub engaging portion (1a) and the hub engaging portion. (1a) A pair of left and right resin-made wheels of the same shape integrally formed with a plurality of plate-like spokes (1b, ..., 1b ', ...) that extend at equal angles and radiate from each other at equal angles. , 1 ') and a rim portion (3) having a diameter adapted to the tip of the plate-shaped spoke portion, wherein each of the wheels (1, 1') has a respective plate-shaped spoke (1b,
, 1b ', ...) are joined to the locking portions (10, 10') so that they are alternately located in the wheel circumferential direction, and the rim portion is also joined.
A resin wheel characterized by being joined to the inner peripheral surface of (3). 2. The plate-shaped spokes of each wheel (1,1 ′)
The resin wheel according to claim 1, wherein (1b, ..., 1b ′, ...) Has two to eight on one side. 3. A hub engaging portion (1a) and plate-like spokes (1b, ...,).
1b ′,…) and rim part (3) are integrally molded, two wheels (1,1 ′) and top rim (4) joined between side rims (1c, 1c ′) The resin wheel according to claim 1 or 2, which has been applied. 4. The wheel (1,1 ′) and the rim portion (3) are thermosetting resins such as epoxy resin, vinyl ester resin, unsaturated polyester resin and phenol resin, or nylon resin, polyether sulfone resin, 4. A fiber reinforced resin obtained by reinforcing any of thermoreversible resins such as polybutyl terephthalate resin with carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, ceramic fiber, metal fiber or the like. Resin wheel described. 5. The resin wheel according to claim 4, wherein a resin-reinforced fiber having a woven structure is used.