US1336333A - Method of producing wheels - Google Patents

Description

J. A. ANGLADA. METHOD OF PRODUCING WHEELS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I7. 1918.

Patnted Apr. 6-, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

J. A. ANGLADA.

METHODOF PRODUCING WHEELS.

APPuc/mon FILED MAY 17. I918.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Yunnan. sraaras oer-non.

JOSEIE; A. ANGLAIDA, OF PI-IILADELPHEA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO BAKER WHEEL '6; RIM COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLI- NOES.

METHOD OF PRODUCING WILEELS.

Application filed May -17,

dent of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Producing Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to improvements in metallic wheels, and especially methods of producing same, and is con-. cerned primarily with motor vehicle wheels.

The general object of my invention is to provide a Inetallic'vehicle wheel which shall be light in weight yet strong, resilient, and durable .and better adapted to withstand service conditions than wheels of similar size and weight heretofore devised.

A further object ofv my invention is to provide a method of producing a metallic vehicle wheel from sheet metal, in a simple, expeditious manner at low cost ;and a particular object is to provide a method of producing metallic vehicle wheels from sheet metal, substantially without waste of material.

My invention consists generally in a method of producing such wheels, whereby the above named. objects together with others which will appear hereinafter are attainable.

My invention also consists in the details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, which illust'ate wheels embodying my invention and methods for producing same and which I consider the best at the present time.

In said drawings, Figure 1 depicts a portion of sheet metal stock from which the wheel is formed ;F ig. 2 illustrates one of the steps in the production of the wheel Fig. 3 illustrates a-blank or element resulting from the operation depicted in Fig. 2; Fig. illustrates the blank of Fig. 3 formed to constitute a part of the wheel Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the felly Specification of Letters Patent.

Pa tentee Apr. 6, 192%.

1918. Serial No. 235,115.

plet d wheel -Fig. 8 depicts a blank or member similar to Fig. 3, but with the spoke portions staggered ;-.Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional assembly illustrating the blank of Fig. 8, shaped and combined with the felly band ;-and, Fig. 10 is a'face-view of the completed wheel of the form shown in Fig. 9.

I am aware that it has been proposed heretofore to manufacture metallic vehicle wheels from sheet metal, but in the methods heretofore prevailing great wastage of material has resulted, due very largely to the methods of manufacture which usually consisted in stamping or pressing the complete-1-v circular wheel. out of asquare sheet of metal larger than the projected area of the plane of the wheel. The wastage resulted not'only from the manufacture of a circular wheel, from a square sheet of metal, but also in those types having spokes, from the removal of considerable portions of metal between adjacent spokes. It is one of the objects of my invention to eliminate very .largely this expensive wastage of material and to provide a method whereby a metallic vehicle wheel can be produced from commercial sheet metal such, for example, as hot or cold rolled steel, in a rapid and inexpenslve manner.

In practising my invention, I prefer instead of using a square sheet of metal to start with a sheet of elongated shape, the length of which will be substantially equal to the circumference of the hub of the wheel desired and of such width as to enable the production, simultaneously, of a plurality of blanks or members of a character suitable for producing the -major portion of the wheel. In the present instance I manufacture a plurality-of blanks from a single sheet of metal with the' spoke portions of the wheel blanks so relatively positioned as to interfit and to permit cutting froin the sheet substantially without wastage.

Having now set up the general method of band which I use in manufacturing the plurality of wheel blanks or elements can loa wheel ;Fig. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the assembled wheel blank and felly band;-Fig. 7 is a facev1ew of the combe produced; the thickness of the metal is such as is suitable for the particular type of wheel being manufactured and the character ot the metal will be determined very largely by the service conditions to be imposed upon the wheel, tor example, it the wheel is tor' use on a large, heavy vehicle, the sheet metal will be thicker than tor wheels used on the lightertype ot passenger vehicles, where mnumber of wheel blanks or elements, one

a cylinc er.

of which shown in Fig. 3, and designated by the numeral 9. The blank or element, 9,

comprises a central portion, 10, and spaced tongue like projecting portions, 11.

Aswill be seen shortly, the portion 10, constitutes the hub of the wheel. and the portions, 11, constitute the spokes ot the wheel and for this reason I shall reter hereinafter to the portion, 10, as the hub portion, and to portions, 11 as the spoke portions. The length ot the hub portion, 10, is .equal substantially tothat ot the circumterence ot the hub desired in the finished wheel, and the blank or element shown in Fig. 3 is rolled or shap d so that the hub portion constitutes The end portions 12 and 13 ot the thus .cylindrically shaped hub portions will be in end to end abutment and I preter to join them permanentlyas by means ot Welding. vThe spoke portions, 11, are bent upwardly or away'trom the central cylindrical hub portion and in the instant case are brought quite close together, providing a small intervening space, 1 1, between adjacent spokes (see Fig. 4t) 0t such size as to accommodate the flange portion, 16, ot a telly band, 17 (see Figs. 5 and 6). The telly band, 17, is ot standard construction, designed to receive a demountable rim having for this purpose a co-acting conical side flange, 18. It will, of course, be understood that a telly band of other or desired torm may be used. The telly band is positioned,

.. as shown in Fig. 6, and the spoke portions,

11, are rigidly secured thereto by means of rivets, 19. While the spoke portions, 11, are shown as abutting the flange, 16, upon the side nearest to the end portion ot the hub tronrwhich the spoke projects the spokes may, it desired, be secured upon the opposite 'bodying my invention.

or tar-side ot the flange, and such construction will be shown and described shortly, with a slightly modified torm of wheel em- The completed wheel is well shown in Fig. 7 and it is thought that no turther detailed description thereof is necessary. By producing a wheel under the method described, there is practically no waste'stock, inasmuch as the spoke portions of adjacent wheel blanks intertit.

In that form of my invention thus tar described, spoke portions radiating from opposite ends of the hub are in alinement, so that viewing the wheel in side elevation, as shown in Fig. 7, but halt ot the actual number of the spokes in the wheel are seen. In this torm the telly band is supported .at only a relatively tew spaced points. For some purposes it may be desirable to stagger the spokes, 2". 6., to alternately distribute the spokes radially trom the opposite ends of the hub portions equallythroughout the circumterence ot the wheel, thus securing in appearancea wheel more nearly resembling: a wire wheel, and also distributing the points ot support more uniformly throughout the circumference ot the telly band. I have disclosed such a wheel and a method .tor producing same in Figs. 8, 9 and 10 ot the drawings, wherein 30 represents the hub portion of a wheel blank; 31 the spoke portions, projecting trom one side thereot; and 32, the spoke portions,projecting trom the opposite side. The respective spoke portions, 31 and 32, are staggered, as shown, so that instead of an outer spoke being directly opposite an inner spoke, as shown in Fig. 3, they are here staggered. To enable cutting a plurality ot blanks trom a single sheet without wastage,.I also bevel or angle the end portions 33 and 34 ot the hub. The wheel blank thus described is tormed so that the hub constitutes a cylinder ;end p'ortions, 33 and 34, being welded or otherwise permanently joined and the spoke portions, 31 and 32, being bent upwardly or away trom the hub to form radiating spokes, shown in Figs. 9 and 10. In this instance, the spoke portions are bent so that the ends, 31 and 32, are on opposite sides ot the center line. A telly, 17, ot the same construction described with reterence to the first torm ot the invention is secured in place as by riveting or in any other suitable manner. The completed wheel is well shown in Fig. 10, wherein the staggered relation ot the spokes and the multiple point supports are well shown.

The diiterence in appearance and construction ot the two types ot wheels can be contrasted by viewing Figs. 7 and 10.

It. will be understood that these wheels are initially and permanently tensioned. This I accomplish in the act of welding or riveting the ends of the spokes to the radial spokes can be easily accomplished and by.

atterward stretching or expanding the telly band, which act tensions the wheel as a whole, the stretching being carried to the point necessary to give the peripheral rim or band its correct circumferential measurement. a

It is thoughttrom this detailed-description that the objects, purposes and advantagcs of my invention will be at once apparent to those skilled in thewehicle Wheel art, solid middle portion and spokes extending but inasmuch as this disclosure will readily from opposite edges thereof, then rolling the suggest to others structures and methods "blank to cylindrical form and securing it in whereby the substantial objects and purposes that condition, then. swaging or expanding 5 of my invention Will be attained, I do not the ends of thesolid middle portion and thus Wish to be limited to the specific construecausing the spoke portions to project radition herein shown and described, or to the ally therefrom, thensecuring the spoke ends precise steps and sequence referred to inthe to a peripheral metal member and finally method of manufacturing the wheel, except stretching or. expanding said member; to a only as may be necessary by limitations in predetermined circumferential dimension,

the hereunto appended claim. thereby tensioning the Wheel as a whole.

I claim In testimony whereof I have hereunto set The herein described method of'making my hand this 7th day of May, 1918.

sheet metalwheels that consists in stamp- 5. ing from'sheet metal a blankv comprising a JOSEPH A. ANGLADA.

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