US1491480A - Wheel for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

Patented Apr. 22, 1924.

UNITED TTES Application led July 9,

To all 'whom t may oncem:

Be it known that lf, WILLY Horn, a citizen of Germany, residing at Berlin, Germany, have invented a new and useful Wheel for Vehicles, of which the following is a specilication.

The use of sheet metal plates in the manufacture of wheels for automobiles, flying machines and other vehicles is known.

Heretofore several ways of folding or bending have been tried for giving the sheet metal the necessary lateral stability. Complete success was never attained in any of these methods, as no way had yet been found to fold the sheet metal cleanly, it always being stretched or distorted in places, so that rents occurred, and also for the reason that no suitable means were affordedv for securing the folded plates properly to the hub.

The principle of my invention consists in a wheel with a cleanly folded sheet metal plate in which sectorlike pieces lie flatly in the middle plane of the wheel, whereby the generally inversely wedge-shaped pieces between same are bent outwardly into ribs. The Hat sectorlike pieces may be attached by means of rivets, screws, welding or other means directly to a fiat flange on the hub, whereby great solidity for transmitting moments of rotation is attained and there is no danger'of the plate tearing at any point, as the form is folded cleanly without the slightest stretching.

For this construction the material used is a straight strip of sheet metal, if the resultant axial depth of the ribs on the hub is found convenient. If it is found necessary that -the ribs should have a smaller depth a strip of sheet metal in the form of a circular rim or a sector rim is necessary, from which the inner circumference part forms the circumference of the hub.

Inversely if a greater depth of the ribs near the hub is to be obtained a sector is used from which the outer circumference forms the circumference of the hub.

In order to ensure a firm hold on the hub and to attain the proper one-sidedness of the wheel by a divergence of the middle rim plane from the middle huh plane, it is further important that all ribs should be formed on one side of the fiat sector parts in such manner that they can be easily riveted to the hub ange. Furthermore the lower rib edges should be cut in such manner WILLY HOPE, or BERLIN, GERMANY.

WHEEL non VEHICLES. i

1921. seran No. 483,568.

that they rest on the circumferential surface of the hub and can be welded to same.

The ribs may be bent in round undulated form, but it is convenient to bend them sharply, in order to ensure accuracy of form and greater stability. If necessary, they can also be folded in an overlapping Zigzag or corrugated form like the well-known roofing with coarse corrugations and finer corrugations overlapping same.

The drawings show two examples of the new wheel, to-wit:

Figs. 1 and 2 are cross-section rand lateral views respectively.

F ig. 3 isa detail view of the sheet metal strip from which the plate is made, in preliminary slightly folded form. 1

Fig. 4f is a detail of the round sheet metal part from which the plate is made, with nonconical ribs.

The sheet metall strip is divided into sector-shaped parts 1 with rim parts 2 kbetween same. The sector parts l form with their edges 3 the outer circumference and withk their edges 4e the inner circumference of the plate centre, in both of which cases the space filled by the ribs 2 is to be deducted.

The ribs 2 are sector-shaped, and are arranged in reverse relation to the sector parts 1, each rib widening towards its inner end and comprising two folds on the line 5 arranged at an angle to each other and also at an angle to the adjacent flat sector portions. Said ribs each form an acute angle, and when used in a wheel subjected to but slight lateral stress can be reduced to a single point at the cross areasupport-ing the rim. The inner edges 6 of the rib folds also form an acute angle, serve as connecting surfaces for the hub and are cut in such form as to cause them to rest entirely on the same.

According to offering circumstances a complete connection of the two sides of each rib part 2 can be provided, so that they rest flatly against each other and can be connected with each other by welding, riveting and similar means. Sector edges 3 and 4 then constitute the entire circumference of rim and hub respectively.

The plate centre part folded in this manner is welded with its outer circumference to a main rim 7 which is adapted to receive lan interchangeable pneumatic tire rim 8f 011th@ inside e heb 9 is also Welded to the edges of the ribs and a flange l() of the hub is at the same time connected to the sector parts l by means of rivets, in order to transmit moments of rotation. To the front part of the hub a flange 1l is also screwed which covers the rib ends and which may be welded to same. The hub 8 has as a rule the same shape as the well-known Rudge hub, causing the curved form oli' the edges 6 shown in the drawings, and at the sameJ time the one-sided connections of the rims 7 8 to the flat sector portions and thereby to one end of the hub, namely above the flange 10, is practical, seeing that this portion holds the large ball-bearing receiving the principal strain, whereas the other ball-bearing near the screwed on liange 1l is to receive side strains. Hereby the connection of plate part l and ange l0 is at the same time simplified and the desirable closeness of the rims 7, 8 to the body of car or frame or vehicle is thus rendered possible.

F ig. 4: shows an almost circular plate in which four ribs with parallel edges are provided which when brought in closc contact with each other form a complete round sheet of metal with ribs of great axial depth towards the rim-side of the rib and a comparatively smaller depth at the hub-side of the ribs than in the rst eonstructional form. The ribs in this diagram may also possess wedge-shapes as in Figs. l-B. The abovenamed four ribs are generally sufficient to give a very good stability to transmit moments ot rotation and at the same time the whole construction is very simple.

l claim:

l. A wheel comprising a central Afolded sheet metal plate having radial 'folds providing flat sector portions and sector shaped ribs between and arranged in reverse relation to said sector portions, each rib widening towards its inner end and comprising two folds arranged at an angle to'each other and also at an angle to the adjacent flat sector portions, a rim secured to theouter circumference of the flat sector portions, and a hub haring a flange at one end secured to the said flat sector portions, and a second flange secured to said folded ribs.

2. wheel comprising a central folded sheet metal plate having radial 'folds providing flat sector portions and sector shaped ribs between and arranged in reverse relation to said sector portions, each rib widening towards its inner end and comprising two folds arranged at an angle to each other and also at an angle to the adjacent Hat sector portions, a rim secured to the outer circumference ot the flat sector portions and a hub having a flange at one end secured to the said flat sector portions, and a second flange secured to said folded ribs, the latter being shaped at their inner ends to t on said hub.

In witness whereof I aix my si nature.

WLLY OPF.

Images