Abstract: A one-piece steering wheel is formed as a unitary casting from an alloy that includes 11.5% to 14% by weight silicon, and 350 to 450 parts per million strontium. Preferably the steering wheel mold is rotated during casting at relatively high rotational speeds exerting 100 g to 250 g force on the wheel. An optimum rotational speed is disclosed. A one-piece steering wheel formed according to the invention exhibits minimal length ferro-silicon hair-like strands, and thus exhibits reduced brittleness.

Abstract: A metallic mold for casting a vehicle wheel having openings in a periphery of a disk portion of the wheel comprises a first mold for forming that external side of the wheel which faces an outside of a vehicle when mounted thereon and a second mold for forming an internal side of the wheel. The first mold has those projections for forming the openings which abut the second mold. A high-hardness coating material is coated by electric discharge coating on at least those base portions of the projections which extend diametrically inwards of the wheel, among outer surfaces of the projections. A coating of a mold coating agent is formed on portions of sharp draft in the projections. The coating has a three-layer construction comprising an under coat coated with a mold coating agent consisting essentially of ceramics, a middle coat coated with a mold coating agent consisting essentially of a mixture of boron nitride with ceramics, and a top coat coated with a mold coating agent consisting essentially of titania.

Abstract: In a process for the manufacture of brake discs, in particular of ventilated brake discs, a top runner is formed in a top box (cope), from which the brake disc is cast approximately centrally. The molten metal is uniformly distributed using star-shaped riser ribs.

Abstract: A device for manufacturing vehicle wheels having a rim which is wreath-shaped in cross section surrounding a cast wheel body is such that at least one die wall delimits the mold to be filled with cast metal. The prefabricated rim is laid between facing surfaces of a die plate and a center plate with the result that the die faces and the rim form the outer contours of the wheel body when the mold space between the die faces and rim is filled with molten metal which is introduced into the mold space under pressure. The rim itself is held by a clamping ring and can be removed in two pieces from the die assembly. A device for spraying a cooling medium onto the rim is provided on or in the clamping ring. The rim features on its inner face a central strut which is T-shaped in cross section, and on both sides of the actual struts are side struts which are inclined outwards. The free ends of the side struts are displaced by the surface of the die plates.

Abstract: A vehicle wheel rim has a tire-engaging rim portion with two conical portions, one of which lies radially outwardly of a support ring having a conical surface for mounting the rim on a spider or the like. The outer ends of the conical portions terminate at tips and a drop center lies between the conical portions. A radial crosspiece extends from the support ring to about the center of the conical portion outside the support ring. The rim is cast in a mold having two mold halves and an annular core member defining the outer rim surface.

Abstract: A light-alloy vehicle wheel comprises a nave, a wheel disc with ventilation apertures, two opposed tire bead seats and a well lying between the bead seats. A plurality of external, equally-spaced webs extends between the outer face of the wheel disc and one of the tire bead seats on its outer face and a corresponding plurality of internal fillets lie between adjacent ventilation apertures. Each fillet has an inwardly-directed face preferably of convex cross-section such that the corners of the cross-section defining the adjacent ventilation apertures are closer to the neutral axis of the local cross-section of the wheel disc, than the convex face of the fillet.