Abstract: In a flywheel assembled from a plurality of parts and having greatly reduced noise proportion for reciprocating-piston engines, especially hand-cranked diesel engines, a first part (17) comprises at least one steel plate, which is joined to at least one further part (22) by rivets, bolts, spot welds and/or fitting to achieve bearing contact therewith over an area, such that the parts are clamped against each other.

Abstract: A flywheel assembly 1 includes a flywheel 2, a flexible plate 3 and a dynamic damper 4 to reduce the noise of an engine during acceleration of the speed of the engine. The flexible plate 3 connects the flywheel 2 with a crankshaft 5 so as to be able to oscillate in a bending direction. The dynamic damper 4 includes a mass body 13, and a plate 14 which connects the mass body 13 with the flywheel 2 so as to be able to oscillate in a bending direction.

Abstract: An improved vehicle wheel and method for producing the same includes a wheel rim and a wheel disc joined together by a weld. The wheel disc includes a generally centrally located wheel mounting portion which defines a vertical axis and an outer annular flange. The outer annular flange of the wheel disc defines an outer surface which is inverted at a predetermined angle relative to the vertical axis. The outer annular flange further includes a plurality of arches formed therein.

Abstract: A pulley for use with an endless metal belt, including pulley halves rotatable about an axis. The pulley halves include truncated conical portions symmetrically opposed to each other and outer surfaces disposed on the truncated conical portions so as to be engageable with the belt. The outer surface of each pulley half has a centerline average roughness (Ra) of 0.1 to 0.5 &mgr;m, a Vickers hardness (Hv) of not less than 850 at a load of 200 g, and a microstructure with random fine irregularities in which a great number of recesses and projections are randomly located. A continuously variable transmission including the pulley is also disclosed.

Abstract: A flywheel assembly 1 includes a flywheel 2, a flexible plate 3 and a dynamic damper 4 to reduce the noise of an engine during acceleration of the speed of the engine. The flexible plate 3 connects the flywheel 2 with a crankshaft 5 so as to be able to oscillate in a bending direction. The dynamic damper 4 includes a mass body 13, and a plate 14 which connects the mass body 13 with the flywheel 2 so as to be able to oscillate in a bending direction.

Abstract: A fiber reinforced composite flywheel for energy storage has a plurality of disks in the form of a coil produced of continuous hoop and radial fibers, each disk having a mix of fiber types in the hoop direction, relatively strong fibers disposed about an inner section of the disk, an intermediate section of the disk comprised of relatively strong and relatively lower strength fibers, and an outer portion having a mix of fibers fewer relatively strong fibers. A fiber reinforced composite flywheel, alternatively or in addition, has a higher volume of radial fibers disposed about the intermediate section of the disk, to increase radial strength in a banded area of the disk subject to increased radial stress. Preferably, the disk is composed with a 3-dimensional orthogonal weave architecture which allows the fibers to shear during weaving to provide minimum distortion of the spiral woven disk.

Abstract: A free wheel body is inserted within the hub of a bicycle rear wheel while the pawls of the free wheel are temporarily held in their retracted positions by an auxiliary tool facilitating the mounting operation. The tool is constituted by a bush having a plurality of longitudinal wings which are elastically deformable. When the mounting operation has been carried out, the bush can be removed from body of the free wheel by making it slide rearwardly thereon.

Abstract: A vehicle wheel having a hand hole extending from a first surface to a second surface. The hand hole has a zone of a minimum dimension intermediate the first surface and the second surface. The hand hole is preferably tapered from the first surface to the minimum dimension zone and tapered from the second surface to the minimum dimension zone. Associated methods of making the vehicle wheel are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention includes a flywheel assembly having a first flywheel, a second flywheel, a viscous damper mechanism 3 disposed therebetween, and a boss member 5. The second flywheel is supported on the first flywheel so as to be relatively rotatable via the viscous damper mechanism. The viscous damper mechanism 3 includes disc-shaped plates 9, each having radially inner serrations 9d on radially inner surface thereof. The boss member 5 has radially outer serrations 5a. The boss 5 and plates 9 are provided with a thermal expansion differential prior to assembly. After assembly, the serrations 5a on the boss securely engage the serrations 9d on the inner surface of the plates 9. The plates 9 may be heated or the boss 5 may be cooled to provide a thermal expansion differential.

Abstract: Flywheel-based energy storage devices are provided along with methods for their use and fabrication. The devices have the capacity to store electric energy as kinetic energy and to generate electric energy from the stored kinetic energy. Preferred devices comprise a pair of counter-rotating anisotropic flywheels which are designed to rapidly rotate within an evacuated housing. The flywheels comprise a lightweight hub and a circumferentially-wound fiber rim. The hub and rim are fabricated from materials having high tensile strength and are connected with system of novel tube assemblies positioned around the hub parallel to the axis of rotation. The flywheel are principally supported by magnetic bearings and are further stabilized during rotation by a self-restoring liquid bearing system.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a brake pad wherein a clamping force of a mechanical joint formed between a friction member and a metal backing plate by a rivet is specified and controlled such that noise developed during a brake application through vibration is attenuated as the friction material and metal backing plate vibrating at different frequencies.

Abstract: A disk assembly is comprised of a circular plate having an outer flange portion extending in the radial direction and a plurality of tongues each of which is pressed out in the axial direction and an annular member whose inner radius is equals to that of each tongue, wherein each distal end of each tongue is snugly fitted in the annular member and the outer flange portion is fixed to one side of the annular member.

Abstract: A method of making a low inertia wheel for a track laying vehicle. The method includes securing together two center metal discs provided with peripheral offset portions that form a continuous groove when the discs are secured together. Annular wall portions of two circular fiber-reinforced composite rim members are secured to the peripheral offset portions of the metal discs. The composite rim members have laterally extending rim portions supporting solid elastomer tires. Segmented, light weight wear pads are secured on opposed inside surfaces of the continuous groove.

Abstract: For machine used to balance disk brake rotors having radial walls defining tapered recesses by inserting tapered weights into selected recesses, a magazine holds a stack comprised of a controlled number of the weights and permits the weights to exit individually. Each exiting weight is oriented radially with its narrow end pointing into a selected recess. An inserter and a double-acting, pneumatic, piston-cylinder apparatus are provided for removing the lowermost weight from the magazine and inserting such weight into the selected recess. Photoelectric detectors are provided for detecting when the magazine has been depleted of a specified number of the weights, when the magazine holds the controlled number of the weights, and when the magazine has been completely depleted of the weights. The magazine has a gate for admitting the weights under certain conditions.

Abstract: A steering wheel with an air bag unit includes spoke cores each of which is formed by die casting and is mounted at a distal end portion of the spoke portion around a ring core so as to separate the ring core into ring core segments. A front part of the distal end portion of each of two spoke cores, which support the front ring core segment having the largest span, has a vertical thickness larger than a thickness of the distal end portion in a radial direction of the steering wheel.

Abstract: Rotating machinery construction employing one or more split balance rings within a rotating element the circumferential position of a ring being adjustable through associated casing structure without disassembly of the machinery to permit rebalancing or trim balancing of the rotor element.

Abstract: Manufacture of brake drums having an annular brake ring and a drum back for mounting the ring for rotation about an axis defined at least in part by one or more openings in the back. Radial runout of the brake ring is measured, and the mounting openings in the drum back are located at a position to substantially cancel the first harmonic of measured radial runout. The radially inwardly directed braking surface of the drum ring is then finish-machined on a cylinder of revolution coaxial with the drum back mounting openings so as to provide a brake ring of substantially uniform thickness and weight distribution about the axis of rotation defined by the drum back mounting openings.

Abstract: A bucket wheel body includes a supporting body having a frustoconical region, a radially outer circumferential region, and a radially inner circumferential region. The frustoconical region forms a carrier body; the radially outer region forms a rounded annular carrier for supporting buckets and the radially inner region forms a rounded hub support. The hub support, the annular carrier and the carrier body form a one-piece construction and jointly define an S-shaped cross section. A disc-shaped hub body is attached to the hub support. The hub body has an outer circumferential edge and a central opening. The outer circumferential edge of the hub body is in engagement with the carrier body, and a terminal edge face of the hub support is in engagement with the hub body along a zone radially inwardly of the outer circumferential edge of the hub body.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a disk for a belt-driven continuously-variable-speed drive of the type which includes a metal belt disposed in engagement between mutually facing sheave surfaces which form a V-groove, including the steps of machining each sheave surface with a numerical control lathe to form therein a spiral groove that is centered about the center of the pulley and has a surface roughness within the range of 0.8-0.4 microns, and thereafter super finishing the sheave surfaces to produce residual stress therein.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a rotor frame of an electromagnetic clutch is disclosed. A rotor frame is manufactured using press machines in a sequential process of: (1) forming a blank which has the shape of a regular polygon; (2) forming a bulge in one side of the blank; (3) making a hole in the center of the bulge; and (4) bending the walls of the bulge and the blank edges into projections that can be machined to provide appropriately shaped end surfaces for use as a rotor frame.