Abstract: A compression mold for manufacture of a fiber-reinforced composite vehicle wheel that has a circumferential array of radially reciprocable rim mold sections, a lower disc mold section affixed to a mold base, and an upper disc mold section axially reciprocable with respect to the lower disc mold section from an upper or retracted position to a lower or closed position in which opposing surfaces of the various mold sections form a wheel mold cavity. The radially reciprocable rim mold sections are slidably mounted on a retainer which is carried by springs above the mold base surrounding the lower disc mold section and are engaged by the upper disc mold section during downward motion of the latter so that the upper disc mold section and the rim mold sections move conjointly with respect to the lower disc mold section toward the closed cavity-defining position of all mold sections.

Abstract: An automotive passenger vehicle, full-face styled wheel construction having a sheet metal disc with an outer peripheral portion formed to provide an outboard tire bead retaining flange. The rim includes an inboard tire bead retaining flange, an inboard tire bead seat portion, a drop-center well portion and an outboard bead seat portion. The outboard edge of the rim has a radially in-turned flange portion extending circumferentially continuously around the rim edge with a radially extending abutment surface at the outboard extremity thereof. The disc outboard flange also has a radially extending rim mating surface disposed in abutment with the rim edge abutment surface. The rim edge flange has a radially inwardly sloping surface extending between the rim outboard bead seat and rim edge abutment surface which defines with the disc outboard flange a trench disposed radially inwardly of the rim outboard bead seat.

Abstract: An integral tire wheel structure (10) comprising an annular generally C-shaped support member (12) having disposed at its radially outer end a ground-engaging tread portion (14), an annular generally C-shaped decoupling member (16) disposed at the radially inner end of the annular support member, and an annular mounting member (18) disposed at the radially inner end of the stress decoupling member. The integral tire wheel being made of material wherein the modulus of elasticity divided by the ultimate strength to the three halfs power is no greater than about 2.6.

Abstract: A method of punching a wheel for a pneumatic tire and wheel assembly manufactured with mounting holes offset from the geometric center to locate the low point of the first harmonic of radial runout adjacent a given angular location, such as the valve hole, so that, when a tire is mounted thereon with the high point of the first harmonic of radial force variation aligned with the valve hole, the respective harmonics cancel each other to provide a tire and wheel assembly with enhanced rotational characteristics. In an apparatus for forming the wheel mounting holes by axially reciprocating a piercing tool against a wheel disc while the bead seats are clamped between wheel locating jaws, axially opposed jaw pairs are centered on an axis offset from the axis of reciprocation such that the centerline of the mounting holes is correspondingly eccentrically offset from the average bead seat axis.

Abstract: An improved tapered wheel disc and method of making the same which includes the steps of spin-forming a radially outwardly-tapering concave disc from a section of blanked stock and piercing hand holes in the spun-tapered disc, the improvement comprising the step of placing the disc surface area around each hand hole in compression by embossing the disc from a direction internally of disc concavity to form a region surrounding each hand hole which is offset outwardly of disc concavity.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire and wheel assembly wherein the wheel is manufactured with mounting holes offset from the geometric center to locate the low point of the first harmonic of radial runout adjacent a given angular location, such as the valve hole, so that, when a tire is mounted thereon with the high point of the first harmonic of radial force variation aligned with the valve hole, the respective harmonics cancel each other to provide a tire and wheel assembly with enhanced rotational characteristics.In an apparatus for forming the wheel mounting holes by axially reciprocating a piercing tool against a wheel disc while the bead seats are clamped between wheel locating jaws, axially opposed jaw pairs are centered on an axis offset from the axis of reciprocation such that the centerline of the mounting holes is correspondingly eccentrically offset from the average bead seat axis.

Abstract: An improved tapered wheel disc and method of making the same which includes the steps of spin-forming a radially outwardly-tapering concave disc from a section of blanked stock and piercing hand holes in the spun-tapered disc, the improvement comprising the step of placing the disc surface area around each hand hole in compression by embossing the disc from a direction internally of disc concavity to form a region surrounding each hand hole which is offset outwardly of disc concavity.

Abstract: In an apparatus for spin-forming a drop-center wheel rim which includes axially reciprocable head and tail stock sections, a centrifugally actuated clamp is mounted on the tail stock section and is adapted to engage an internal groove in the head stock section as the sections are conjointly rotated to prevent axial movement therebetween during the high-speed spin-forming operation.