DESC:METHOD OF MANUFACTURING OF WELDED SPLIT WHEEL

FIELD OF INVENTION
[001] The embodiments herein generally relate to the field of vehicle wheel, more specifically, it relates to a method of manufacturing the split wheel, wherein the mounting plates and the tire supporting rims are manufactured separately and welded together.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] In the vehicle, wheel rim is a circular part which holds the tube and tire of the wheel. There may be several spokes which holds the tire and tube. There is also advancement in the wheel such as split wheels in which the disc plate and the rims are splitted. Further there exists split rim in which the rims are splitted into one or more parts. The main advantage of the split wheel and the split rims is that assembly and reassembly of the new tire is quit simple and fast. Further split rim alloy wheels for cars can be made in a much greater variety of widths than standard cast alloys wheels.
[003] Nowadays, split wheels is constructed in such a way that its two parts, when securely bolted together, combine to form a rim having two fixed flanges and an attachment disc. Further split rims which are manufactured consists of mainly two half rims. The half rims are designed with disc and manufactured as a single piece. Similarly the other half is also manufactured in similar manner and the two half rims are bolted together.
[004] Referring to the Fig. 1 cross-sectional view of the conventional split wheel design 100, in which one half rim 101 and mounting plate 104a are manufactured as a single piece using casting or forming process and similarly the other half rim 102 is also manufactured along with the mounting plate 104b. Further, the two half parts of rim and mounting plate is connected and joined using nuts and bolts 103. Further, manufacturing wheel with the existing method requires very precise working and also restricts to limited design since the manufacturing of rim and mounting plates together is very complicated due to which it has very limited scope of design. Moreover with such design stresses at the tire seat corners region are high due to which there may be a chance of collar crack /failure and also poor support to the tire. Further there is a chance of tube/flap cutting since there is a narrow space between the two parts (inner and outer). Further more precision is required in manufacturing of the existing split wheel. Also the tooling investment is very high with the existing split wheel design.
[005] Therefore there is a need to develop a new method of manufacturing split wheel for vehicle which should not only overcome the problem associated with prior art, but also facilitate different inset/outset to suit the requirement. Also the split wheel design should allow higher corner thickness at tire seat which can give good support for the tire and can reduce the stress substantially.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[006] Some of the objects of the present disclosure are described herein below:
[007] A main object of the present invention is to use the existing rim sections and mounting plates for manufacturing of split wheel & rim sections and mounting plates are jointed permanently by welding and then both halves are bolted together.
[008] Another object of the present invention is to achieve desired precise design in manufacturing of split wheel.
[009] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide different desired offsets in manufacturing of the split wheel.
[0010] Still another object of the present invention is to lower the stress at the tire seat corners.
[0011] Another object of the present invention is to achieve higher thickness at the tire seat corner and lower thickness at the non critical areas in the split wheel rim to lower the total stress at the tire.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide manufacturing of split wheel with low tooling investment with ease of manufacturing.
[0013] The other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which are incorporated for illustration of preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] In view of the foregoing, an embodiment herein discloses a method of manufacturing split wheel in which the two halve rim sections and two mounting plates [also referred as discs] are welded together. According to an embodiment, the half rim section and the mounting plate are splitted and thus manufactured separately. Further the mounting plate and the half rim are joined together by different welding techniques to provide desire precise design in the manufacturing of the split wheel. Similarly the other half rim section is also manufactured in the same manner and then the two halve rims along with the welded mounting plates are bolted together. According to an embodiment, manufacturing of split wheel rim with the present technique reduces the stress at the tire seat corner of the vehicle. Moreover it provides different offsets by positioning the mounting plates accordingly.
[0015] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures the use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical items.
[0016] Fig.1 illustrates cross-sectional view of the conventional split wheel, according to an embodiment herein;
[0017] Fig.2 illustrates cross-sectional view of split wheel rim welded with mounting plate, according to an embodiment herein;
[0018] Fig.3 illustrates cross-sectional view of the split wheel rim welded with the mounting plate, according to an embodiment herein; and
[0019] Fig.4 illustrates assembled view of the split wheel rim with welded mounting plates, according to an embodiment herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0021] As mentioned, there remains a need for manufacturing the split wheel with separate mounting plates which suits different inset/outset and also with low tooling investment with ease of manufacturing. Referring now to drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 2 through 4, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown preferred embodiments.
[0022] Fig. 2 illustrates cross-sectional view of the split wheel 200, according to an embodiment. Accordingly, the split wheel 200 comprises of right half rim section 201, left half rim section 202, right mounting plate 205(b), and left mounting plate 205(a). According to an embodiment, the length of the right half rim section 201 and length of the left half rim section 202 are kept equal. In an embodiment, the right half rim section 201 is welded with the right mounting plate 205(b), wherein one end of the right half rim section 201 is placed over one end of right mounting plate 205(b) before welding together. Similarly, the left half rim section 202 is welded with the left mounting plate 205(a), wherein one end of the left half rim section 202 is placed over one end of left mounting plate 205(b). According to an embodiment, welding between the half rim sections 201/202 and mounting plate 205 can be performed at two points(204). According to an embodiment, different types of welding can be applied to joint the mounting plates and the half rims based on the desired shape and design of the wheel. Further the two welded rim with the mounting plate are jointed using plurality nuts and bolts 203.
[0023] Fig. 3 illustrates cross sectional view of the one half parts of the split rim, wherein the rim section and the mounting plates are welded together, according to another embodiment. Accordingly, the split wheel 300 comprises of right half rim section 301, left half rim section 302, right mounting plate 305(b), and left mounting plate 305(a). According to an embodiment, the length of the right half rim section 201 and the length of the left half rim section 202 are not kept equal. In an embodiment, the length of right half rim section 301 is greater than the length of left half rim section 302. In another embodiment, the length of right half rim section 301 is lesser than the length of left half rim section 302. Accordingly, the mounting plates 305(a)/305(b) can be positioned at desired position, thereby creating offset. In an embodiment, the right half rim 301 is welded with the right mounting plate 305(b), wherein one end of the right half rim 301 is placed over one end of right mounting plate 305(b) before welding together. Similarly, the left half rim 302 is welded with the left mounting plate 305(a), wherein the left half rim 202 is placed over one end of the left mounting plate 305(b).
[0024] Fig.4 illustrates the assembled view of the split wheel, according to an embodiment. The split wheel comprises of two split rims 401, 402 and two split mounting plates for welding together. Accordingly one split rim 401 is welded with a split mounting plate (not shown) at the position 403, and another split rim 402 is welded with another mount plate 407 (a) at the position 404. After welding these two split rim sections along with two split mounting plates, both the mounting plates are connected together using plurality of nuts 405. Further, the mounting plates are provided with plurality of holes 406 for connecting the wheel with hub.
[0025] According to present invention, a main advantage is that it enables to manufacture split wheel precisely with desired design and configuration.
[0026] Further, it has been observed that the stresses at the tire seat corner region are low compare with the conventional split wheel. Accordingly, the low stress at the seat corner can prevent collar crack/failure of tires.
[0027] Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it facilitates different offsets by positioning the mounting plates accordingly.
[0028] Still another advantage of the present invention is that tooling investment is less and also the manufacturing process becomes simple without the need of providing high precision bending tools.
[0029] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
,CLAIMS:We Claim:
1. A method of manufacturing split wheel for vehicle comprising the step of
providing right half rim section 201, left half rim section 202, right mounting plate 205(b), and left mounting plate 205(a);
welding the right half rim section 201 with the right mounting plate 205(b), wherein one end of the right half rim section 201 is placed over one end of right mounting plate 205(b) before welding together; and
welding the left half rim section 202 with the left mounting plate 205(a), wherein one end of the left half rim section 202 is placed over one end of left mounting plate 205(b).
2. The method of manufacturing split wheel of claim 1, wherein welding between the half rim sections 201/202 and mounting plate 205 is performed at two points (204).
3. The method of manufacturing split wheel of claim 1, wherein the length of the right half rim section 201 and length of the left half rim section 202 are kept equal.
4. The method of manufacturing split wheel of claim 1, wherein the length of the right half rim section 201 and the length of the left half rim section 202 are not kept equal.
5. A split wheel for vehicle comprises of right half rim section 201, left half rim section 202, right mounting plate 205(b), and left mounting plate 205(a), wherein the right half rim section 201 is welded with the right mounting plate 205(b), wherein one end of the right half rim section 201 is placed over one end of right mounting plate 205(b) before welding together, wherein the left half rim section 202 is welded with the left mounting plate 205(a), wherein one end of the left half rim section 202 is placed over one end of left mounting plate 205(b).
6. The split wheel of claim 5, wherein welding between the half rim sections 201/202 and mounting plate 205 is performed at two points (204).
7. The split wheel of claim 5, wherein the length of the right half rim section 201 and length of the left half rim section 202 are kept equal.
8. The split wheel of claim 5, wherein the length of the right half rim section 201 and the length of the left half rim section 202 are not kept equal.
9. A split wheel substantially as herein described and as illustrated with the help of accompanying figures.