Patent ID: 6513241
Filing Date: 2003-02-04
Classification: B23P,Y10T

Abstract:
A method for assembling a wheel rim and a wheel disc together to produce a vehicle wheel comprising the steps of:(a) providing a wheel rim defining an axis and including an inboard tire bead seat retaining flange, an inboard tire bead seat, a well portion, an outboard tire bead seat, and an outboard tire bead seat retaining flange, the outboard tire bead seat retaining flange including a generally radially extending first inner surface, the outboard tire bead seat including a generally axially extending second inner surface, the well portion including a generally radially extending third inner surface adjacent the second inner surface, a generally radially extending fourth inner surface, a generally radially extending fifth inner surface, and a generally axially extending sixth inner surface, the third through the sixth inner surfaces of the well portion extending in succession from the outboard tire bead seat to the inboard tire bead seat, the inboard tire bead seat retaining flange including a generally radially extending seventh inner surface; (b) providing a wheel disc having a generally centrally located iner wheel mounting portion and an outer annular portion which terminates in a generally axially extending outer annular flange including an endmost surface, the inner wheel mounting portion including an inboard mounting surface and an outboard mounting surface; (c) supporting the wheel rim at least at a portion of the third inner surface and at least at a portion of one of the fifth inner surface and the seventh inner surface; (d) supporting the wheel disc at the inboard mounting surface and the outboard mounting surface of the inner wheel mounting portion and only at least at a portion of the endmost surface of the outer annular portion of the wheel disc around the periphery thereof; (e) selectively moving at least one of the wheel rim and the wheel disc toward one another to cause the outer annular flange of the wheel disc to engage the fourth inner surface of the wheel rim in a press fit engagement therewith while supporting the wheel rim and the wheel disc as recited in steps (c) and (d), the wheel rim and the wheel disc being selectively moved to produce a desired lateral runout dimension defined between the inboard mounting surface of the wheel disc and the seventh inner surface of the wheel rim; and (f) subsequent to step (e), welding the wheel disc to the wheel rim to thereby permanently join the wheel rim and the wheel rim and the wheel disc together and produce the vehicle wheel.