Patent ID: 7041186
Filing Date: 2006-05-09
Classification: B29C,B29L,B60B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. Method for fabricating a bicycle wheel hub, comprising the following steps: providing an expandable core, applying a number of layers of structural fiber fabric incorporated in a plastic material matrix around the core to form a layered tubular body of predetermined shape and thickness around the core, arranging the core with the layered tubular body formed thereon in the cavity of a mold, increasing the temperature of the mold to a value sufficient to cause reticulation of the plastic material matrix, expanding the core due to the temperature increasing step, which applies a pressure on the tubular body against the inside the mold, and removing the tubular body from the mold and from the core, so as to obtain a bicycle hub formed of a single piece of structural fiber material; wherein the layers of fabric on the core comprise one or more fabric strips that have cuttings on one at least one lateral edge thereof.