Abstract:
A sleeve for a fastener aperture in a vehicle wheel includes a tubular body having a first end and a plurality of external conically shaped barbs. The barbs include successively increasing outer diameters as a distance from the first end increases. A head radially outwardly extends from a second end of the body and is adapted to engage a land on the wheel that encompasses the fastener aperture. A bore extends through the body and the head and is adapted to receive a wheel fastener.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The present disclosure generally relates to mounting arrangements for vehicle wheels. More particularly, a wheel mounting sleeve is provided to cooperate with a non-ferrous wheel and standard lug nut. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. 
         [0003]    Vehicle manufacturers have provided both ferrous wheels and non-ferrous wheels for motor vehicles for many years. The non-ferrous wheels have typically been constructed from aluminum or magnesium materials. The non-ferrous wheels typically weigh less than the steel wheels and are generally viewed as being more attractive. As such, many vehicle purchasers initially opt for a non-ferrous wheel option. Steel wheels are generally less costly. Accordingly, steel wheels continue to be very popular. 
         [0004]    Some sets of wheel attachment hardware include wheel studs and lug nuts that are designed to couple only one of a steel wheel or a non-ferrous wheel to a rotatable hub. Distinct sets of wheel attachment hardware may be provided because the studs and lug nuts used for mounting the steel wheels may not be configured to couple non-ferrous wheels to wheel hubs. A substantial difference in yield strength exists between the different wheel materials and thus drives the need for different fasteners. The steel wheels typically exhibit a yield strength of 75,000-125,000 psi while many aluminum wheels exhibit yield strengths ranging from 45,000-55,000 psi. To accommodate for this difference, nuts used to couple to aluminum wheels to hubs may include radially outwardly extending flanges to apply a clamping load to a greater surface area of the non-ferrous wheel. The lug nuts associated with steel wheel applications typically do not include a flange but include a ball shaped seat. 
         [0005]    While the provision of dedicated wheel attachment hardware may be acceptable within a vehicle manufacturing plant, difficulties may arise when a user desires to retro-fit the vehicle with a non-ferrous wheel when originally equipped with a steel wheel. In particular, it may be desirable to replace the wheel without also replacing associated components such as tires, wheel studs, lug nuts and/or suspension members. Therefore, a need in the art exists for an improved wheel mounting arrangement. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features. 
         [0007]    A sleeve for a fastener aperture in a vehicle wheel includes a tubular body having a first end and a plurality of external conically shaped barbs. The barbs include successively increasing outer diameters as a distance from the first end increases. A head radially outwardly extends from a second end of the body and is adapted to engage a land on the wheel that encompasses the fastener aperture. A bore extends through the body and the head and is adapted to receive a wheel fastener. 
         [0008]    A wheel and sleeve assembly includes a metal vehicle wheel including a mounting flange having a plurality of apertures adapted to receive wheel mounting fasteners. Each aperture includes a conically shaped wall. A sleeve is positioned within each fastener aperture with an interference fit. Each sleeve includes a tubular body having a plurality of barbs where each barb has a different maximum diameter such that the maximum diameters of the barbs define a tapered profile of the body substantially matching a profile of the conically shaped wall. A flange radially outwardly extends from an end of the body and is adapted to engage a portion of the wheel that encompasses the fastener aperture. 
         [0009]    Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of a wheel assembly including a sleeve constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional side view of the wheel assembly depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of the wheel assembly; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a sleeve; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is another perspective view of the sleeve; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional side view of the sleeve. 
       
    
    
       [0017]    Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0019]      FIGS. 1-3  depict an exemplary non-ferrous, aluminum wheel  10  fixed for rotation with a rotatable hub  12  by a fastener assembly  14 . Wheel  10  includes a mounting flange  16  including a central aperture  18  and a plurality of wheel stud apertures  20  circumferentially spaced apart from one another. Each aperture  20  is shaped as a counterbore including a tapered or conical portion defined by a wall  22  and a cylindrical portion defined by a wall  24 . A land  26  extends radially outwardly from wall  22  to wall  24 . 
         [0020]    Wheel  10  is shown as a two-piece wheel including an outer ring  30  fixed to an inner ring  32  with a plurality of threaded fasteners  34 . This wheel construction is merely exemplary. It should be appreciated that the wheel mounting arrangement of the present disclosure may be used in conjunction with any number of singular or multi-piece wheels. 
         [0021]    Hub  12  includes an axially protruding pilot  38  with a cylindrical surface  40  having an outer diameter slightly less than an inner diameter of aperture  18 . A plurality of wheel studs  44  are fixed to hub  12  via a splined or knurled interference coupling  46 . Each wheel stud  44  extends through a corresponding wheel stud aperture  20  and includes an externally threaded portion  50 . 
         [0022]    Wheel fastener assembly  14  includes a sleeve  54  and a lug nut  56 . Lug nut  56  may be constructed from steel and include an internal thread  58  in engagement with external thread  50  of wheel stud  44 . Lug nut  56  also includes a plurality of flats  60  for engagement with a driving tool such as a socket. A substantially spherical surface  62  is formed on the end of lug nut  56  that engages sleeve  54 . Surface  62  may partially deform during engagement with sleeve  54 . 
         [0023]      FIGS. 4-6  depict sleeve  54  in greater detail. Sleeve  54  is formed from a heat treated steel such as SAE 4140. Sleeve  54  includes a tapered and barbed body portion  68  as well as a flanged head  70 . A bore  72  extends through sleeve  54  and includes a conically shaped seat portion  74  as well as a cylindrically shaped portion  76 . Flanged head  70  includes an outer substantially cylindrical surface  78  that remains clear of wall  24 . A substantially planar surface  80  of flanged head  70  engages land  26  of wheel  10  once sleeve  54  has been coupled to wheel  10 . 
         [0024]    An external profile of body portion  68  includes first through fifth frusto-conical surfaces  84 ,  86 ,  88 ,  90 ,  92  positioned adjacent to one another. First conical surface  84  intersects an end face  96  of sleeve  54 . First conical surface  84  includes a minimum diameter at a circle  100  intersecting end face  96  and extends radially outwardly at an included angle A of approximately 17° to a first back face  102 . 
         [0025]    Second conical surface  86  includes a minimum diameter at a circle  104  intersecting back face  102 . The diameter of second conical surface  86  at circle  104  is less than the maximum diameter of first conical surface  84 . As such, a stepped and barbed geometry is defined. Second conical face  86  extends at an included angle B of approximately 8.3° to a second back face  108 . The axial length of second conical surface  86  is more than twice the axial length of first conical surface  84 . 
         [0026]    Third conical surface  88  includes a minimum diameter circle  110  at the intersection of second back face  108 . The minimum diameter of third conical surface  88  is less than the maximum diameter defined by second conical surface  86  such that another barbed and stepped transition exists at second back face  108 . Third conical surface  88  also extends at an included angle C of approximately 8.3° to a third back face  112 . 
         [0027]    Fourth conical surface  90  also extends at a similar included angle D of 8.3° to a fourth back face  114 . Fourth conical surface  90  includes a minimum diameter portion at a circle  120  having a diameter less than the maximum diameter portion of third conical surface  88 . A similar stepped arrangement exists between fourth conical surface  90  and fifth conical surface  92 . Fifth conical surface  92  extends at an included angle E of approximately 5.6°. It is contemplated that the minimum diameter defined by first conical surface  84  at circle  100  is less than the minimum inner diameter of wall  22 . Furthermore, at least one of the conical surfaces  84 ,  86 ,  88 ,  90 ,  92  includes an outer diameter that is greater than the inner diameter of wall  22 . Based on the direction of insertion, the tapered conical surfaces, and the fact that sleeve  54  is constructed from a hardened steel, the non-ferrous material of wheel  10  displaces to allow insertion of sleeve  54  within aperture  20 . 
         [0028]    Sleeves  54  are inserted within apertures  20  and driven to a final seated position through the use of a press and/or lug nuts  56 . During initial sleeve to wheel installation, sleeves  54  continue to be axially translated until surface  80  engages land  26 . During the axial translation, at least one of conical surfaces  84 ,  86 ,  88 ,  90 ,  92  engages tapered wall  22  of aperture  20  in an interference fit. In one arrangement, the maximum diameter portion of each barb will biasedly engage wall  22  prior to sleeve  54  being fully inserted. This may be accomplished by positioning the maximum diameter portion of each conical surface  84 ,  86 ,  88 ,  90 ,  92  axially spaced apart from one another to define a tapered profile of sleeve  54 . An included angle F of the tapered profile is substantially similar to the profile of wall  22 . 
         [0029]    Once sleeve  54  is in the final seated position, portions of wheel  10  remain deformed and retained in the portions of sleeve  54  immediately adjacent one or more of first back face  102 , second back face  108 , third back face  112  and fourth back face  114 . After initial installation, sleeves  54  are permanently coupled to wheel  10  due to the tapered and barbed shape of the outer surfaces previously described. Sleeves  54  will maintain a fixed relationship to wheel  10  regardless of the presence of absence of a clamping load from lug nuts  56 . 
         [0030]    The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.