Abstract:
The present invention provides a racing wheel with an improved beadlock to securely capture the bead of an attached tire, a decreased rotational movement of inertia, a stiffer inner and outer radial deflection of the inner and outer rings, a stiffer bearing load, a reduced lateral radial and/or combined run-out, a reduced number of leak paths and/or a reduction in the wheel weight.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of co-pending application Ser. No. 61/568,589, filed Dec. 8, 2011, entitled VEHICLE WHEEL. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to automotive wheels and, more particularly, to wheels for performance applications. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Racing wheels may be constructed of spun or forged aluminum or steel. In a drag racing application, the wheel may spin inside the tire due to the horsepower generated by the engine and applied to the tires. To secure the tires to the wheels, the tires are clamped to the rim of the wheel by a beadlock ring, which sandwiches the bead of the tire between the beadlock ring and the wheel rim, secured by bolts. 
         [0004]    A beadlock is a feature found on a high-performance racing wheels. The beadlock secures the tire to the wheel to prevent the tire from slipping or rolling off of the wheel. In high-performance drag racing applications, a beadlock is located on both the inside and outside of the wheel. 
         [0005]    With an increase in horsepower and speeds has come a phenomenon known as tire shake. The forces exerted by the engine through the drive shaft to the tire and wheel tend to force the tire off the wheel. The tire becomes distorted and causes severe vibration to the vehicle. Another result of increased horsepower and speeds is the tendency of the tire to be thrown off of the wheel by centrifugal force. As the tire spins, the shape of the tire is distorted away from the wheel and the bead of the tire is pulled inwardly off of the bead or rim of the wheel. A beadlock ring holds the bead of the tire in place locked to the rim of the wheel. 
         [0006]    As the horsepower and speeds have increased however, the wheel assembly, rim, beadlock ring and fasteners have increased in weight requiring more power to turn the assembly. Because of the geometry of the lever arm of the beadlock, more fasteners and thus more weight is moved to the periphery of the wheel resulting in an increase in the rotational inertia of the wheel assembly. Further, to compensate for the increased forces applied by the more powerful engines, wheel assemblies have become heavier to accommodate the increased loads. 
         [0007]    Typical manufacturing of prior art wheels are manufactured in parts with inner and outer parts that are assembled together by bolting or welding together. Welding may include lateral and radial run-out resulting in imbalanced products. Further, assemblies increase the potential and likelihood of leakage, which may result in catastrophic failure of a tire. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    The present invention may provide a racing wheel with an improved beadlock to securely capture the bead of an attached tire, a decreased rotational movement of inertia, a stiffer inner and outer radial deflection of the inner and outer rings, a stiffer bearing load, a reduced lateral radial and/or combined run-out, a reduced number of leak paths and/or a reduction in the wheel weight. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a prior art wheel; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a partial cut-away perspective view of the prior art wheel of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the beadlock of the prior art wheel of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a side view of an embodiment of the wheel of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is an inner end view of the wheel of  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is an outer end view of the wheel of  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the wheel of  FIG. 6 , along line  7 - 7 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a detail view of the wheel of  FIG. 7 , along line  8 - 8 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is an inner end perspective view of the wheel of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is an outer end perspective view of the wheel of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  is a side view of a second embodiment of the wheel of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is an inner end view of the wheel of  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 13  is an outer end view of the wheel of  FIG. 12 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view of the wheel of  FIG. 13 , along line  14 - 14 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 15  is an inner end perspective view of the wheel of  FIG. 11 ; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 16  is an outer end perspective view of the wheel of  FIG. 11 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0025]    Referring initially to  FIGS. 1-3 , a prior art wheel is identified by reference numeral  20 . Prior art wheel includes an inner rim  22 , an outer rim  24 , an inner beadlock flange  26  and an outer beadlock flange  28 . The inner  22  and outer  24  rims may be bolted or welded together along seam  30 . The inner rim  22  is generally cylindrically shaped with a tapered end  32  extending axially inwardly to the axis of rotation  34  to mate with the outer rim  24 . The outer rim  24  is generally cylindrically shaped with a flared end  36  extending axially outwardly from the axis of rotation  34  to the outer beadlock flange  28 . The inner beadlock flange  26  is welded to the inner rim  22  along seam  38  and the outer beadlock flange  28  is welded to the outer rim  24  along seam  40 . 
         [0026]    The inner  22  and outer  24  rims are typically joined together by rotating the rims about axis  34  and welding along the seam  30 . Care must be taken to avoid gaps or holes in the welded seam  30 . As the wheel  20  is rotated, the inner  22  and outer  24  rims expand along the seam  30  due to thermal expansion. Slight variations in expansion due to uneven heating and cooling between the rims  22  and  24  may result in stresses being induced in the welded seam  30 . Additionally, as the wheel  20  is turned, the work may experience lateral or radial run-out. 
         [0027]    Similarly, when beadlock flange  26  is welded to the inner rim  22 , the inner beadlock flange  26  may expand more readily or faster than the inner rim  22 . This uneven expansion between the inner rim  22  and the inner beadlock flange  26  may result in stresses induced in the weld seam  38  as the parts cool as well as lateral or radial run-out. Likewise, when beadlock flange  28  is welded to the outer rim  24 , the outer beadlock flange  28  may also expand more rapidly than the outer rim  24  resulting in stresses induced in the weld seam  40  and lateral or radial run out. Typically, all welded seams are sealed with silicone. 
         [0028]    A fastener  42  secures a beadlock ring  44  to the outer beadlock flange  28  of the wheel  20 . The fastener  42  passes through axially-aligned holes  46  and  48  in the beadlock ring  44  and outer beadlock flange  28  and is secured in place by a nut  50  on the inside lip  52  of the outer beadlock flange  28 . A clamping force from the fastener  42  is transmitted over a distance “x” to the outer periphery of the beadlock ring  44 . The distance “x” and deflections in the outer beadlock flange  28  and beadlock ring  44  due to variations in the torque applied in tightening the fasteners  42  and nuts  50 , reduces the clamping force applied to the tire bead (not shown) to secure it to the wheel  20 . 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIGS. 4-10 , a wheel of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral  100 . Wheel  100  includes an inner beadlock flange  102 , an inner portion  104 , a middle portion  106 , an outer portion  108  and an outer beadlock flange  110 . Fastened to the inner beadlock flange  102  is an inner retention ring  112 . Fastened to the outer beadlock flange  110  is an outer retention ring  114 . 
         [0030]    The wheel  100  may be machined from a solid billet of material, such as aluminum, magnesium and other suitable alloys, for example. The wheel  100  may also be cast or pressure cast. The walls  116  of the inner portion  104  have a uniform thickness. The walls  118  of the outer portion  108  have a uniform thickness also. The one-piece design significantly reduces the potential for air leaks that are found in two- and three-piece wheel designs sealed with silicone. 
         [0031]    A shoulder  120  transitions the generally bowl-shaped inner portion  104  through the middle portion, to the frustoconical outer portion  108 . The shoulder  120  is thicker than the walls  116  and  118 . The thicker material provides strength and rigidity to the wheel  100  to transfer the torque from the hub  122  coupled to a drive shaft of a vehicle (not shown) through the inner  104  and outer  108  portions of the wheel  100  to the tire (not shown). 
         [0032]    A mounting pad  124  of the hub  122  may include key slots  126  extending radially outwardly from the center bore  128  between radially spaced lug bolt holes  130 . The key slots  126  are arranged to receive keys (not shown) extending from the drive shaft of the vehicle (not shown). Likewise, the lug bolt holes  130  are arranged to receive lugs therethrough (not shown) also extending from the drive shaft of the vehicle (not shown). The lugs and associated lug nuts secure the wheel to the vehicle in the conventional manner. The keys engage the key slots  126  to drive the wheel  100  in high performance applications. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 8 , a partial cross-sectional view of the beadlock flange  110  and beadlock or retaining ring  114  is shown enlarged to better show and disclose the details. The outer beadlock flange  110  includes a plurality of radially spaced threaded holes  140  each to receive a threaded stud  142  therein. A countersunk bore  144  in the outer beadlock or retaining ring  114  is axially aligned with the threaded hole  140  to receive the threaded stud  142  therethrough. The countersunk bore  146  may be semispherically shaped to receive a semispherical load distributing washer  148 . A nut  150  threaded onto the stud  142  secures the outer retaining ring  114  to the beadlock flange  110 . 
         [0034]    By using a semispherical, countersunk bore  146 , the thickness “y 1 ” of the outer beadlock ring  114  from the bottom of the countersunk bore  146  to an inner radius  152  of an outer beadlock channel surface  153  of the outer beadlock ring  114  may be minimized. The inner radius  152  of the outer beadlock channel surface  153  of the outer beadlock ring  114  forms the outer portion of a beadlock channel  155 , transitioning from an outer periphery  162  of the ring  114  to a retaining ring mating surface  157 . The outer beadlock flange  110  includes a lip  111  transitioning to an inner corner  158  of the beadlock flange to an outer beadlock flange mating surface  159 . The thickness “y 1 ” may be about 0.1″ to 0.5″. The thickness “y 2 ” from the inner radius  152  of a beadlock channel surface  153  to an outer lip  154  of the countersunk bore  146  at the surface  156  of the outer ring  114  may be also minimized. The thickness “y 2 ” may be about 0.2″ to 0.7″, for example. The thickness “y 3 ” from an inner corner  158  of the beadlock flange  110  to a bottom peripheral edge  160  of the bore  140  may be minimized. The thickness “y 3 ” may be about 0.1″ to 0.5″, for example. Further the distance “z” from the centerline of stud  142  to the outer periphery  162  of outer retaining ring  114  may be minimized. By minimizing the distance “z” from the fastener  142  to the outer periphery  162  of the outer retaining ring  114 , the clamping force applied may be increased over prior art designs. The distance “z” may be about 1.25″ to 2.5″, for example. By reducing or minimizing the thickness “y 1 ”, “y 2 ” and “y 3 ” and distance “z”, the amount of material may be reduced or minimized resulting in a lighter weight design and a reduction or minimization of the rotational movement of inertia. 
         [0035]    The same configuration and design of the components with respect to the outer retaining ring  114  and the outer beadlock flange  110  may be used for the inner retaining ring  112  and the inner beadlock flange  102 , and thus will not be repeated. 
         [0036]    The depth  164  of the outer beadlock flange  110  (as well as the inner beadlock flange  102 ) is increased over prior art designs to allow a tire to be more easily installed on the wheel  100 . When installing a tire, the inside tire bead has to be forced over the outer beadlock flange  110 . The extra depth  164  of the outer beadlock flange  110  before transitioning to the frustoconical outer portion  108  reduces binding of the inside tire bead and possible damage to the outer beadlock flange  110  from tools used to aid in forcing the inside tire bead over the outer beadlock flange  110 . Likewise, the depth  166  of the inner beadlock flange  102  transitioning from the inner portion  104  reduces binding of the inside tire bead when forced over the inner beadlock flange. The possibility of damage to the inner beadlock flange  102  by tools used to aid in forcing the inside tire bead over the inner beadlock flange is also reduced. 
         [0037]    Referring to  FIGS. 11-16 , another embodiment of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral  200 . Wheel  200  includes an inner beadlock flange  202 , an inner portion  204 , a middle portion  206 , an outer portion  208  and an outer beadlock flange  210 . An inner and outer retention ring (not shown) may be fastened to the inner  204  and outer  210  beadlock flanges, respectively. 
         [0038]    The wheel  200  may be machined from a solid billet of suitable material, such as aluminum, magnesium, or other alloy, for example. The wheel  200  may also be cast or pressure cast. The walls  216  of the inner portion  204  have a uniform thickness as well as the walls  218  of the outer portion  208 . 
         [0039]    At the middle portion  206  between the inner portion  204  and the outer portion  208 , a shoulder  220  transitions the generally bowl-shaped inner portion  204  to a generally frustoconical-shaped outer portion  208 . The shoulder  220  is thicker than the walls  216  and  218  to provide strength and rigidity to the wheel  200  to transfer torque from a hub  222  coupled to a drive shaft of a vehicle (not shown) through the inner  204  and outer  208  portions to the tire (not shown). 
         [0040]    A mounting pad  224  of the hub  222  may include a center bore  228  and radially-spaced lug bolt holes  230 , arranged to receive lugs (not shown) extending from the drive shaft of the vehicle (not shown). The lugs and associated lug nuts secure the wheel  200  to the vehicle in a conventional manner. The lug bolt holes  230  may extend through a conventional annular flange mounting pad (see  FIG. 5 ,  124 ) or may extend through radially-spaced mounting tabs  232  projecting inwardly to the center bore  228 . A void  234  between each tab  232  decreases the weight of the wheel  200 . One or more apertures  236  may be included in the hub  222  to further reduce the weight of the wheel  200 . The apertures  236  may be aesthetically shaped, positioned and/or sized. 
         [0041]    It should be understood that the bead clamping design discussed hereinabove for wheel  100  may be used with wheel  200  and thus will not be repeated. The inner  202  and outer  210  beadlock flanges may include weight-lightening pockets  270  to reduce the weight of the wheel  200  and improve performance. 
         [0042]    It should be understood that the various features of the wheel  100  and wheel  200  described hereinabove may be utilized in various configurations or combinations and are not limited to the embodiments disclosed. For example, a beadlock flange and retaining ring may be included on only the outside portion of the wheel. 
         [0043]    The design features of the wheels  200 , compared to prior art designs  100  and  200 , may result in a weight reduction of five percent to 30 percent, 50 percent to 95 percent in a rotational movement of inertia reduction of 50 percent to 95 percent, an increased stiffness in the radial deflection of the outer flange of 50 percent to 150 percent, an increased stiffness in the radial deflection of the inner flange of 25 percent to 75 percent, an increased stiffness in bearing load of the outer flange of 15 percent to 50 percent, an increased stiffness in bearing load of the inner flange of five percent to 35 percent, an overall increased bearing load stiffness of 20 percent to 80 percent, a reduction in lateral, radial and combined run-out of 20 percent to 90 percent, and a 30 percent to 80 percent reduction in potential leak paths.