Patent ID: 6971173

Claim:
A method of making a rim of sheet metal for a vehicle wheel, comprising: A) obtaining a rectangular geometric shape from a blank of sheet metal; B) bending the blank to obtain a hoop having a cylindrical inner surface and a cylindrical outer surface; C) welding the two free edges of the hoop together; D) setting the size of the hoop subsequent to step C; E) performing at least one cylindrical flow spinning operation on the cylindrical sized hoop to obtain a profile of given thickness of the hoop, wherein said hoop has zones of constant thickness adjacent to zones of variable thickness, wherein the inner surface remains cylindrical and the outer surface is profiled thereafter; F) making a cut perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical inner surface of the hoop out of at least one lateral edge of the hoop; thereafter G) flaring both lateral edges of the hoop to form respective rim hooks; and H) profiling the hoop to obtain the rim.