Bicycle wheel component with braking area made of composite material and related manufacturing process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11590794-B2
Application number	US-201916447307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2019
Priority date	Oct 7, 2015
Publication date	Feb 28, 2023
Grant date	Feb 28, 2023

Abstract

A process for manufacturing a bicycle wheel component, comprising the steps of providing a component having at least one braking area that cooperates with a braking body made by molding of composite material having structural fibers in a polymeric material, and post-molding machining of at least one region of the braking area by removing only polymeric material, without removal of the structural fiber, from the entire region so that the structural fiber outcrops at least in part from the polymeric material, and removing the structural fiber and possibly the polymeric material according to at least one groove within the region. A bicycle wheel component having a braking area of composite material, wherein in a region of the braking area, the structural fiber outcrops at least from the polymeric material, and the region comprises a groove through the structural fiber and possibly the polymeric material of the composite material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Process for manufacturing a bicycle wheel component, comprising the steps of:
a) providing a bicycle wheel component having at least one braking area configured to cooperate with a braking body, said braking area being made by molding of composite material comprising structural fibers incorporated in a polymeric material, and
b) carrying out post-molding machining of at least one region of said at least one braking area, comprising the steps of:
b1) removing only polymeric material, without removal of the structural fiber, from the entire region so that said at least one braking area comprises a surface layer defined by the polymeric material and protruded portions of structural fibers that project beyond the surface layer, and
b2) removing the structural fiber according to at least one groove within the region.

2. Process according to claim 1 , wherein step b2) takes place according to a pattern of grooves.

3. Process according to claim 1 , wherein step b2) is subsequent to step b1).

4. Process according to claim 1 , wherein step b1) and/or step b2) are made by pyrolysis through a laser beam in the near infrared.

5. Process according to claim 4 , wherein step b1) and step b2) are carried out by pyrolysis through laser beams emitted by a same laser source, by varying at least one of: the emitted power, the emission frequency of pulses in the case of a pulsed source, the number of scans of the region, the spacing between scanning lines.

6. Process according to claim 1 , wherein in step b1) at least 60% of polymeric material is removed.

7. Process according to claim 1 , wherein step b2) is carried out so that the cut structural fibers represent no more than 9% of the surface of the braking area.

8. Process according to claim 1 , wherein step b2) further comprises removing the polymeric material according to the at least one groove within the region.

9. Process according to claim 7 , wherein step b2) is carried out so that the cut structural fibers represent 5% of the surface of the braking area.

10. Process for manufacturing a bicycle wheel component, comprising the steps of:
a) providing a bicycle wheel component having at least one braking area configured to cooperate with a braking body, said braking area being made by molding of composite material comprising structural fibers incorporated in a polymeric material, and
b) carrying out post-molding machining of at least one region of said at least one braking area, comprising the steps of:
b1) removing only polymeric material, without removal of the structural fiber, from the entire region so that the structural fiber outcrops at least in part from the polymeric material, and
b2) removing the structural fiber according to at least one groove within the region,
wherein step b1) and step b2) are carried out by pyrolysis through laser beams in the near infrared emitted by a same laser source, by varying at least one of: the emitted power, the emission frequency of pulses in the case of a pulsed source, the number of scans of the region, the spacing between scanning lines.

11. Process according to claim 2 wherein the pattern of grooves is formed as discrete grooves.

Assignees

• Campagnolo Srl

Inventors

• Fabris Paolo

Classifications

• B60B2360/341

  with fibres · CPC title

• B60B1/06

  Wheels with compression spokes (wheels of high resiliency B60B9/00) · CPC title

• B23K2103/50

  Inorganic materials other than metals or composite materials · CPC title

• B60B1/00

  Spoked wheels; Spokes thereof (non-metallic B60B5/00 {; spoked wheels comprising rail-engaging elements B60B17/001; making wheel spokes B21F39/00}) · CPC title

• B60B1/003 Primary

  specially adapted for bicycles (B60B1/041 takes precedence) · CPC title