Method for producing a motor vehicle rim made of aluminium or an aluminium alloy for a wheel of a motor vehicle and corresponding motor vehicle rim

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12420582-B2
Application number	US-202117788126-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2021
Priority date	Jan 14, 2020
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

A method for producing a motor vehicle rim made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy for a motor vehicle wheel. The motor vehicle rim has a rim base delimited on opposite sides by an outer horn and an inner horn, a hub with a central recess and a hole circle and a rim center connecting the rim base and the hub to one another and acting eccentrically on the rim base in longitudinal section. The motor vehicle rim is produced in one piece and continuously in a casting mold by vacuum die casting of a casting material, wherein the motor vehicle rim has a small wall thickness of at most 15 mm at least in some regions and/or a curvature with a small radius of curvature of at most 4 mm.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a motor vehicle rim made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy for a motor vehicle wheel, comprising:
vacuum die casting a casting material in a casting mold; and
forming the motor vehicle rim in the casting mold continuously and in one piece;
wherein the motor vehicle rim, as formed in the casting mold, has a rim base delimited on opposite sides by an outer horn and an inner horn, a hub with a central recess and a hole circle as well as a rim center connecting the rim base and the hub to one another and acting eccentrically on the rim base in a longitudinal section, wherein the motor vehicle rim has at least one of:
a smallest wall thickness greater than 0 mm and of at most 15 mm at least in some regions,
a curvature with a smallest radius of curvature greater than 0 mm and of at most 4 mm, and
a demolding surface running in one or both of: an axial direction and in a radial direction, and in the axial direction and in a tangential direction, with respect to a longitudinal central axis of the motor vehicle rim, which surface completely lies in an imaginary plane, wherein the plane encloses an angle greater than 0° and of at most 4° with the longitudinal central axis.

2. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising forming the rim center with a plurality of spokes, which are spaced apart from one another in a circumferential direction with respect to the longitudinal central axis of the motor vehicle rim.

3. The method of claim 2 , the method further comprising manufacturing the motor vehicle rim, in regions, with a first wall thickness greater than 15 mm and in regions with a second thickness corresponding to the smallest thickness.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the smallest thickness is used in a region positioned between two spokes in a circumferential direction, so that the two spokes are connected to one another by an intermediate spoke element manufactured during the vacuum die casting, which element has the smallest thickness, at least in regions.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the rim base is manufactured during the vacuum die casting with the smallest thickness and/or with the demolding surface on its radially inner side.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein, during the vacuum die casting, an annular groove is formed in the motor vehicle rim and/or a hump is formed in the rim base.

7. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising manufacturing the motor vehicle rim, in regions, with a first wall thickness greater than 15 mm and in regions with a second thickness corresponding to the smallest thickness.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the smallest thickness is used in a region positioned between two spokes in a circumferential direction, so that the two spokes are connected to one another by an intermediate spoke element manufactured during the vacuum die casting, which element has the smallest thickness, at least in regions.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the rim base is manufactured during the vacuum die casting with the smallest thickness and/or with the demolding surface on its radially inner side.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein, during the vacuum die casting, an annular groove is formed in the motor vehicle rim and/or a hump is formed in the rim base.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the smallest thickness is used in a region positioned between two spokes in a circumferential direction, so that the two spokes are connected to one another by an intermediate spoke element manufactured during the vacuum die casting, which element has the smallest thickness, at least in regions.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the rim base is manufactured during the vacuum die casting with the smallest thickness and/or with the demolding surface on its radially inner side.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein, during the vacuum die casting, an annular groove is formed in the motor vehicle rim and/or a hump is formed in the rim base.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rim base is manufactured during the vacuum die casting with the smallest thickness and/or with the demolding surface on its radially inner side.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein, during the vacuum die casting, an annular groove is formed in the motor vehicle rim and/or a hump is formed in the rim base.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein, during the vacuum die casting, an annular groove is formed in the motor vehicle rim and/or a hump is formed in the rim base.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the motor vehicle rim is made of AlSi10MnMgZn.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the motor vehicle rim is heat treated after the vacuum die casting.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the casting mold used in the vacuum die casting is part of a pressure die tool and the casting material is injected into the casting mold through at least one injection opening.

20. A motor vehicle rim made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy for a wheel of a motor vehicle, wherein the motor vehicle rim has a rim base delimited on opposite sides by an outer horn and an inner horn, a hub with a central recess and a hole circle as well as a rim center connecting the rim base and the hub to one another and acting eccentrically on the rim base in a longitudinal section, wherein the motor vehicle rim is manufactured in one piece and continuously in a casting mold by vacuum die casting of a casting material, wherein the motor vehicle rim has at least one of:
a smallest wall thickness greater than 0 mm and of at most 15 mm at least in some regions,
a curvature with a smallest radius of curvature greater than 0 mm and of at most 4 mm, and
a demolding surface running in one or both of: an axial direction and in a radial direction, and in the axial direction and in a tangential direction, with respect to a longitudinal central axis of the motor vehicle rim, which surface completely lies in an imaginary plane, wherein the plane encloses an angle greater than 0° and of at most 4° with the longitudinal central axis.

Assignees

• Audi Ag
• Superior Ind Automotive Germany Gmbh

Inventors

• Reiling Jaan Mattes
• Gaugler Jan
• Hummel Marc
• Kube Detlef
• Timm Michael

Classifications

• C22C21/02

  with silicon as the next major constituent · CPC title

• B60B2900/113

  Production or maintenance time · CPC title

• B60B2900/112

  Costs · CPC title

• B60B2360/104

  Aluminum · CPC title

• B60B2310/54

  Hardening · CPC title