US2954259A - Disc wheels - Google Patents

Description

H. KORDES DISC WHEELS Sept. 27, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 21, 1956 Inventor.

5 E 5 B r is Q m 5 E M H. KORDES Sept. 27, 1960 DISC WHEELS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 21, 1956 Sept. 27, 1960 H. KORDES 2,954,259

DISC WHEELS Filed June 21, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 & jm/enfon DISC WHEELS Heinrich Kordes, Osnabruck, Germany, assignor to Kliickner-Georgsmarienwerke Aktiengesellschaft, Osnabruck, Germany Filed June 21, 1956, Set. N0. 592,872 'Claims priority, application Germany Dec. 19, 1955 2 Claims. (Cl. 295-11) nected with the tyre of the wheel, and the inner surfaces of a V-section annular flange connected with the wheel hub.

Various forms of construction of such wheels are known. 1

However, these known formsof construction enjoy little popularity in practice, chiefly because in the past it was not correctly understood how'the above-named three basic elements of the wheel, namely the wheel rim, the annular flange, and the resilient insertions between them, ought to be shaped and correlated to produce a disc wheel which would combine low weight, low cost of manufacture, and optimum resilience obtained by taking advantage of the full deformation energy of the resilient insertions.

According to the invention the solution of the problem is comprised in that the wheel rim is'of V-shape and that the likewise V-shaped annular flange associated with the wheel hub consists of two similar, correspondingly angled, homologous, sheet-metal rings joined to gether by welded dowel pins and connected with the wheel hub through welded seams and that the insertions consist of a castable elastic synthetic plastic material.

For making the insertions it is preferred to use a synthetic plastic or rubber-like material consisting of softened polyurethane, for instance the product commercially known by the trade name of Vulkollan which is a synthetic material that stands up well to cyclic deformation, excels by its anti-abrasive properties and fatigue resistance, besides being unaflected by petrol and oil, and has a low specific weight which in conjunction with a hollow-section wheel rim enables the total weight of the wheel to be sensibly reduced.

The employment of the above mentioned rubber-like synthetic plastic material affords the further advantage that the insertions may be bonded to the metal of the wheel rim by moulding them on to the rim, and the connection between the insertions and the sheet-metal apertured discs may conveniently be effected by means of a suitable cement. This procedure avoids the loss of time, the complications, and the difliculties of control involved in the hitherto customary method of vulcanising the insertions in position, a necessity that could not be avoided when employing the natural or synthetic rubbers hitherto used. Moreover, in view of the unusually high fatigue resistance to cyclic fiexural deformation possessed by the said rubber-like plastic materials, pro-compression of the insertions can be greatly diminished without reducing their life and this in turn produces an exceptionally high radial and axial resilience in a disc wheel constructed according to the present invention. It is also a matter of importance that SW P 2 the elastic qualities of the said synthetic plastics can be controlled within very wide limits by the addition of plasticisers and other compounding materials so that they can be adapted specifically to the loads they are designed to withstand.

The invention will be hereinafter more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show an illustrative example of a disc wheel according to the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a cross-section through a portion of the body, of the wheel with the tyre shrunk on;

Fig. 2 is a partial section of a similar wheel including an earthing cable;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the wheel shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section taken along the line E--F of Fig. 1,

'and

. ing to the invention comprises a wheel hub 1, the disc proper which in the present instance comprises mainly sheet metal apertured discs 2, 3 combined to form an annular flange, rubber-like. insertions 4, 4, and, finally, a V-shaped wheel rim 5 with shrunk on tyre 8. The

1 huh I is preferably a drop-forging. The two sheet discs 2, 3, as will be readily understood from Figs. 1 and 2, are two identical parts, a factor which keeps down the cost of production and storage. The two'sheet- metal discs 2, 3 are joined together by dowels 7 fixed in position by welds 7 after the insertions 4, 4 have been slightly precompressed. The hub 1 and the annular flange are joined by seam weldingalong 1a and 1b, the welded joint also holding the two metal discs 2, 3 of the flange together. The insertions 4, 4' are preferred to be ring-shaped bodies made of a rubber-like mouldable synthetic plastic material, and preferably a plastic belonging to the group Desmodur/Desmophen, known in the trade under the name of Vulkollan.

In view of the comparatively low pre-compression to which the insertions need be subjected if they consist of the above specified plastic they form resilient cushions capable of storing an unusual amount of elastic deformational energy both in the radial as well as in the axial direction. Unlike rubber, these insertions need not be subjected to high axial pro-compression, as is the case with rubber to enable it reliably to absorb the loads that occur in operational service, although the rubber is thereby deprived of the major proportion of its elastic potential.

Practical tests have proved that pre-compression between 6.8 to 8 tons is suflicient for the wheels according to the invention Whereas rubber-cushioned wheels with a T-shaped ring and disc-shaped rubber insertions require, for instance a pre-compression of from 24 to 60 tons.

To balance and centre the Wheel body on a lathe when machining the tyre, the wheel rim 5 is provided with three radially inwardly directed and angularly spaced lugs 6 the shape of which can be seen more particularly in Fig. 4. A hole 6' is drilled through each of the lugs, and corresponding holes 2a and 2b which align with the holes 6 are provided in the sheet metal discs, as shown in Fig. 1. By inserting a threaded bolt or the like through these holes the wheel rim 5 and the portions 2, 3 of the annular flange can be directly connected together and the cushioning members 4 and 4' bridged.

Electrical connection between the parts 5 and 2, 3 is effected by means of an earthing cable 9 (Figure 2) secured by screws 10 and 10' to the annular flange 2 and the wheel rim 5 respectively in electrical contact therewith. As will be seen, the earthing cable is disposed inside the wheel structure so that it is well protected from external interference and possible damage.

The insertions 4, 4 are mounted in-the first-instance preferably by moulding the rubber-like synthetic plastic material on to the wheel rim 5 and will then allow the plastic rings, i.e. the insertions, to be simultaneously moulded on to the sheet metal discs 2, 3. IfIthe wheel rim 5 is of unit construction, the sheet- metal discs 2, 3 must be bonded to the insertions in a second operation by means of a suitable cement which provides a bond with the metal. The insertions are then pre-compressed to the low pressure required. Finally, the pre-compressed insertions are secured by inserting the, dowels 7 in the discs 2, 3 and welding.

I claim:

1. A disc wheel for railway rolling stock comprising a wheel hub, a V-shaped annular flange surrounding said hub co-axially therewith and spaced therefrom, discs rigidly supporting the annular flange on the hub, a V- shaped wheel rim surrounding the annular flange coaxially therewith and radially spaced therefrom, a tyre supported by said rim, pre-compressed resilient insertions of a mouldable elastic synthetic plastic material interposed between the wheel rim and the flange in engagement respectively therewith, inwardly directed angularly spaced lugs on said wheel rim with an aperture the wheel rim and the annular flange and thereby temporarily to bridge the resilient insertions when the Wheel is mounted on a lathe for machining the tyre of the wheel.

2. A disc wheel for railway rolling stock comprising a wheel hub, a V-shapedannular flange surrounding said hub coaxially therewith and spaced therefrom, discs rigidly supporting the, annular flange on the hub, a V- shaped wheel rim surrounding the annlar flange coaxially therewith andradially spaced therefrom, a tire supported by said rim, pre-compressed resilient insertions of a moldable elastic synthetic plastic material interposed between the wheel rirnand the flange in engagement respectively therewith, and inwardly spaced lugs on said wheelrim each with an aperture therethrough, said annular flange having apertures therethrough in alignment with the lug apertures to permit the insertion of means 7 through the aligned apertures to directly secure the wheel rimwand the annular flange together when the tire I6- extending through each of said lugs, and apertures in said quires machining.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 271,286 Wellman .Q. Jan. 30, 1883 623,883 Cameron Apr. 25, 1890 1,497,404 Patch June 10, 1924 2,124,350 Hirshfeld July 19, 1938 2,270,622 Burton Jan. 20, 1942 2,552,082 Ash May 8, 1951 2,674,897 Heinish Apr; 13, 1954 2,749,960 Schwartz June 12, 1956

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