A wheel assembly comprising a wheel disk and a tread member disposed around the wheel disk. The wheel disk can have a substantially conical shape when in an unloaded state, but be flexible such that it can deform under load to optimize and/or maximize contact area between the tread member and a driving surface.

This disclosure concerns wheels for industrial vehicles, including scissor lift vehicles and aerial platform vehicles. More particularly, this disclosure concerns a wheel fabricated with a substantially cylindrical wheel rim and a front face surface which includes a center hub section that is inwardly offset from the front edge by an amount and at an angle providing flexibility to recover from incidences that can damage the wheel.

This disclosure concerns wheels for industrial vehicles, including scissor lift vehicles and aerial platform vehicles. More particularly, this disclosure concerns a wheel fabricated with a substantially cylindrical wheel rim and a front face surface which includes a center hub section that is inwardly offset from the front edge by an amount and at an angle providing flexibility to recover from incidences that can damage the wheel.

An aerodynamically optimized drag-reduction appartus and method for optimal minimization of the drag-induced resistive forces upon a terrestrial vehicle, where the drag-induced resistive moments on wheel surfaces pivoting about the stationary point of ground contact are reduced, and the vehicle propulsive forces needed to countervail the resistive forces on the wheel are reduced. The drag reduction apparatus includes: a streamlined fairing or wind deflector positioned on a vehicle to shield the faster moving upper wheel surfaces from headwinds; an engine exhaust pipe disposed on a vehicle whereby exhaust gases deflect headwinds to shield the faster moving upper wheel surfaces of an automotive wheel; an automotive spoked wheel having streamlined oval-shaped wheel spokes; a wheel assembly with a streamlined tailfin rotatably attached to a wheel spoke; a wheel with a tapered spoke having a thin aerodynamic profile near the rim and tapering to a round profile toward the central hub; and a tire having streamlined tread blocks arranged in an aerodynamic pattern.

A shaped preform component (200) for a face portion (104) of a composite wheel (100), the shaped preform (200) having a hub (206) that extends around a central axis (Y), the shaped preform component (200) being formed from a cured composite fibre material having a compressibility of <2% volumetric under moulding conditions of 50 bar hydrostatic pressure and a temperature of 60 to 200 C.

A shaped preform component (200) for a face portion (104) of a composite wheel (100), the shaped preform (200) having a hub (206) that extends around a central axis (Y), the shaped preform component (200) being formed from a cured composite fibre material having a compressibility of <2% volumetric under moulding conditions of 50 bar hydrostatic pressure and a temperature of 60 to 200 C.

A shaped preform component (200A) for a spoke portion (108A) of a composite wheel (100), the shaped preform (200A) comprising: an elongate body (215) configured to be located in a spoke (108) of a composite wheel (100), wherein the shaped preform component (200A) is formed from a cured composite fibre material having a compressibility of <2% volumetric under moulding conditions of 50 bar hydrostatic pressure and a temperature of 60 to 150 C., and wherein the density of the cured composite fibre material is selected to form a counterbalance mass for a mass addition (300) to the composite wheel (100).

The present invention provides a disc wheel with variable thickness for agricultural tractor application. According to an embodiment, a disc wheel with variable thickness includes an axle mounting area 201, an axle mounting radius area 202, a wheel weight mounting area 203 and a connection bracket mounting area 204, wherein said disc wheel includes maximum thickness at the axle mounting area 101 and at the connection bracket mounting area 204. The disc wheel 200 uses less material input for imparting high strength. Further, the disc wheel 200 with variable thickness prevents bolt hole failures by providing higher strength at a centre. The thickness from the axle mounting area 201 gradually decreases up to the end of the wheel mounting area 203 and matches the thickness at the connection bracket mounting area 204. The disc wheel 200 with variable thickness is achieved using flow forming process 402.

Vehicle wheels, methods of making vehicle wheels, and dual wheel assemblies are provided. The vehicle wheel comprises a generally cylindrical first region and a second region extending radially inwardly from the first region. The second region comprises a first surface, a second surface, an opening, and a hub surface. A distance from the first surface to the second surface defines a thickness. The opening is configured to receive at least a portion of a hub of the vehicle axle. The hub surface is adjacent to and surrounds the opening and extends from the first surface to the second surface. The hub surface comprises a generally flat portion and a relief portion adjacent to at least one of the first surface and the second surface. The relief portion surrounds the opening and extends along the hub surface for a distance of at least 25% of the thickness.

Vehicle wheels, methods of making vehicle wheels, and dual wheel assemblies are provided. The vehicle wheel comprises a generally cylindrical first region and a second region extending radially inwardly from the first region. The second region comprises a first surface, a second surface, an opening, and a hub surface. A distance from the first surface to the second surface defines a thickness. The opening is configured to receive at least a portion of a hub of the vehicle axle. The hub surface is adjacent to and surrounds the opening and extends from the first surface to the second surface. The hub surface comprises a generally flat portion and a relief portion adjacent to at least one of the first surface and the second surface. The relief portion surrounds the opening and extends along the hub surface for a distance of at least 25% of the thickness.