A wheel assembly includes an inboard wheel portion having a rim and a disk. A radially inward surface of the rim and an inboard surface of the disk define a wheel well cavity configured to house a brake assembly. The wheel assembly also includes a torque bar (e.g., a torque bar of the brake assembly) mounted to the inboard wheel portion. Further, the wheel assembly includes a retainer coupled to the torque bar and disposed radially between the torque bar and the radially inward surface of the rim of the inboard wheel portion. The retainer includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a body extending between the first end and the second end. The body includes opposing longitudinal sides configured to respectively engage and retain a respective heat shield segment of a segmented annular heat shield.

An integrally formed wheel for cooling a brake assembly of a vehicle, comprising a barrel for mounting a tire thereon, a center disc, and a plurality of spokes. The barrel extends from an outboard face to an inboard rim edge and defines a chamber radially inside the barrel. The chamber is located adjacent a brake mechanism when the wheel is on a vehicle. The center disc has a center bore and a plurality of lug holes. A plurality of spokes interconnects the center disc to the barrel. A plurality of cooling passageways is integrally formed with the barrel, the spokes and the center disc. The plurality of passageways is disposed circumferentially around the spokes and extend from the outboard face to a location inside the barrel to direct air into the chamber through the passageways when the wheel is in rotation.

A vehicle wheel that is connectable to a brake system may include a wheel rim and a wheel disk. The wheel rim and/or the wheel disk may include a support structure comprised of fiber-reinforced plastic. The wheel rim and/or the wheel disk, at least on a side of the support structure that faces the brake system, may have a thermo-function structure that in thermal terms is configured so as to be more conductive than the support structure and is disposed so as to extend in such a manner that thermal energy generated by the brake system is discharged from a first region of the wheel rim and/or of the wheel disk that on account of said thermal energy is highly stressed in thermal terms into a second region of the wheel rim and/or of the wheel disk (3) that is less stressed in thermal terms.

A composite wheel structure includes a single continuous fiber reinforcement layer extending axially between inner and outer ends of the wheel structure. The single fiber reinforcement layer is impregnated with different matrix materials at different axial portions of the reinforcement layer to account for specific locations where high strength or high temperature performance is needed, with other portions having different matrix materials where low temperature performance and/or low strength is sufficient. The matrix materials may be provided as separate resin films that are applied side-by-side on the single reinforcement layer, or they may be provided on a single resin film. The matrix materials may be applied to the reinforcement layer in a direct coating process. The reinforcement layer may be prepregged with the matrix materials prior to a wheel layup process, or the reinforcement layer and matrix materials may be consolidated by resin film infusion during the wheel layup process.

Vehicle wheel comprising a rim part and a disc part formed from a one-piece sheet metal blank and including a central portion with bolt holes and a plurality of radially extending spoke arrangements merging into a disc edge delimiting together with the spoke arrangements ventilation apertures which extend over the region between the edge webs and the disc edge. In order to create steel wheels with four-hole fixing in which high strength and stiffness are achieved the number of spoke arrangements and of bolt holes is four and these are in each case arranged mirror-symmetrically with respect to a common radial line, with the width of each spoke arrangement narrowing radially towards the outside and each ventilation aperture extending in the circumferential direction over an arc length of more than of the circumference of the disc part. Further, each ventilation aperture is having on a radial line a maximum radial clear width which is equal to or preferably greater than the radial width of the metal portion of the disc part on the same radial line.

The invention relates to a vehicle wheel comprising a wheel rim (12) that has a hub portion (38), a rim base (36) for receiving a tire, a plurality of support portions (40) interposed between the hub portion (38) and the rim base (36), at least one interspace (42) between the support portions (40), and at least one cover element (44) associated with the interspace (42), characterized in that the cover element (44) can be transferred from a first position to a second position by pneumatic actuation.

An isolator for a wheel hub between a brake rotor and a wheel is described, and includes a disk-shaped annular device including an inner ring, an outer ring, a first face portion, a second face portion, a plurality of apertures, a plurality of drain surface portions, and a plurality of radially-oriented drain channels disposed on the first face portion. Each drain channel is recessed in the first face portion. Each drain surface portion is recessed in the first face portion and is fluidly coupled to one of the drain channels. Each of the drain surface portions includes a continuous surface that is recessed from the first face portion between a drainage curve, a respective drain channel, and an arc that is defined on the inner ring between a first point and the respective drain channel.

The present invention provides a new style or design for a steel wheel 200 in passenger vehicle with improvement in performance and aesthetics. In the new design of the steel wheel 200, a vent-hole outer region 214 is folded 206 inwardly to form two ends, wherein one end is welded to an outboard bead seat 212 of the steel wheel rim and the other end welded to a portion of an outboard flange portion 204. The inward folding 206 of the vent hole outer region 214 increases the vent-hole 205 area and thereby improves better air flow and cooling of a brake drum. The passenger vehicle steel wheel 200 design enables for spot welding throughout the circumference of the rim-disc contact surface for better contact and higher load/moment transfer. Further, the passenger vehicle steel wheel 200 may utilize an existing rim without any special machining or modification.

A wheel rim having a central axis and comprising a central hub configured to be fixed to a suspension of a vehicle; a peripheral ring, which is arranged around the hub with a predetermined radial distance from the hub itself and is configured to receive a tire of the vehicle on a radially outermost surface thereof; a plurality of spokes equally spaced angularly from one another around the axis and connecting the peripheral ring to the hub; and at least one projection protruding in a cantilever fashion towards the hub, starting from a radially innermost surface of the peripheral ring, opposite to the radially outermost surface, and defining an airfoil configured to generate, in use, during the forward travel of the vehicle, a channelling of the air towards the outside of the wheel rim.

A tire rim structure including an annular inner ring provided on the inner ring of a tire body and a circular outer ring provided on the outside of the tire body, fixedly connected to the annular inner ring, and formed by stamping. The annular inner ring includes an annular inner ring body formed by extrusion, an annular left ring provided at one side of the annular inner ring body and formed by extrusion, and an annular right ring provided at the other side of the annular inner ring body, connected to the circular outer ring, and formed by extrusion. A shaft hole is provided at the middle part of the circular outer ring.