METHOD FOR PRODUCING A MOTOR VEHICLE RIM MADE OF ALUMINIUM OR ALUMINIUM ALLOY FOR A WHEEL OF A MOTOR VEHICLE AND A CORRESPONDING DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A MOTOR VEHICLE RIM

Abstract

A method for producing an automobile rim from aluminum or an aluminum alloy for a wheel of a motor vehicle. The automobile rim has a rim well delimited on opposite sides by an outer flange and an inner flange, a hub having a center recess and a bolt hole circle, and a rim center connecting the rim well and the hub to one another. The automobile rim is produced integrally and continuously in a casting mold by die casting of a casting material. After the introduction of the casting material into the casting mold, a volume of the casting mold is reduced for post-compaction of the casting material. The invention furthermore relates to a device for producing an automobile rim.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A method for producing an automobile rim from aluminum or an aluminum alloy for a wheel of a motor vehicle, wherein the automobile rim has a rim well delimited on opposite sides by an outer flange and an inner flange, a hub having a center recess and a bolt hole circle, and a rim center connecting the rim well And the hub to one another, wherein the automobile rim is produced integrally and continuously in a casting mold by die casting of a casting material, wherein after the introduction of the casting material into the casting mold, a volume of the casting mold is reduced for post-compaction of the casting material.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the compaction is carried out by retracting a compaction tool into the casting mold.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein a ring projection or a contour shape is used as the compaction tool.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the ring projection is retracted into the casting mold in such a way that a ring recess with borders on both sides is formed in the automobile rim.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the contour shape continuously forms an axial end face of the automobile rim and is retracted into the casting mold with reduction of an extension of the automobile rim in the axial direction.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the casting mold has at least one first outlet opening and at least one second outlet opening arranged spaced apart from the at least one first outlet opening in the axial direction with respect to a longitudinal center axis of the automobile rim, at each of which casting material can exit from the casting mold.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein negative pressure is applied to the casting mold during die casting at the first outlet opening and/or the second outlet opening.

18. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein die casting is carried out in such a way that the automobile rim at least in regions has a low wall thickness of at most 15 mm, and/or has a curvature having a low radius of curvature of at most 4 mm, and/or has a demolding surface extending in the axial direction and in the radial direction and/or in the axial direction and in the tangential direction with respect to the longitudinal center axis of the automobile rim, which lies completely in an imaginary plane, wherein the plane encloses an angle with the longitudinal center axis, which is greater than 0° and at most 4°.

19. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the rim center is formed having multiple spokes spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction with respect to the longitudinal center axis of the automobile rim.

20. A device for producing an automobile rim from aluminum or an aluminum alloy for a wheel of a motor vehicle, the automobile rim comprising: a rim well delimited on opposite sides by an outer flange and an inner flange, a hub having a center recess and a bolt hole circle, and a rim center connecting the rim well and the hub to one another, wherein the device is provided and designed to produce the automobile rim integrally and continuously in a casting mold by die casting of a casting material, wherein after the introduction of the casting material into the casting mold, a volume of the casting mold is reduced for post-compaction of the casting material.

21. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein a ring projection or a contour shape is used as the compaction tool.

22. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the ring projection is retracted into the casting mold in such a way that a ring recess with borders on both sides is formed in the automobile rim.

23. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the ring projection is retracted into the casting mold in such a way that a ring recess with borders on both sides is formed in the automobile rim.

24. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the contour shape continuously forms an axial end face of the automobile rim and is retracted into the casting mold with reduction of an extension of the automobile rim in the axial direction.

25. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the contour shape continuously forms an axial end face of the automobile rim and is retracted into the casting mold with reduction of an extension of the automobile rim in the axial direction.

26. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the contour shape continuously forms an axial end face of the automobile rim and is retracted into the casting mold with reduction of an extension of the automobile rim in the axial direction.

27. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the casting mold has at least one first outlet opening and at least one second outlet opening arranged spaced apart from the at least one first outlet opening in the axial direction with respect to a longitudinal center axis of the automobile rim, at each of which casting material can exit from the casting mold.

28. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the casting mold has at least one first outlet opening and at least one second outlet opening arranged spaced apart from the at least one first outlet opening in the axial direction with respect to a longitudinal center axis of the automobile rim, at each of which casting material can exit from the casting mold.

29. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the casting mold has at least one first outlet opening and at least one second outlet opening arranged spaced apart from the at least one first outlet opening in the axial direction with respect to a longitudinal center axis of the automobile rim, at each of which casting material can exit from the casting mold.

30. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the casting mold has at least one first outlet opening and at least one second outlet opening arranged spaced apart from the at least one first outlet opening in the axial direction with respect to a longitudinal center axis of the automobile rim, at each of which casting material can exit from the casting mold.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE(S)

[0054] The invention is explained in more detail hereinafter on the basis of the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing, without restricting the invention. The single

[0055] FIGURE shows a schematic longitudinal sectional view through an automobile rim along a longitudinal center axis of the automobile rim.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] The FIGURE shows a schematic sectional view through a device 1 for producing automobile rims 2 for a motor vehicle. Each of the automobile rims 2 has as essential components a rim well 3, a rim center 4, and a hub 5. The device 1 and the automobile rim 2 are shown in longitudinal section with respect to a longitudinal center axis 6 of the automobile rim 2. The rim well 3 is delimited in the axial direction on one side by an outer flange 7 and on the other side by an inner flange 8, which extend outward starting from the rim well 3 in the radial direction with respect to the longitudinal center axis 6. In addition, it is to be noted that the axial extension of the rim well 3 extends up to a respective exterior end of the outer flange 7 or the inner flange 8, respectively. The axial extension of the rim well 3 thus also includes the axial extensions of the outer flange 7 and the inner flange 8.

[0057] The rim well 3 and the hub 5 are connected to one another via the rim center 4. The rim center 4 thus engages both on the rim well 3 and also on the hub 5 and extends starting from the hub 5 up to the rim well 3. The hub 5 has a central recess, which is provided centrally in the hub 5 with respect to the longitudinal center axis 6. Additionally, the hub 5 has a bolt hole circle having multiple drilled holes, which are each used to accommodate a fastening means, by means of which the automobile rim 2 is fastenable or is fastened on a wheel hub of the motor vehicle. The rim center 4 preferably has multiple spokes (not shown here), which are arranged spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction. Each of the spokes extends starting from the hub 5 up to the rim well 3.

[0058] The production of the automobile rim 2 is carried out with the aid of the device 1, which represents a casting tool. The device 1 has a casting mold 9, which is delimited, for example, on opposite sides by a first plate 10 and a second plate 11. In other words, the two plates 10 and 11 delimit the casting mold 9 in the axial direction with respect to the longitudinal center axis 6 on opposite sides. A slide 12 is arranged between the two plates 10 and 11, which delimits the casting mold 9 in the radial direction with respect to the longitudinal center axis 6. The plates 10 and 11 are preferably each displaceable in the axial direction with respect to the longitudinal center axis 6, whereas the slide 12 is displaceable in the radial direction. The slide 12 is preferably composed of multiple partial slides 13 and 14, which are displaceable independently of one another or are at least further displaceable from one another. Such a design of the device 1 enables simple demolding of the produced automobile rim 2.

[0059] For the die casting of the automobile rim 2, the casting material is supplied to the casting mold 9, preferably via a central runner channel 15. The casting material initially flows out of the runner channel 15 into that region of the casting mold 9 in which the hub 5 is formed. Subsequently, the casting material flows out of the hub 5 via the rim center 4 in the direction of the rim well 3. In this case, the casting material first reaches the outer flange 7 and subsequently flows through the rim well 3 up to the inner flange 8. This means that the casting material reaches the inner flange 8 last. After the inner flange 8 is reached by the casting material, the casting mold 9 is completely filled with the casting material.

[0060] To implement particularly reliable production of the automobile rim 2 with low discard rate, the casting material is to be post-compacted after its introduction into the casting mold 9. For this purpose, a compaction tool 16 is provided, which is provided in the exemplary embodiment shown here in the form of a ring projection 17. The ring projection 17 is formed continuously in the circumferential direction with respect to the longitudinal center axis 6 and completely encloses the longitudinal center axis 6 in the circumferential direction. The ring projection 17 is retracted into the casting mold 9 for the post-compaction of the casting material. For this purpose, it is preferably mounted displaceably on one of the plates 10 and 11, in the exemplary embodiment shown here on the plate 11, and is introduced thereby into the casting mold 9.

[0061] The compaction tool 16 is particularly preferably used for the post-compaction of the casting material in the region of the rim well 3 and/or—preferably—on the inner flange 8. The compaction tool 16 or the ring projection 17 is accordingly introduced in such a way into that region of the casting mold 9 in which the rim well 3 or the inner mandrel 8, respectively, is provided that a ring recess is embossed in the automobile rim 2, namely in the inner flange 8. The ring recess is to have borders on both sides here viewed in the radial direction, so that the ring recess is provided in particular like a groove in the end face of the automobile rim 2. Particularly effective post-compaction of the casting material is achieved in this way.

[0062] Using the described device 1, an extremely filigree appearance of the automobile rim 2 is implemented and at the same time a cost-effective and fast production thereof is enabled. Moreover, outstanding strength values are achieved by means of the die casting of the aluminum or the aluminum alloy, in particular due to the post-compaction of the casting material. It is to be noted that the device 1 is designed, for example, as a two-plate casting tool or as a three-plate casting tool. In addition to the illustrated plates 10 and 11, in the latter case a further plate can therefore be provided, which is arranged in particular on the side of the first plate 10 facing away from the second plate 11. For example, the runner channel 15 extends through the further plate or penetrates it completely.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0063] 1 device [0064] 2 automobile rim [0065] 3 rim well [0066] 4 rim center [0067] 5 hub [0068] 6 longitudinal center axis [0069] 7 outer flange [0070] 8 inner flange [0071] 9 casting mold [0072] 10 plate [0073] 11 plate [0074] 12 slide [0075] 13 partial slide [0076] 14 partial slide [0077] 15 runner channel [0078] 16 compaction tool [0079] 17 ring projection