Grotnes Machine Works, Inc.

Hans R Luedi

A system for forming flat base truck rims from flat strips of steel rolled into the form of smooth cylinders and welded together along the abutting axial edges. The system is capable of forming rims from hot rolled, rimmed, low carbon steel strips. The smooth cylinder is initially formed by a plurality of dies located at opposite ends of the cylinder and mounted for advancing movement relatively toward each other in the direction of the cylinder axis to flare a first end of the cylinder radially outwardly while rough forming a rim gutter on the other end of the cylinder. The radial thickness of the metal forming the rim gutter is increased during the rough forming thereof by applying a compressive axial load to the cylinder and providing a gutter-forming die cavity wider than the starting thickness of the cylinder. The rim gutter is warm or hot formed by heating that end of the cylinder before advancing the dies to roughly form the gutter. The flaring step is performed with an expandable die which is expanded during the flaring step and then collapsed and advanced to deform the outwardly flared portion of the cylinder to rough form a fixed flange, so that different portions of the same die are used to effect both the flaring and the flange forming. The flat base of the rim is shear formed to reduce the radial thickness thereof in the low stress area between the gutter and the fixed flange. The final profile in the fixed flange and the gutter is produced by roll forming the rim.

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Highland Park, IL, United States of America

Hans R Luedi