Superior Industries International, Inc.

Parveen Kakar

Henry Clay Chenault, Iii

Timothy Wayne Hood

Henry Lee Renegar

Miguel Sanchez-Araiza

H Clay Chenault, Iii

H Clay Chenault Iii

Henry Clay Chenault

Henry Clay Chenault Iii

An alloy wheel is formed having a three dimensional configuration defining a face and recessed surfaces. The face of the wheel is machined providing a smooth surface at the face and defining an edge between the smooth surface of the face and the recessed surfaces. A nozzle element for projecting a plasma jet toward the wheel is provided. The plasma jet is projected toward the smooth surface of the face, the edge, and toward at least a portion of the recessed surfaces forming an alloy oxide at least on the face and the edge disposed between the face and the recessed surfaces. A first polymeric coating is applied over the face, the recessed surfaces and the edge disposed between the face and the recessed surfaces.

Method of coating alloy wheels

Method of coating alloy wheels using inter-coat plasma

A road wheel for a vehicle includes a face portion and a rim portion. The face portion is formed from a metallic alloy and defines a central portion plurality of spokes extending between the central portion and a proximal bead element. The rim portion is formed from a composite material and defines an annular wall circumscribing a wheel axis extending to a distal bead element from said face portion. The proximal bead element is defined by the metallic alloy and the distal bead element is defined by the composite. The face portion and the rim portion are interconnected in interlocking engagement.

Hybrid composite wheel

A cast aluminum wheel includes a rim element having an annular configuration defining an axis and a central element extending radially outwardly between the axis and the rim element. The rim element includes a wall extending circumferentially around the axis between a proximal bead and a distal bead. The central element includes a plurality of spokes extending radially outwardly toward the proximal bead and meets proximate the axis with adjacent of the plurality of spokes defining a cooperative feature therebetween for providing stiffness to the wheel. The spokes progressively increase in volume in a direction toward the axis from the rim element thereby providing increased mass of the spokes proximate the axis relative to the rim element.

Method of manufacturing a cast alloy wheel

Cast aluminum wheel

Growing community of inventors

Novi, MI, United States of America

Parveen Kakar