Lacks Industries, Inc.

Lacks Enterprises, Inc.

Robert E Shea

Lee A Chase

Douglas Louis Neeb

An improved process for permanently attaching an overlay to a wheel disc, wherein the overlay is aligned and spaced apart from the wheel disc. A mold is created by a combination of the overlay, wheel disc and localized nests that engage at predetermined times during foam filling to close the mold. The mold is adequately sealed so that there is no foam leakage as the foam expands to fill the mold and, therefore, no final trimming of excess foam is required. The improved process is capable of accommodating a wheel having turbine openings therein.

Vehicle wheel construction process

A test fixture includes a weighted frame incorporating air-filled bellow feet for simulating a vehicle suspension and tires. A hood-simulating support is pivoted to the frame and includes a mount for a grille. A shock absorber on the frame rapidly decelerates the support as the support reaches the closed position. An actuator is operably connected to a controller for closing the support at predetermined speeds for simulating stresses and forces on the grille as seen on actual vehicles. The combination simulates hood closure, including vehicle 'bounce' upon hood closure. The controller can be programmed to provide different closure speeds and different air pressures in the feet for better simulation of particular vehicle models. In one form, the fixture includes an enclosure for controlling a temperature of an air fluid source and air for operating the actuator.

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Newaygo, MI, United States of America

Robert E Shea