The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 11, 2002
Filed:
Dec. 22, 1999
John D. Nitz, Livonia, MI (US);
Jiang Z. Shi, Canton, MI (US);
Hayes Lammerz International, Inc., Northville, MI (US);
Abstract
A mold for casting a vehicle wheel includes a plurality of mold members that cooperate to define a mold cavity. The mold cavity includes an annular rim cavity for casting a wheel rim and a disc cavity for casting a wheel disc. The mold members define a central axis and have a passageway for introducing molten metal into the rim cavity. The rim cavity has a radial width that changes in a circumferential direction between a maximum width portion of the rim cavity located proximally relative to the passageway, and a minimum width portion of the rim cavity located distally relative to the passageway. In a method for casting a vehicle wheel, a mold as described above is provided. Molten metal is introduced through the passageway into the rim cavity to fill the mold cavity and form a wheel casting. The wheel casting is allowed to cool sufficiently to solidify the metal. The changing width of the rim cavity causes a thermal gradient in the molten metal such that solidification proceeds in a circumferential direction from the minimum width portion of the rim cavity to the maximum width portion of the rim cavity. The solidified wheel casting is removed from the mold.