Today we'll talk about the chassis -- the wheel

The function and structure of the wheel

The wheel refers to the round, barrel-shaped component that supports the entire tire, which, together with the tire, bears the weight of the car while transferring the power of the drive shaft to the tire. In order to keep the wheel from deformation, its structure and material should be resistant to impact and fatigue, and its shape design should have better visual effects. If the wheel is lighter, there will be good mobility, so the lightweight of the wheel is also a very important research and development topic.

The wheel is mainly composed of two parts: one is the spoke, connecting the hub and the rim, while supporting the rim; The second is the rim, which supports the tire. Most wheels are composed of two parts: the spokes and the rim, and a small part of the wheel is composed of three parts, such as alloy wheels.

Wheel structure

Single piece: the rim and spoke are one, mainly used in racing cars, the advantage is high precision, light weight.

Two-piece type: the spoke and the rim are welded together, which is the most common wheel structure in recent years. The spoke design is more flexible, and the hub has a high degree of freedom.

Three-piece type: outer rim, inner rim, and spoke are fixed together by cross-threading bolts, and this type of wheel design is the most flexible.

Rim: Part used to mount and support a tire.

Spoke: The part that connects the hub to the rim and acts as a support for the rim.

Type of wheel

According to the different materials, the wheels can be divided into steel wheels and light alloy wheels. Light alloy wheels are divided into aluminum alloy wheels and magnesium alloy wheels.

Steel wheel

Compared with aluminum alloy wheels, steel wheels are heavier and cheaper. The spoke of a steel wheel is molded by pressure from a steel plate, and then the spoke is welded to the rim. In addition, some steel wheels use the processing method of integrating the rim and spoke.

Aluminum alloy wheel

The material of the main parts of the wheel is aluminum alloy, such as rims, spokes, hubs, and so on. The structure of the aluminum alloy wheel has a single piece, two pieces, three pieces, and the lighter the weight, the more expensive the price. Aluminum alloy wheels are manufactured by forging and casting, and the wheels made by forging are lighter, stronger, and more expensive.

Magnesium alloy wheel

Magnesium alloy wheels are lighter than aluminum alloy wheels. Vehicles equipped with magnesium alloy wheels generally have better driving performance and lower fuel consumption. However, due to their high cost and the difficulty of later maintenance, such wheels are not commonly used in ordinary passenger cars and are mainly found on some racing cars.