MXPA05004802A - Decorated wheel with a permanent stylized cover and process for its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

A decorated wheel is depicted having a permanent stylized cover comprising:a base wheel;an intermediate coat made from a low-density polymer attached on the outer face of the base wheel;and a stylized cover permanently attached on the intermediate layer;the stylized cover has a shape, color, and brightness according to a previously established design, is made from a thermoformable polymer such as bisphenol A polycarbonate o the copolymers thereof, or is made from stainless steel;if the stylized cover is made from bisphenol A polycarbonate or the copolymers thereof, it has a class"A"finish on its surface;also, a process to manufacture the decorated wheel with a stylized permanent cover is depicted and, in the process, the stylized cover and the base wheel form a closed chamber where the intermediate layer made from the low-density polymer is encapsulated.

Description

"DECORATED WHEEL WITH A PERMANENT STYLIZED COVER AND PROCEDURE TO MANUFACTURE THE SAME" FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is related to the techniques used in the Industry Automotive for the design and manufacture of wheels, and more particularly, is related to a wheel decorated with a permanent stylized cover, as well as the procedure for manufacturing it.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known to all that in a vehicle, the wheels fulfill the essential function of being the support where the tires are mounted that allow the vehicle to move. However, because the wheels are a visible part of the vehicles, for many years, drivers prefer those wheels that have decorative aspects, that is, they prefer wheels with a certain stylized design in their shape, as well as a certain color, preferably metallic like that of aluminum or the color of chromium, which as is known, has high brightness. These characteristics make the wheels are striking for consumers increasing the aesthetics of the car, consequently, wheel manufacturers have had the technical challenge so that their products, in addition to fulfilling their main technical function, have decorative aspects. One of the first solutions that are known in the prior art to give the wheels decorative aspects, has been the use of metal or plastic stylized covers or covers to cover partially or totally the outer face of the wheels, which are mostly They are made of steel and are included in a very large number of vehicles. At this point, it is important to mention that a steel wheel has a design in its very poor form, its color is usually black and its brightness is almost nil. A steel wheel is integrated by a center or core and a ring attached to said center. In this type of wheel as in others, there is a hole for the inflation valve of the tire; vents for air to pass to the brakes; and, a mounting seat cavity that includes holes for bolts or mounting bolts, and a central pilot hole for mounting the wheel to the mass of the vehicle shaft. However, the main disadvantage of such tires is that they are not permanently attached to the wheel and often leave the wheel when the vehicle transits irregular roads or falls into potholes, or simply these non-permanent covers are stolen. In addition, the plastic covers are fragile and easily break, while the metal covers easily deform and are heavy. One of these covers can be found in U.S. Patent No. 5,988,762, incorporated herein by reference. Another of the solutions contemplated in the prior art to cover such consumption need has been the manufacture of aluminum, magnesium or titanium wheels with a design in its highly stylized form. Preferably, these wheels have a plurality of spokes that run radially from the center of the wheel toward the rim. There is no doubt that the aluminum or magnesium wheels have a very striking appearance for the consumer, however, the wheels manufactured from these metals have a considerably higher cost compared to steel wheels, which as mentioned above , they do not have any stylized design in their form. Likewise, in the prior art, another type of solution has been proposed, which is the formation of a decorative polymeric cover adhered on the external face of the wheel, where the cover is provided with a certain finish on its surface. This type of polymeric covers are described in particular in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,956,451; 4,682,820; 4,847,030; 4,976,497; 5,128,085, 5,842,750; and 5,874,037; which are incorporated herein by reference. In general, the inventions of these patents are related to a composite stylized wheel, which comprises a wheel and a polyurethane cover, preferably of high density, formed on the wheel. Once formed this cover that has a form according to a particular design, the surface of the same is prepared in order to be painted with a preferred color or be coated with a finish of metallic appearance, thus obtaining a wheel with a finish on the polyurethane cover. It is convenient to mention that in the wheels of the patents mentioned in the previous paragraph, it is preferred to use high density polyurethane since with such property, the formed cover has sufficient structural strength to have an acceptable duration, especially when the design The cover has many contours and gaps. However, this has as a consequence that the weight of the wheel increases, which is a problem addressed particularly in said US Patent No. 4,976,497, where the use of hollow inserts is contemplated in order to decrease the weight of the polyurethane cover. Also, although document No. 4,976,497 mentions that it is possible to handle a density of 486 kg / m3 (30 pounds per cubic foot) even of 162 kg / m3 (10 pounds per cubic foot), these values for density make the layer of polyurethane becomes porous. For those skilled in the art, this characteristic of porosity means that uniform or very bright finishes can not be achieved on the surface of the polyurethane cover, which are the types of finish that most consumers want to see on their wheels.

Moreover, even using higher densities for polyurethane, it is very difficult to achieve a class "A" finish, which means excellent optical properties of the finish, which are preferred by the Automotive Industry. In other words, the polyurethane cover inherently has a limitation with respect to the quality of the paint finish or the metallic finish that can be provided on the cover.

US Pat. No. 6,460,938, incorporated herein by reference, is another document of the prior art directed to decorative wheels, in said patent it is contemplated to form by injection a polymer cover on a wheel, however, the wheel is made of metals lightweight such as aluminum, magnesium, titanium or alloys thereof. Subsequently, the polymeric coating can be plated with a decorative metal layer, such as chromium. However, the use of chromium is being banned by environmental authorities due to the pollution problems associated with the use of this metal. Once again, it is observed as a disadvantage that the cover, once formed on the wheel, has to be prepared in order to apply the desired finish. Regarding the procedure to manufacture the prior art wheels that include a polymeric cover, it is convenient to point out that a mold associated with the wheel is used to form a cavity, where the polymeric material is injected through injection ports and left to cure . In this particular, the injection is a layer of the polymer to obtain a suitable cover that adheres to the contours, holes and perforations of the wheel, in such a way that in the prior art, it has tried to solve the problems associated with this injection, for example, in North American Patent No. 5,874,127, a special membrane has been developed to be placed in the arrangement formed by the wheel, the mold and the injection machine. Once the polyurethane has cured, the mold is removed, and the surface of the cover is prepared for the application of paint or metallic coating. In this stage of preparation of the surface, it is necessary to apply a layer of primer (primer) in order to adapt the surface and ensure that the coating has a long duration and a uniform appearance on the wheel. From the point of view of the entire production chain, this procedure has the disadvantage that the stage of preparation of the surface of the polyurethane cover consumes time and energy, since once the cover is formed, the complete wheel must be manipulated by machines or workers, as well as the injection must be carried out very carefully. In this sense, U.S. 4,976,497 mentions that it is possible to separately form the polyurethane cover with the coating, then glue it by any suitable means, however, the costs increase by the use of said adherent material applied on the outer face of the wheel and that of the coating, In addition, as mentioned above, polyurethane covers do not allow class "A" finishes. On the other hand, there are also more complex solutions for obtaining a wheel with a decorative finish, as exemplified in the patent application No. PCT / US2003 / 023949, which is incorporated herein by reference. In this document, a glossy surface finish is provided for a wheel of a vehicle. Generally, said surface finish is formed by a series of layers of various polymers and a metal film deposited by vacuum, particularly, the polymer layers are formed by a lower layer of a polymeric acrylic or polyester polymer deposited on the face external of the wheel, on this lower layer, there is a layer of a primary of a polyurethane resin, on the primary layer is applied a layer of a coating also based on polyurethane, and on this last layer, is the metallic film deposited by vacuum. The main disadvantage of the invention of said document is undoubtedly that when applying each layer (at least three), the polymer has to be allowed to cure, which implies the consumption of time, and the use of specific equipment, likewise, to handle a vacuum chamber to deposit the metal, makes the product disadvantageous, as well as the process to manufacture it. In addition, the preferred metal for forming the metal film is Indian, which from the commercial point of view, is a poorly handled metal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With the purpose of solving the problems existing in the state of the art in relation to the wheels provided with decorative finishes, a wheel decorated with a stylized cover has been developed, the wheel comprises as essential elements: a) a base wheel having an external face and being provided with: i) a valve orifice; I) ventilation holes; and, iii) a cavity of the mounting seat that includes holes for bolts or mounting screws, hereinafter referred to only as bolt holes, and a central pilot hole is also included in this cavity; b) an intermediate layer of a low density, expandable polymer adhered to the outer face of the wheel and covering it; the intermediate layer having: i) a valve orifice concentrically aligned with the valve orifice of the base wheel; ii) holes for studs concentrically aligned with those holes for studs of the base wheel; iii) ventilation holes that connect to the ventilation holes of the base wheel; and, optionally, iv) a central pilot hole concentrically aligned with the central pilot hole of the base wheel; and, c) a stylized cover with an internal face and an external face; said stylized cover being adhered to the intermediate layer and covering it, and having a shape, color and gloss according to a pre-established design; the stylized cover being provided with: i) a valve orifice concentrically aligned with the valve orifice of the base wheel; I) holes for bolts concentrically aligned with the bolt holes of the base wheel; iii) ventilation holes that connect to the ventilation holes of the base wheel and that have a shape according to said pre-established design; the stylized cover optionally covering the pilot hole of the base wheel.

In the previous arrangement, when a user observes in the direction of the wheel, he only perceives the outer face of said stylized cover, being hidden tanio the base wheel, as well as the intermediate layer of the low density polymer, where it has as an advantage that said cover is permanently attached to the intermediate layer of the low density polymer. In a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stylized cover contacts the base wheel around the edges of the valve orifice, the bolt holes, the ventilation holes, and the central pilot hole of said base wheel. In the first embodiment of the present invention, said stylized cover is made of a thermoformable polymer that is selected from the group comprising bisphenol A polycarbonate, polycarbonate copolymers of bisphenol A, polyamide, phenylene polyoxide and mixtures thereof, wherein The stylized cover is of any color or transparent. More preferably, the stylized cover is made of bisphenol A polycarbonate or its copolymers with a class "A" finish on its outer side, which means excellent optical properties, more specifically it is characterized by having high gloss, as well as having excellent mechanical properties that allow it to have a long life and cover the requirements of the Automotive Industry. As mentioned, the sterilized cover made of such thermoformable polymers is of any color or is transparent. At this point, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the glazed cover is translucent, but is coated with a coat of paint applied on either of its faces, preferably, the stylized cover is coated with a chromium-colored paint. In a second preferred embodiment of the decorated wheel of the present invention, the stylized cover is made of stainless steel with a mirror grade finish on its surface, said finish being achieved before the stylized cover is adhered to the intermediate layer of the polymer of low density.

On the other hand, in one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for manufacturing the wheel decorated with a permanent stylized cover as defined above, the method of the present invention comprises the steps of: a) providing a wheel base having an external face and further i) a valve orifice, ii) ventilation holes; and iii) a mounting seat cavity including holes for studs and a central pilot hole; b) separately forming a coated cover with an external face and an inner face, the cover having a shape, color and gloss according to a pre-established design; At this stage, a stylized cover is formed on the stylized cover: i) a valve orifice; I) holes for studs, iii) ventilation holes; and, depending on the design, optionally iv) a central pilot hole; c) uniformly apply a low density and expandable polymer on the outer face of the base wheel; d) assembling said stylized cover on the outer face of the base wheel, wherein the valve orifice and the stud holes of the stylized cover are aligned concentrically with the corresponding holes of said base wheel, while the ventilation holes of the The stylized cover connects to the ventilation holes of the base wheel, where the stylized cover also makes contact with the base wheel around the edges of the valve hole, the holes for bolts, the ventilation holes and the central pilot hole of the valve. the base wheel, such that the stylized cover together with the base wheel form a closed chamber that prevents leakage of the expandable polymer; e) expanding and curing the low density polymer by keeping the stylized cover pressed against the base wheel, such that when the polymer expands and cures, the polymer fills said closed cavity and adheres both to the outer face of the polymer. wheel, as well as the tire cover. Once the low density polymer has cured, the pressure on the stylized cover is removed and the decorated wheel of the present invention is removed. The stylized cover is formed of a sheet of stainless steel or a sheet of a thermoformable polymer selected from the group comprising bisphenol polycarbonate A, polycarbonate copolymers of bisphenol A, polyamide, phenylene polyoxide and mixtures thereof. In a first preferred embodiment of the process of the present invention, in the forming step (b) the stylized shell is formed from a transparent sheet of the thermoformable polymers mentioned in the preceding paragraph, and after said step (b), the The process comprises an additional step which is a painting stage (f) where a layer of paint is applied to any of the faces of said stylized cover, preferably a chromium-colored paint is applied. Subsequently, after this painting step (f), the application stage (c) of the low density polymer, the assembly stage (d) of the stylized cover on the base wheel, and the expansion and curing stage (e) are carried out. ) of the polymer. In this first alternative embodiment of the process, the stylized cover does not need to be covered with a primary layer in order to be able to subsequently apply the paint layer. In a second preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, in the forming step (b), the stylized cover is provided with closed recesses instead of the valve orifice, the holes for bolts, the ventilation holes and the pilot hole Then, the application step (c) of the low-density polymer, the assembly step (d) of the coated coating on the base wheel, and the expansion and curing stage (e) of the polymer are carried out; and after this step (e), the method comprises an additional step, which is a cutting step (g) which consists in cutting the closed recesses of the stylized cover in order to form the valve orifice., the holes for studs, the ventilation holes, and, according to the design, form the central pilot hole in the stylized cover. In this method of the procedure, the covered cover has more points to be able to press against the base wheel and the safety is increased so that the low density polymer does not leak through the holes of the base wheel. It will be appreciated that an object of the present invention is to provide a wheel decorated with a permanent stylized cover, the latter being adhered to an intermediate layer of a low density polymer, wherein the low density polymer and the stylized cover add a very low weight to the base wheel. A further object of the present invention is to provide a wheel decorated with a permanent, sterilized cover, where an infinity of stylized designs can be obtained with the same base wheel. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, where there is a stage in which a stylized cover with a particular finish is formed before being adhered onto the base wheel. It is still more an object of the present invention to provide a method for the manufacture of a wheel decorated with a permanent, sterilized cover, wherein the stylized cover and the base wheel form a closed chamber where a low density polymer is expanded without present leaks of the polymer by the base wheel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The aspects that are considered characteristic of the present invention, will be established with particularity in the appended claims. However, the invention itself, both by its structure as well as by its manufacturing process, together with other objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood in the following description of certain preferred embodiments, when read in conjunction with the drawings that are accompanied, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded top perspective view of a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, constructed in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A 'of the wheel shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 shows a top view of a stylized cover lacking the central pilot hole. Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 shows a side and exploded view of a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, constructed in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a flow chart of the manufacturing process of the wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover of the present invention. Figure 7 is a flowchart of a first preferred embodiment of the method of manufacturing the wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover of the present invention. Figure 8 is a flowchart of a second preferred embodiment of the method of manufacturing the wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With specific reference to Figure 1 there is shown an exploded view of a decorated wheel 10 with a siled cover, construed in accordance with a first preferred embodiment that should be considered illustrative but not limiting of the present invention. The decorated wheel 10 comprises: a base wheel 20 with an external face 21; an intermediate layer 30 of a low density and expandable polymer; and, a stylized cover 40. Although in figure 1 the elements of the decorated wheel 10 appear separated from each other, it should be understood that, in practice, the intermediate layer 30 of the low density polymer covers and is adhered to the external face. 21 of the base wheel 20, likewise, it should be understood that the stylized cover 40 covers and is adhered to the intermediate layer 30 of the low density polymer, as seen in Figure 4. Now, referring in conjunction to Figures 1 and 2, the latter showing a view of a section taken along the line AA 'of FIG. 1, it can be mentioned that the base wheel 20 is integrated by a core 22 and an aril 23 joined together; the base wheel 20 is provided with a valve hole 25, holes for bolts 26, a mounting seat cavity 28 including ventilation holes 27 and a central pilot hole 24. The base wheel 20 is manufactured from a metal or a metallic alloy which is selected from the group comprising steel, aluminum, magnesium and alloys thereof. As shown in Figure 1, the base wheel 20 itself has a very poor design, corresponding to the steel wheels, the color of these wheels is usually black, so they do not attract the attention of consumers; in such a way, that in the embodiment described, the base wheel 20 is preferably a steel wheel. Further on, it will be appreciated that on these wheels it is possible to obtain an infinity of designs with the stylized cover 40. As regards the intermediate layer 30 of the low density polymer, in figure 2 it is observed that it has an orifice for valve 31, bolt holes 32, vent holes 33, and a central pilot hole 34. As is to be expected, the valve orifice 31, the bolt holes 32, and the central pilot hole 34 are aligned concentrically with those corresponding holes that are provided in the base wheel 20, ie, the valve orifice 25, the bolt holes 26 and the central pilot hole 24. Around the ventilation holes 33 provided in the intermediate layer 30, the same they are connected to the ventilation holes 27 of the base wheel 20 and can have a different size, in this case the ventilation holes 33 need not be aligned with those ventilation holes 27 of the base wheel 20, since due to the design of the stylized cover 40 may be offset from the central axis of said ventilation holes 27, however, both ventilation holes 27 and 33 must be connected to allow air flow to the vehicle's brakes. The intermediate layer 30 is manufactured from a low density polymer that is selected from the group of polymers comprising polyurethane, polypropylene and polystyrene. One of the advantages of using a low density polymer is that the intermediate layer 30 does not add significant additional weight to the base wheel 20, as was the case in the prior art. For example, in a wheel of a size of 13 or 14 inches (33.0 cm or 35.6 cm), the maximum weight of the intermediate layer is approximately 500 grams, in the wheels of the sizes indicated, the use a weight greater than 500 grams would be totally unnecessary to fulfill the purposes of the present invention. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the low density polymer is polyurethane, with a density in a range of about 30 kg / m3 to about 150 kg / m3, more preferably about 80 kg / m3 to about 120 kg / m3 . The advantage of using polyurethane is that when applied and cured, this polymer chemically and immediately adheres both to the outer face of the base wheel 20, as well as to the stylized cover 40, whether this latter is manufactured from a thermoformable or stainless steel polymer, as a consequence, the stylized cover 40 permanently adheres to the intermediate layer 30. Unlike the decorative wheels of the prior art, the surface of the intermediate layer 30 of the low density polymer does not need to be prepared to end to form a finish on it, since, on the contrary, the finish is now provided in a separate element, particularly, the stylized cover 40, which has a shape, color and brightness according to a pre-established design. In Figures 1 and 2, it is seen that the stylized cover 40 is provided with a valve orifice 41 concentrically aligned with the valve orifice 25 of the base wheel 20.; gripping holes 42 concentrically aligned with the bolt holes 26 of the base wheel 20; and, ventilation holes 43 that are connected to those ventilation holes 27 provided in the base wheel 20. In the stylized cover 40, the ventilation holes 43 have a stylized shape according to said pre-established design in such a way that not necessarily they must be aligned concentrically with the ventilation holes 27 of the base wheel 20, however, the ventilation holes 43 and 27 must be connected to each other so that the air passes to the brakes.

That is, a concentric alignment between the vents 43 and 27 is not necessary. Optionally, the stylized cover 40 has a central pilot hole 44 which is aligned with the central pilot hole 24 of the base wheel 20, this optional feature It gives the facility to form a wide range of designs for the stylized cover 40. However, if one wants to hide the central pilot hole 24 of the base wheel 20, in a mode not shown, the stylized cover 40 includes in its middle part means for coupling a hub cap to cover the central pilot hole 24, these means may be provided in the form of a flange, a slot, a male-female coupling, etc. Also, as another option to hide the central pilot hole 24 of the base wheel 20, the stylized cover 40 can be designed in such a way as to completely cover said central pilot hole 24 of the base wheel 20, this is shown particularly in Figure 3, where a slinged cover 40 is shown, which has the valve orifice. 41, the holes for studs 42, and the ventilation holes 43, however, the tire cover 40 of Figure 3 lacks a central pilot hole, which represents the advantage of obtaining another family of designs, since as shown in FIG. illustrated in Figure 3, the stylized cover 40 includes spokes 45 extending from the central part of the stylized cover 40 to the perimeter edge thereof, as seen the spokes 45 increase the attractiveness of the stylized cover 40. Now, it is important to speak of the materials with which the splinted cover 40 of the first embodiment is manufactured, the stylized cover 40 is made of a thermoformable polymer selected from the group qu and comprises bisphenol A polycarbonate, polycarbonate copolymers of bisphenol A, polyamide, phenylene polyoxide or a mixture thereof. Preferably, the stylized cover is manufactured from a polycarbonate sheet of bisphenol A or its copolymers, which on the market can be found under the trade names of Xllex® and Lexan®, more preferably a sheet of Lexan® is used. of the SLX series. Similarly, the stylized cover 40 can be made with a sheet of a mixture of polyamide and phenylene polyoxide, which is known on the market under the trade name Noryl®. The stylized cover made with such thermoformable polymers can be any color or well be transparent. At this point, in an alternating embodiment, the stylized cover 40 made of such thermoformable polymers is transparent and is coated on either of its faces with a paint layer, more preferably, a chrome-colored paint. From the optical point of view, when the stylized cover 40 is made of bisphenol A polycarbonate or its copolymers has excellent optical properties, particularly it does not allow the color of the paint to be distorted when a user observes in the direction of the decorated wheel 10, something that for those skilled in the art is known as "Haze", which is a measure of the amount of perpendicular light transmission that is lost due to the scattering of light within the stylized cover. While the Haze index is lower, the stylized cover will have better optical properties, preferably the stylized cover has a haze index of less than 1.0% measured under the ASTM D1003 standard. Another outstanding optical property of the stylized cover 40 when made of bisphenol A polycarbonate or its copolymers is that the transmission of light therein is excellent, generally the stylized cover transmits from about 80% to about 90% of the visible light measured under the ASTM D 1003 standard and is almost opaque to ultraviolet light, which is an outstanding property to protect the paint from the stylized cover against the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Likewise, the stylized cover 40 when manufactured from polycarbonate of bisphenol A or its copolymers has an exceptional brightness, at this point the brightness of some surface is associated with the capacity of said surface to reflect light more in some directions than in others, preferably the stylized cover has brightness values greater than 100 measured at 60 ° inclination with a brightness meter according to ASTM D 523.

Regarding the mechanical properties of the stylized cover made of polycarbonate of bisphenol A or its copolymers, it has a tensile strength to the yield point of about 30 to about 80 N / m 2, a tensile strength to the break of about 20 to about 70 N / m2, an elongation at break of about 60 to about 200, and a tensile modulus of about 500 to about 2500 N / m2, all of these parameters measured under ASTM D882.

The mechanical properties and, especially the optical properties mentioned above, make the stylized cover to be considered to have an "A" class finish, with a minimum life of ten years. This type of finish as mentioned above is preferred by the automotive industry. Now, reference is made to figure 4, in order to describe a little more the structural characteristics of the covered cover 40 which keeps it with respect to the base wheel 20 and the intermediate layer 30 of the low density polymer. In this figure, it can be seen that the stylized cover 40 contacts the base wheel 20 around the edges of: the valve hole 25, the bolt holes 26, the ventilation holes 27, and the central pilot hole 24 of the base wheel 20, this has the advantage that the intermediate layer 30 of the low density polymer is encapsulated between the base wheel 20 and the outer face of the stylized cover 40, consequently a user can only observe the covered cover 40. This contact relationship between the shifter cover 40 and the base wheel 20 has additional belts during the manufacturing process of the wheel, which will be explained later. On the other hand, in Figure 5, a side and exploded perspective view of a decorated wheel 10 'with a stylized cover, constructed according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this second embodiment, it can be seen that the decorated wheel 10 'has as essential elements, the base wheel 20 where a tire 50 is mounted, the intermediate layer 30 of the low density polymer and a stylized cover 40'. This second embodiment has the characteristic that the stylized cover 40 'is made of stainless steel, preferably with a mirror grade finish on its surface, which naturally represents a wheel very llamaliva for the consumer. The base wheel 20 has a valve hole 25, ventilation holes 27 and a mounting seat cavity 28 that includes bolt holes 26 and a centre pilot hole 24. In turn, the intermediate layer 30 of the low density polymer it has a valve hole 31, bolt holes 32, vent holes 33 and a central pilot hole 34. Of these, the valve orifice 31, the bolt holes 32 and the central pilot hole 34 are concentrically aligned with each other. those corresponding holes provided in the base wheel 20, that is, the valve orifice 25, the holes for bolts 26 and the central pilot hole 24. Around the ventilation holes 33 these are connected to the ventilation holes 27 of the base wheel 20, to allow air flow to the vehicle's brakes. As seen, the stylized stainless steel cover 40 'has a valve orifice 41 concentrically aligned with the valve orifice 25 of the base wheel 20; gripping holes 42 concentrically aligned with the bolt holes 26 of the base wheel 20; vent holes 43 connected to those ventilation holes 27 provided in the base wheel 20, as well as a central pilot hole 44 aligned with the central pilot hole 24 of the base wheel 20. In the stylized cover 40 ', the holes of 43 ventilation have a stylized shape according to a pre-set design, additionally, rays 45 running from the central part of the stylized cover 40 'to the perimeter edge thereof are seen, this represents a high attractive for the consumers. Once again, in this second embodiment, the base wheel 20 is preferably made of steel which, as observed, has a very poor surface design. At this point, the improvement in the appearance of the base wheel 20 that is achieved by the stylized cover 40 'is evident thanks to its design. Reference is now made to Figure 6, where a schematic diagram of the steps of the manufacturing process 100 of the wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover of the present invention is shown, the procedure begins with step 110 where a base wheel is provided 20 having an outer face with a valve orifice, holes for studs, a set-up seat cavity including vent holes and a central pilot hole, which have been described above. Preferably, the base wheel provided in this first step 120 is a steel wheel, but as mentioned, wheels made of other metals, such as aluminum or magnesium, can be provided. In figure 6, it is observed that independently of step 110, there is a forming step 120 where, from a sheet 46, a covered layer is formed 40 according to a pre-established design. Preferably, the sheet 46 is a sheet of stainless steel or a fermoformable polymer that is selected from the group comprising polycarbonate of bisphenol A, polycarbonate copolymers of bisphenol A, polyamide, phenylene polyoxide or a mixture thereof, more preferably, the sheet 46 is a polycarbonate sheet of bisphenol A or its copolymers. In the forming step 120, a valve hole, holes for studs, ventilation holes, and, optionally, a central pilot hole are formed on the stylized cover 40. Preferably, in the forming step 120 a sheet 46 of any of said thermoformable polymers is used, which is fed to a thermoforming mold which by heat and pressure forms the stylized cover 40 in the thermoformable polymer sheet, once that the sheet has been thermoformed, it is cut to separate the stylized cover 40 from the rest of the sheet. The thermoforming mold is designed in such a way that on forming the sheet 46 the valve orifice, the holes for studs, the ventilation holes and, depending on the design, optionally form the central pilot hole in said cover 40 is formed. On the other hand, in the forming step 120, the stylized cover 40 is also obtained from a stainless steel sheet which is subjected to a stamping operation.

Now, in the procedure illustrated in FIG. 6, the embodiment of step 130 corresponding to the application of a low density polymer can be observed 60 on the outer face of the base wheel 20, in this application step 130, the low density polymer 60 is applied uniformly manually or by automatic injectors on the external face of the base wheel. Once the low density polymer has been applied, the assembly step 140 is carried out, wherein the stylized cover 40 obtained in the forming step 120 is assembled on the outer face of the base wheel 20, this assembly is carried out at hand or using mechanical robots. When assembling the splined cover 40 on the base wheel 20, the holes for studs and the valve orifice of the spherical cover align concentrically with the corresponding holes of the base wheel 20; also when assembling the stylized cover 40 on the base wheel 20; the stylized cover 40 should make contact around the edges of the valve hole, the holes for bolts, the ventilation holes and the central pilot hole of the base wheel, so that the tire covered with the base wheel forms a closed chamber that prevents leakage of the low density polymer. Subsequently, in the expansion and curing stage 150, the stylized cover is pressed against the base wheel 20 for a sufficient time in order for the polymer to expand and cure. During expansion, the polymer fills the closed chamber formed between the stylized cover 40 and the base wheel 20, furthermore, in this expansion and curing stage 150 the polymer adheres both to the outer face of the base wheel, as well as to the Silyred cover. Once the expansion and curing stage 150 is finished, the stylized cover is no longer pressed and the decorated wheel 10 of the present invention is obtained. Referring now to Figure 7, there is shown a block diagram of a procedure 100 'for the manufacture of a wheel decorated with a permanent stylized cover according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the manufacturing process 100"all the steps of the process of FIG. 6 are carried out, that is to say, in the manufacturing process 100 'the following are carried out: the step 110 where a base wheel 20 is provided, the training step 120 where from a sheet 46 a stylized cover 40 is formed, the application step 130 where a low density polymer 60 is applied uniformly on the base wheel 20; an assembly step 140 where the stylized cover 40 is assembled on the base wheel 20, forming a closed chamber that prevents the low density polymer from leaking through the different holes that the base wheel has; and the expansion and curing step 150 where the low density polymer expands and cures. However, it is important to point out that in the manufacturing process 100 'of Figure 7, the sheet 46 that is provided in the forming step 120, is a sheet of a thermoformable polymer that is transparent, consequently, after this step of 120, the manufacturing process 100 'of this first embodiment additionally comprises a painting step 160, wherein a layer of a paint 70 is applied on any of the faces of said spillway 40, that is, the inner face or external face At this point, the pin 70 used in step 160 is preferably a chrome-colored paint, giving a finish to the stylized cover that is desired by many consumers. Particularly, it is important to mention that the surface of the stylized cover does not need to be coated with a primer, as is usually the case in the prior art, which represented an advantage in cost and time. Finally, reference is made to FIG. 8, which shows a second embodiment of the manufacturing process of the present invention, now identified with the number 100", as illustrated in said manufacturing process 100", the essential steps shown in figure 6 are performed. However, in the stage 120 of the manufacturing process 120 of FIG. 8, the coated cover is formed in the manner provided with closed recesses instead of the holes provided in the forming step 120 of the method of FIG. 6, in FIG. few words, the sheet has no opening or any hole, then, in the manufacturing process 100", the application step 130 of the polymer is carried out. e low density; the assembly step 140 for placing the stylized cover on the base wheel 20, as well as the stage 150 where the low density polymer expands and cures; after this step 150, the manufacturing process 100"comprises the realization of a cutting step 170, which consists of cutting the closed recesses of the stylized cover 40 in order to form the valve orifice, the holes for studs, the holes for ventilation, and depending on the design, the central pilot hole in the covered deck, cutting edge 170, is carried out using routers, tools for swaging, simple or combined ices and laser cutters, these tools and equipment cut and drill said recesses to finally obtain the decorated wheel 10. In this second embodiment of the manufacturing process, the closed recesses of the stylized cover represent additional points of support for pressing the cover against the base wheel in the expansion and curing stage 150 of the low density polymer, thus avoiding the leakage of the expandable polymer, in accordance with the above described, s You can see that the wheel decorated with a tire cover has been devised to improve the appearance of those wheels that by themselves do not have an appearance attractive enough for consumers, and it will be evident to any expert in the field that the description of certain The embodiments of the decorated wheel illustrated in the attached drawings are only illustrative but not limitative of the present invention, since it is possible to make certain modifications in its details but without departing from the true scope of the invention. For example, the particular design of the stylized cover can be varied, different low density polymers can be used in the intermediate layer, therefore, the present invention should not be considered as restricted except for what is required by the prior art, as well as by the appended claims.

Claims (28)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS 1.- A wheel decorated with a permanent stylized cover, characterized in that it comprises: a) a base wheel having an external face and being provided with: i) a valve orifice; ii) ventilation holes; and, iii) a mounting seat cavity including holes for studs and a central pilot hole; b) an intermediate layer of a low density, expandable polymer adhered to the outer face of the wheel and covering it; the intermediate layer having: i) a valve orifice concentrically aligned with the valve orifice of the base wheel; ii) holes for studs concentrically aligned with those holes for studs of the base wheel; iii) ventilation holes that connect to the ventilation holes of the base wheel; and, optionally, iv) a central pilot hole concentrically aligned with the central pilot hole of the base wheel; and c) a covered cover with an infernal side and an outer side; said stylized cover being adhered to and covering said intermediate layer, the stylized cover having a shape, color and gloss according to a pre-established design and being provided with: i) a valve orifice concentrically aligned with the valve orifice of the valve; base wheel; ii) holes for bolts concentrically aligned with the bolt holes of the base wheel; iii) ventilation holes that connect to the ventilation holes of the base wheel and that have a shape according to said pre-established design; the stylized cover optionally covering the central pilot hole of the base wheel where, when a user observes in the direction of the wheel, he perceives only the outer face of said stylized cover, said base wheel being hidden as well as said intermediate layer .
2. 2. - A wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, according to claim 1, further characterized in that said stylized cover makes contact with said base wheel around the edges of the valve orifice, the holes for bolts, the ventilation holes, and the central pilot hole of said base wheel; whereby the intermediate layer of the low density polymer is encapsulated between said base wheel and the inner face of said polished cover.
3. 3. A wheel decorated with a stylized cover, according to claim 1, further characterized in that said stylized cover is made of a thermoformable polymer that is selected from the group comprising bisphenol A polycarbonate, polycarbonate copolymers of bisphenol A, polyamide , phenylene polyoxide and mixtures thereof, the cover being sterilized being of any color or transparent.
4. 4. A wheel decorated with a permanent stylized cover, according to claim 3, further characterized in that said stylized cover made of said thermoformable polymers is transparent and is coated with a paint layer on any of its faces.
5. 5. A wheel decorated with a permanent stylized cover, in accordance with claim 4, further characterized in that the paint is a chrome-colored paint.
6. 6. A wheel decorated with a permanent stylized cover, in accordance with claim 3, further characterized in that said stylized cover is made of polycarbonate of bisphenol A or copolymers thereof.
7. 7. A wheel decorated with a permanent stylized cover, in accordance with claim 6, further characterized in that the stylized polycarbonate cover of bisphenol A or its copolymers has a haze index of less than 1.0% measured under ASTM D1003; transmits 80% to 90% of visible light measured under ASTM D 1003; has brightness values greater than 100 measured at 60 ° inclination with a brightness meter according to ASTM D 523; and, under the ASTM D882 standard, said stylized cover has: a tension resistance to the yield point of 30 to 80 N / m2, a tensile strength to the break of 20 to 70 N / m2; an elongation at break of 60 to 200%; and a voltage module from 500 to 2500 N / m2.
8. 8. A wheel decorated with a permanent stylized cover, in accordance with claim 1, further characterized, because said stylized cover is made of stainless steel, which has a mirror grade finish on its surface.
9. 9. A wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, according to claim 1, further characterized in that said stylized cover includes in its middle part means for coupling a hub cap to cover the central pilot hole of the base wheel.
10. 10. A wheel decorated with a permanent cover made in accordance with claim 1, further characterized in that the design of said stylized cover includes spokes extending from the central part of the stylized cover towards the perimetral edge thereof.
11. 11. A wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, according to claim 1, further characterized in that said base wheel is made of a metal or metal alloy that is selected from the group comprising steel, aluminum, magnesium and alloys thereof .
12. 12. A wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, according to claim 11, further characterized in that said base wheel is made of steel.
13. 13. A wheel decorated with a permanent stylized cover, according to claim 1, further characterized in that said low density polymer with which said intermediate layer is manufactured is selected from the group of polymers comprising polyurethane, polypropylene and polystyrene.
14. 14. - A wheel decorated with a permanent stylized cover, according to claim 13, further characterized in that the intermediate layer is made of polyurethane of a density of 30 kg / m3 to 150 kg / m3.
15. 15. A wheel decorated with a permanent stylized cover, according to claim 14, further characterized in that the intermediate layer is made of polyurethane with a density of 80 kg / m3 to 120 kg / m3.
16. 16. A method for manufacturing a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover as defined in claim 1, the method being characterized in that it comprises the steps of: a) providing a base wheel having an external face and further ) a hole for valve, ii) ventilation holes; and, i) a mounting seat cavity including holes for studs and a central pilot hole b) separately forming a stylized cover with an outer face and an inner face, the cover having a shape, color and gloss in accordance with a pre-established design; In this case, a stylized cover is formed on the stylized cover: i) a valve hole; ii) holes for studs, iii) ventilation holes; and, depending on the design, optionally iv) a central pilot hole; c) uniformly apply a low density and expandable polymer on the outer face of the base wheel; d) assembling said stylized cover on the outer face of the base wheel, wherein the valve orifice and the stud holes of the cover are aligned concentrically with the corresponding holes of said base wheel, while the ventilation holes of the The stylized cover connects to the ventilation holes of the base wheel, where the stylized cover also makes contact with the base wheel around the edges of the valve hole, the holes for bolts, the ventilation holes and the central pilot hole of the valve. the base wheel, in such a way that the cover made June with the base wheel forms a closed chamber that prevented leakage of the expandable polymer; e) expanding and curing the low density polymer by keeping the stylized cover pressed against the base wheel, so that as the polymer expands and cures, the polymer fills the closed chamber and adheres to the outer side of the polymer. wheel, as well as the stylized cover; whereupon, once the low density polymer has cured, the pressure on the stylized cover is removed, thus obtaining the decorated wheel.
17. 17. A process for the manufacture of a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, according to claim 16, further characterized in that in step (a), the base wheel is a steel wheel.
18. 18. A process for the manufacture of a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, according to claim 16, further characterized in that in the forming step (b), the stylized cover is formed from a sheet of a polymer thermoformable which is selected from the group comprising bisphenol A polycarbonate, polycarbonate copolymers of bisphenol A, polyamide, phenylene poloxide and mixtures thereof; where the cover is of any color or transparent.
19. 19. A process for the manufacture of a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, according to claim 18, further characterized in that said thermoformable polymer is bisphenol A polycarbonate or its copolymers.
20. 20. A method for manufacturing a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, according to claim 18, further characterized in that in the forming step (b) the sheet of the thermoformable polymer is fed to a thermoforming mold which by heat and pressure forms said stylized cover, once the sheet has been thermoformed, it is cut to separate the laminated cover from the sheet.
21. 21. - A process for the manufacture of a wheel decorated with a permanent cover, in accordance with claim 20, further characterized in that in the forming part (b) the thermoforming mold is designed in such a way that when thermoforming the polymer sheet Thermoformable the valve orifice, the holes for studs, the ventilation holes and, optionally, the central pilot hole in said cover are formed.
22. 22. A process for the manufacture of a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, in accordance with claim 16, further characterized in that in the forming step (b), the covered tire is formed from a sheet of stainless steel which undergoes a stamping operation.
23. 23. A process for manufacturing a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, in accordance with claim 16, further characterized, because in the application stage (c), the low density polymer is applied manually or by injection automatic on the outer face of the base wheel.
24. 24. A method for manufacturing a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, in accordance with claim 16, further characterized, because in the assembly step (d), said stylized cover is assembled by hand or by mechanical robots.
25. 25. A method for manufacturing a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, according to claim 18, further characterized in that in the forming step (b), the sheet of the thermoformable polymer is transparent, and after performing said step ( b), the method comprises an additional step which is a painting stage (f), wherein a layer of paint is applied to any of the sides of said stylized cover.
26. 26.- A process for the manufacture of a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, in accordance with claim 25, further characterized in that in the painting step (f), the paint layer applied is a chrome-colored paint .
27. 27. A method for manufacturing a wheel decorated with a stylized permanent cover, in accordance with claim 16, further characterized in that in the forming step (b), the stylized cover is provided with closed recesses instead of the hole for valve, the holes for studs, the ventilation holes and the central pilot hole, subsequently, the application layer (c) of the low density polymer, the assembly stage (d) of the stylized cover on the base wheel is made , as well as the expansion and curing step (e) of the low density polymer; and iras said step (e), in the process a cutting step (g) is carried out which consists of cutting the closed recesses of the covered cover in order to form the valve orifice, the holes for bolts, the ventilation openings, and, optionally, the central pilot hole in said cover.
28. 28.- A process for the manufacture of a wheel decorated with a permanent cover made in accordance with claim 27, further characterized in that the cutting edge (g) is carried out using routers, smo simple or combination urochels. and laser cutters to cut and puncture said recesses.