JP2002054686A - Wheel balance weight - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a wheel balance weight integrally comprising a clip member and a weight body to be fixable to a rim portion without damaging the wheel when locking it to the rim portion. SOLUTION: The wheel balance weight 1 comprises a weight body 2 of bar-shaped metal and a clip member 3 of a metal plate with one end fixed to the weight body 2 and the other grippingly locked on-the perimeter of a rim portion of a wheel. The clip member 3 has cutouts 4 at regions between the weight body 2 locking region and the rim portion locking region. The cutouts 4 reduce the rigidity of the clip member 3 to reduce the load at which the weight body 2 is fixed to the rim portion. Damage to the wheel is thus significantly reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wheel balance weight mounted on a rim of a vehicle for mounting a tire on a rim so as to provide a weight balance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a wheel assembly in which a tire of an automobile or the like is mounted on a rim, if the mass imbalance in the circumferential direction around the rotation axis of the wheel assembly and the mass imbalance in the rotation axis direction increase, the rotation direction of the steering wheel increases. This causes a problem such as vibration of the body or vertical vibration of the body or seat called a shake. The vibrations and noise generated during traveling are caused by the imbalance of the wheel assembly.To cancel the imbalance, measure the imbalance of the wheel assembly with a dedicated measuring machine, and balance the wheel assembly to cancel it. A fix has been made by attaching weights to the wheels.

A conventional wheel balance weight is one in which a weight body made of lead or a lead alloy and adjusted to a predetermined weight in advance and a clip member for fixing the weight body to a wheel are integrally cast. The lead or lead alloy used for the weight body has been selected because it has a large specific gravity and is easily adaptable to the curved surface of the tire wheel.

However, since a lead-based material has a problem such as a load on a natural environment, a wheel balance weight using a weight body as an iron-based material has been developed. Specifically, a wheel balance comprising an iron weight body and a clip member made of a steel plate having one end fixed to the weight body and the other end bent to sandwich the peripheral edge of the rim of the wheel. Weight.

[0005] As such a wheel balance weight, for example, registered utility model publication No. 3046046
No., registered utility model publication 3057630. This balance weight is formed by fixing a clip member formed by bending a spring steel plate with a rivet to a weight body formed of cast iron or the like.

A balance weight described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 62-70001 is a weight body having a clip member having a through hole at one end joined to the weight body and a concave groove having a projection formed on the bottom surface. The head of the projection is fixed by caulking with the projection of the weight body penetrating the through hole of the clip member.

[0007]

However, when the above-mentioned iron-based material is used for the weight main body, the hardness of the weight main body is high and the rigidity of the clip member is high unlike the soft material such as lead, so that the wheel balance weight is required. With a hammer when attaching to the rim of the wheel,
There has been a problem that the corner of the end face of the weight body that comes into contact with the wheel damages the wheel.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when a wheel balance weight, in which a clip member and a weight body are integrated, is locked to a rim, the wheel is fixed to the rim without damaging the wheel. It is an object to provide a wheel balance weight that can be used.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present inventors have repeatedly studied the shapes of the clip member and the weight main body. As a result, when the wheel balance weight is mounted on the rim portion, the wheel is damaged. The present inventors have found that a wheel balance weight that can be mounted without generation and that has improved mounting workability can be obtained, and the present invention has been completed.

The wheel balance weight according to the present invention is a metal weight body made of a rod and a metal plate having one end fixed to the weight body and the other end locked so as to sandwich the peripheral edge of the rim of the wheel. A wheel balance weight comprising a clip member, wherein the clip member is
A notch is provided in a portion between the weight body locking portion and the rim portion locking portion, and the notch reduces the rigidity of the clip member to fix the weight body to the rim. The load is reduced.

In the weight main body, at least both end corners of a surface in contact with a lower end side in contact with the wheel are formed in an arc-shaped cross section.

[0012] The opposing portions of the clip member on the side of the weight main body locking portion and the rim portion locking portion side facing the clip member and the weight main body are held with a gap without contacting each other, and the rim portion of the wheel balance weight is provided. The impact at the time of mounting on the clip member is suppressed by utilizing the elastic deformation of the clip member.

[0013] The clip member has a notch at a position between the weight body locking portion and the rim portion locking portion, and the weight body has at least both ends on a lower end side of a surface in contact with the wheel. It is preferable that the corner portion is formed in an arc shape in cross section.

The clip member has a notch at a position between the weight body locking portion and the rim portion locking portion, and the clip member has a notch portion extending from the weight body locking portion to the rim portion locking portion. It is preferable that opposing portions of the clip member and the weight body on the side are held with a gap without contacting each other.

[0015] The weight main body may be arranged such that at least a corner portion at a lower end of a surface in contact with the wheel is formed in an arc-shaped cross section from the weight main body locking portion to the rim portion locking portion side of the clip member. It is preferable that opposing portions of the clip member and the weight main body are held with a gap without contacting each other.

The clip member has a notch at a portion between the weight body locking portion and the rim portion locking portion, and the weight body has at least both ends on a lower end side of a surface in contact with the wheel. The corner portion is formed in an arcuate cross section, and the clip member and the weight body facing the rim portion locking portion side from the weight body locking portion of the clip member are held with a gap without contacting each other. Is preferred.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A wheel balance weight according to the present invention comprises a weight body and a clip member. The weight body is in the form of a metal rod, and the clip member is in the form of a metal plate, one end of which is fixed and the other end of which is locked so as to sandwich the peripheral edge of the rim of the wheel.

This clip member is formed by bending a metal plate into a substantially U-shape by press molding, and has high rigidity. The U-shaped portion is mounted on the rim portion by, for example, hammering. I have. The force applied at this time causes the end of the weight main body, which is locked to the clip member, to come into heavy contact with the wheel, so that the wheel is easily damaged. In particular, when the weight of the weight main body increases, the occurrence of scratches becomes remarkable. Therefore, in order to reduce the rigidity of the clip member and reduce the impact force at the time of mounting on the rim portion to facilitate the mounting, a locking portion of the clip member with the weight body,
A notch is provided in a portion between the wheel and the rim portion locking portion. By forming this notch, the rigidity of the metal plate clip member can be reduced to a desired degree, and the load required for mounting and fixing to the rim can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to improve the workability of mounting the wheel balance weight, and to reduce scratches that easily occur on the wheel. In particular, in the case of an aluminum wheel, the use of the wheel balance weight of the present invention makes it possible for the aluminum wheel, which is softer than iron, to have scratches generated on the wheel at a level of 1/4 or less of the case where the clip member has no notch. Can be reduced to

The shape of the notch provided on the clip member is not particularly limited, but may be a notch having a U-shape, an arc shape, or the like, which can be easily formed. Further, it is preferable that the depth of the notch reduces the rigidity of the clip member to a desired degree. Specifically, it is desirable to make the cutout about 1/5 to 2/5 of the width of the clip member.

Further, the portion provided with the cutout portion is intended to adjust the rigidity of the clip member, and is provided at the side end of the neck portion between the weight body locking portion and the rim portion locking portion. It is preferable to provide a pair at the symmetrical positions of the portions in order to balance the rigidity of the clip member at the time of mounting.

The clip member is integrated as a wheel balance weight by locking the weight main body at a predetermined position through well-known joining means such as rivets and positioning grooves provided in the weight main body.

The weight body is formed of a bar-shaped iron material, and when mounted on the rim of the wheel, the corners are apt to damage the wheel. It is preferable to use it after processing it into an arc shape. Further, it is desirable that the corners of the ridgeline at the lower end of the weight body are also rounded.

In particular, it is preferable that the corner portion of the lower end surface of the weight main body that comes into contact with the wheel is rounded by dropping the corner. It is preferable that the roundness of the corner portion of the lower end surface is an arc-shaped section having a radius of curvature of 0.5 mm or more.
If the radius of curvature is less than 0.5 mm, the occurrence of scratches on the wheel due to the weight main body cannot be reduced, which is not preferable.
A more preferable radius of curvature is 1.0 to 4.0 mm.

Further, the end face of the weight main body has an arc-shaped cross section,
Furthermore, by making it spherical, the end surface corners of the iron weight main body can reduce the aggressiveness to the wheel, and the occurrence of scratches on the wheel can be suppressed.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the opposing portions of the clip member and the weight main body on the side of the rim portion locking region from the weight main body locking region of the clip member are formed with a gap without being in contact with each other. By providing this gap, the clip member elastically deforms and swings when mounted on the rim portion, thereby alleviating the impact force applied to the wheel by the weight body and suppressing the occurrence of scratches on the wheel surface. Becomes possible. By making a cut in the clip member, providing a gap between the weight body and the clip member, and performing rounding on the corner of the lower end surface of the weight body, it is possible to reduce the impact force applied when mounting the wheel. Also, the mounting of the wheel balance weight becomes easy. As a result, generation of scratches on the wheel can be suppressed.

The wheel balance weight according to the present invention may have a combined configuration as described below.

The clip member has the notch, and at least both corners of a surface of the lower end surface of the weight body which is in contact with the wheel are formed in an arc-shaped cross section.

[0028] The clip member has the cutout portion, and opposing portions of the clip member and the weight body on the side of the rim portion locking portion from the weight body locking portion of the clip member are in contact with each other. Without gaps.

[0029] At least both corners of a surface of the lower end surface of the weight body which is in contact with the wheel are formed in an arc-shaped cross section, and the clip member has a portion from the weight body locking portion to the rim portion locking portion. The opposing portions of the clip member and the weight main body on the side are held with a gap without contacting each other.

The configuration includes all of the three requirements of the notch, the arc-shaped cross section of the corner of the weight main body, and the provision of a gap at the opposing portion between the weight main body and the clip member.

With any of the above structures, the wheel balance weight can be mounted without further damaging the wheel.

The weight body of the present invention adjusts the amount of weight and can be formed of steel or the like. This weight body can be manufactured by cutting a wire having a constant cross section to a predetermined length and then performing cold forging. The weight body is preferably an iron weight.

The clip member is formed by bending a metal plate by press molding. The clip member has one end fixed to the weight main body and the other end curved into an arc shape in cross section so as to sandwich the peripheral edge of the rim. The metal plate of the clip member is preferably a steel plate. Further, it is preferable that the clip member is made of a steel plate and quenched to impart spring properties.

The wheel balance weight of the present invention preferably has a coating layer on its surface. By having the coating layer, it is possible to prevent the wheel balance weight from being deteriorated due to rust or the like. Specific examples of the coating layer include a zinc chromate coating.

The wheel balance weight of the present invention is configured such that one end of a clip member formed by bending a metal plate by press molding or the like is joined to the weight body, and the other end can be mounted on the rim of the wheel. It can be manufactured by bending.

[0036]

The present invention will be described below with reference to examples. In addition, the clip member in this embodiment is a steel plate (SK7,
SK6, SK5, S60CM, S65CM and their equivalents) are punched into a predetermined shape, press-formed, bent, and heat-treated. Weight body is steel bar (SS400, S10C and their equivalents)
Is cut to a predetermined length and then subjected to a cold forging process. The wheel balance weights of the examples are subjected to a surface treatment such as a zinc chromate treatment, a dacroidized (registered trademark) treatment, and a silver powder coating.
Further, the wheel balance weight of the embodiment has a small hole that opens in the curved portion of the clip member to facilitate attachment and detachment.

(Embodiment 1) This embodiment is a front view of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a wheel balance weight 1 shown in a bottom view of FIG. 2 and a center cross-sectional view of FIG. 3. The wheel balance weight 1 is formed in a metal plate shape having one end joined to the weight main body 2 by rivets and one end joined to the weight main body 2 with a rivet sandwiching a peripheral edge of a rim portion of the wheel. The clip member 3 has a substantially U-shape. The clip member 3 is caulked with a positioning groove (not shown) of the weight main body 2 and a rivet for fixing, and a surface in contact with the wheel is formed in a planar shape.

As shown in FIG. 1, the metal plate of the clip member 3 has a U-shaped notch 4 (clip) at a position above the joint with the weight body 2 and below the engaging portion to the wheel. (Corresponding to about 30% of the width of the member). The cutout 4 can reduce the rigidity of the clip member 3 itself. As a result, it is possible to reduce the impact force when driving the wheel balance weight with a hammer at the time of mounting to the wheel and to facilitate the mounting operation.

As shown in the bottom view of FIG. 2, the weight main body 2 is formed in such a manner that the corner portions 5 at both ends on the side to be mounted in contact with the wheel are formed into a circular arc shape with a curvature R = 2.5. .
For this reason, it is possible to drastically reduce scratches generated on the wheel surface due to the corners of the end surface 5 of the iron weight body 2 due to the impact force when the wheel balance weight is mounted.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the gap between the clip body 3 and the weight body 2 on the side of the clip body 3 where the clip body 3 is locked and the weight body 2 is not in contact with each other. Is provided. As shown in the exploded view of FIG. 3A, the gap 6 is formed such that a portion of the clip member 3 facing the weight body 2 is formed in a curved surface, and the weight body 2 is connected to the clip member 3 by caulking. As shown in FIG. 3, a gap 6 is formed in a portion where the weight body 2 faces the clip member 3. Accordingly, when the clip member 3 is mounted on the rim portion, the clip member 3 swings and is elastically deformed, so that the impact force applied to the weight main body 2 can be reduced and the impact transmitted to the wheel surface can be reduced.

The wheel balance weight of the first embodiment is
The amount of scratches generated when mounting to the wheel can be significantly reduced, and compared to the conventional clip member without a notch, the corner of the weight body is not rounded and there is no gap between the clip member and the weight body To a level less than 1/4. (Embodiment 2) This embodiment is a wheel balance weight 7 shown in the front view of FIG. Example 1 Example 1 was the same as Example 1 except that the shape of the notch was an arc-shaped notch 8.
Wheel balance weight. Notch 8
The rigidity of the material can be reduced in the same manner even with the clip member in which the shape is changed, and as in the case of Example 1, the material can be easily mounted on the rim portion, the workability is improved, and the occurrence of scratches can be significantly suppressed.

[0042]

According to the present invention, the notch is provided at a position corresponding to the neck portion between the weight main body and the rim engaging portion of the clip member, so that the rigidity of the clip member is moderately reduced. The workability of mounting the wheel balance weight has been improved. In addition, by giving the end face of the weight body round, when contacting the wheel,
The aggressiveness of the weight body to the wheel can be reduced, and the occurrence of scratches can be reduced. As a result, when the weight of the weight main body was large, the amount of scratches seen on the wheel after the wheel balance weight was attached could be significantly reduced.
It was possible to reduce the level to at least 1/4 or less as compared with the case where the conventional processing of the present invention was not performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a wheel balance weight according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a floor view of the wheel balance weight according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3A is a center sectional view of the wheel balance weight according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4B is an exploded cross-sectional view of the periphery of the caulked portion between the weight body and the clip member in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a wheel balance weight according to a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,7. 1. wheel balance weight, Weight body, 3,9. Clip member, 4,8. Notch,
5. 5. arc-shaped cross-section end of the weight body; 10. gap between the weight body and the clip member facing each other; The caulking part between the weight body and the clip member

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A wheel comprising a rod-shaped metal weight main body and a metal plate clip member having one end fixed to the weight main body and the other end locked so as to sandwich a peripheral edge of a rim portion of the wheel. A balance weight, wherein the clip member is provided with a cutout portion at a portion between the weight body locking portion and the rim portion locking portion, and the cutout portion reduces rigidity of the clip member. A wheel balance weight that reduces the load when the weight body is fixed to the rim. 2. A wheel balance weight in which the weight main body has at least both end corners on a lower end side of a surface in contact with the wheel formed in an arc-shaped cross section. 3. A portion of the clip member between the weight main body locking portion and the rim portion locking portion on the side of the clip member and the weight main body is held with a gap without being in contact with each other. A wheel balance weight that suppresses an impact at the time of attachment to a rim portion by utilizing elastic deformation of the clip member. 4. The wheel balance weight according to claim 1, wherein the weight main body is formed at least at both corners on the lower end side of a surface in contact with the wheel in an arc-shaped cross section. 5. The clip member according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the clip member on the side of the rim portion locking portion from the weight main body locking portion facing the clip member and the weight main body is held in contact with each other with a gap therebetween. The described wheel balance weight. 6. A portion of the clip member between the weight main body locking portion and the rim portion locking portion on the side of the clip member and the weight main body is held with a gap without being in contact with each other. The wheel balance weight according to claim 2, wherein an impact at the time of attachment to the rim portion is suppressed by utilizing elastic deformation of the clip member. 7. The weight body is formed at least at both corners on the lower end side of the surface in contact with the wheel in an arc-shaped cross section, and the clip member is disposed between the weight body locking portion and the rim portion locking portion. The opposing portions of the clip member and the weight main body are held with a gap without being in contact with each other, and the impact when the wheel balance weight is mounted on the rim portion is suppressed by utilizing the elastic deformation of the clip member. 2. The wheel balance weight according to 1.