Wheels made with custom fiber lay-up preforming technology and resin transfer molding are available for select vehicles after passing rigorous laboratory and outdoor testing.
ESE Carbon Corporation of the United States (hereinafter referred to as ESE) has launched its one-piece carbon fiber composite wheel E2 developed for automotive aftermarket applications. The initial E2 wheel includes a 19-inch x 8.5-inch product for the Tesla Model S and Model 3, and Subaru WRX STI.
Produced using custom fiber placement (TFP) and high-pressure resin transfer molding (RTM) molding processes, the wheel is a lightweight, high-performance one-piece wheel. ESE has now completed the transition from the original autoclave process to an improved RTM process using heated molds. According to reports, this improved RTM process requires preheating of the resin and mold, and precise control of the resin flow during the infiltration process. In order to improve the output and mechanical properties of the wheel, the TFP stitching process has also been improved. For the market-ready E2 wheels, the company also made some small changes to the layup, improving the consistency of the layup, the appearance and the wheel's test performance, and finished with a clear coat solution. Mounting hardware has also been refined, improving the torque retention of the lugs. The wheel was developed and tested over a period of 4 years and finally passed the rigorous fatigue and shock tests set by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Recommended Specifications for Wheels.
According to ESE Corporation and its recently published white paper, SAE-recommended specifications such as SAE J328 for wheels, SAE J2530 for aftermarket wheels, SAE J2562 for dual axle wheels, and SAE J175 for road vehicle wheels were originally developed for Designed to test conventional metal wheels. During development, ESE performed rigorous engineering analysis and testing of the wheel, allowing its E2 wheels to pass all SAE testing requirements.
SAE's newly developed recommendation for fiber-reinforced composite wheels, SAE J3204, makes the recommendation for metal wheels applicable to composite wheels, and it puts forward new requirements, such as strength reduction factors (SRFs), maximum Operating temperature test and conductivity test.
ESE highlights that its E2 wheels have also been shown to survive impacts in extremely low temperatures, exceeding these specification requirements. The company conducted its own independent laboratory tests, testing the impact from curbs and potholes at -40°C. The company says its specially developed rim, designed with a high percentage of carbon fiber in a circumferential orientation, maximizes hoop strength, making the wheel completely unaffected by low temperatures. This hoop strength is said to be sufficient to make the hoop layup nearly insensitive to low temperatures.
"We've engineered a very strong rim. Based on the excellent strength-to-weight ratio of carbon fiber composites, we can also increase the rim size to further increase the impact strength without worrying about adding weight," explains Hayes. The TFP process allows a high volume percentage of fiber layers to be laid down in the circumferential direction.
Forged wheels are complex and expensive, but have better performance. Forging adopts die extrusion, which has high efficiency. Forging has the effect of refining metal particles, and its strength is higher than that of castings. But the manufacturing cost of the mold is high, so forging is only suitable for mass production.
Forging is currently the most advanced method of manufacturing aluminum wheels. Forged aluminum alloy wheel hub is to repeatedly forge the aluminum ingot in a hot state with a large forging press to form a wheel hub blank under a certain pressure. After forging, the blank is subjected to spinning treatment. What this process does is stretch the width of the rim to the appropriate standard. After the spinning process, the wheel hub is basically formed, and then finished by a lathe, polished and painted to obtain the finished aluminum alloy wheel.
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