Manufacture of rims for the wheels of road vehicles

摘要

Apparatus for the manufacture of a rim for the wheel of a commercial load carrying or passenger service vehicle, which apparatus comprises in combination bending apparatus for bending steel strip and butt welding the edges thereof to form a cylindrical component and a plurality of press tools for converting the component into a rim wherein at least one of the press tools comprises an annular die having located within the opening thereof pressure plate adapted to ascend or descend within such opening and on which a cylindrical component to be formed into the rim is adapted to be located above the bottom of the annular die, and pressure elements mounted above the die and adapted to engage therewith through its opening in such a way as to subject the component to compressive load against the inner surface of the die whereby the contour of the die or of the die and the pressure elements is imparted to the component, wherein the pressure elements comprises a combination of upper and lower punch tools resiliently inter-connected and so formed that when the combination descends, only the lower punch tool moves in advance of the upper punch tool to provide lateral support to the component and thus prevent its buckling under the substantially vertical pressure to which it is subjected by the upper punch tool.