17-04-2012, 01:21 PM
Aluminum Alloy Wheel Making Plant
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Introduction
The steel wheel is a mechanical device, which provides rotary motion by means of a disk or circular frame revolving on an axis. The steel wheel can be used in heavy load and traction services. The size and contour of a specific wheel design is based on the load it must carry and the space limitations of the equipment on which it is used. The contour of the wheel is normally composed compose of five parts: the hub, plate, rim, tread and flange. Classifications based on the service to which the wheels are applied are defined as: 1. Industrial car wheels for use on various cars such as those used in mining, railroads and transfer cars; 2. Crane truck wheels, for use in traveling, gantry, bridge cranes and floor-type changing and drawing machines; 3. Railroad freight car wheels, used according to their capacity and application, and 4. Heavy duty wheels, for use under railroad and electric railway cars, rapid transit passenger cars and locomotives. Most wheels for railway or industrial services are manufactured either by forming a solid block of metal by a sequence of hot forging and rolling operation, or by casting them directly from liquid metal into their final shapes.
Process Description:
The aluminum ingot is melted in the proper uniform temperature arc-type electric holding furnace. After the molten aluminum ingot has attained the desired chemical composition, it is tapped (procured) from the furnace into the top of an open bottom mold in continuous casting machine in which the casting mold has been preheated in the hydraulic die casting machine and the temperature is high enough for casting. The size and design of the casting mold should have accurate dimensions to meet the requirements of casting equipment and techniques. After the aluminum liquid solidifies, it is continuously withdrawn from the mold to produce the semi-finished, rough wheel shape.
The rough aluminum alloy wheel is then transferred to the drilling machine where the punching of the hole in the center is carried out on the press and the burr around the edge of the wheel is also trimmed out.