Road Stress Resistance and Lightweight Construction of Automobile Road Wheels

The need to save energy and protect the environment requires a reduction in fuel consumption. Fuel can be saved by reducing the weight of the vehicle.

Weight reduction is only possible if the engineer possesses an exact knowledge of the stresses involved. A statistical analysis was therefore made of customer driving habits and the results were used to define test specifications.

Using the same material, a road wheel can be made 16% lighter by designing a suitable shape to improve the flux of force and the stress resistance. Changing from steel to aluminum will reduce weight by up to 50%.