Combination roller coaster wheel

Abstract

Wear resistant metal ring thermally locked at a machined interface to a lightweight alloy roller coaster wheel body and method of machining and thermally locking.

1 .- 26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . A roller coaster wheel comprising:
 a one piece circular aluminum alloy wheel body with a machined outside wheel body configured to, at atmospheric temperatures, provide predetermined major and minor diameters forming a support disk of the predetermined major diameter and formed along one axial edge with an annular stop notch of the predetermined minor diameter and further formed with a single stop shoulder facing in one axial direction;   a carbon steel tread ring configured with a machined inside surface with, at atmospheric temperatures, an inside major diameter smaller than the predetermined major diameter and a reduced-in-diameter flange of a minor inside diameter smaller than the predetermined minor diameter and further include an annular abutment surface abutted against the stop shoulder.   
     
     
         28 . The roller coaster wheel of  claim 27  wherein:
 the inside surface of the tread ring is formed with the inside major diameter at atmospheric temperature tending to contract to a diameter substantially 0.182% smaller than the predetermined major diameter of the wheel. 
 
     
     
         29 . The roller coaster wheel of  claim 27  wherein:
 the tread ring is constructed of steel. 
 
     
     
         30 . The roller coaster wheel of  claim 27  wherein:
 the ring is formed with the inside minor diameter, at atmospheric temperature, tending to contract to a diameter substantially 0.182% less than the predetermined minor diameter. 
 
     
     
         31 . A roller coaster wheel comprising:
 a one piece aluminum alloy wheel body configured with, at atmospheric temperatures, an annular outside wheel body formed with predetermined major and minor outside diameters forming a support disk of the predetermined major diameter and formed along one axial edge of the support disk and annular stop notch of the predetermined minor diameter and further formed with a single stop shoulder facing in one axial direction;   a tread ring having a positive coefficient of thermal expansion and constructed of a material harder than aluminum;   the tread ring being configured with an annular inner surface formed to, at atmospheric temperatures, tend to provide an annular rim having an inside major diameter smaller than the predetermined major diameter and a reduced-in-diameter stop flange of a diameter smaller than the predetermined minor diameter and, further, formed with an annular surface abutting the stop shoulder, the inside major and minor diameters being sufficiently smaller than the respective predetermined major and minor diameters to cause the ring to, when at atmospheric pressure, lock to the wheel body.   
     
     
         32 . A combination roller coaster wheel comprising:
 a lightweight metal wheel body formed with an annular support surface of a predetermined major diameter and further configured with an annular stop notch of a predetermined minor diameter smaller than the predetermined major diameter and further formed with a single stop shoulder facing in one axial direction;   a relatively hard, wear resistant, endless metal tread ring thermally shrink fitted on the wheel body and including an annular rim pressed against the major diameter of the wheel body and a reduced in diameter stop annular flange received in the stop notch and further including an annular abutment surface abutting the stop surface.   
     
     
         33 . The combination roller coaster wheel of  claim 32  wherein:
 the wheel body is one piece. 
 
     
     
         34 . The combination roller coaster wheel of  claim 32  wherein:
 the wheel body is constructed of aluminum. 
 
     
     
         35 . The combination roller coaster wheel of  claim 32  wherein:
 the tread ring is constructed of steel. 
 
     
     
         36 . The combination roller coaster wheel of  claim 33  wherein:
 the wheel body is constructed of aluminum. 
 
     
     
         37 . The combination roller coaster wheel of  claim 33  wherein:
 the tread ring is constructed of steel. 
 
     
     
         38 . A method of making a combination roller coaster wheel including:
 selecting a light weight metal wheel body;   machining the annular outside of the wheel body to, at atmospheric temperatures, provide a predetermined diameter and an annular stop notch forming a single stop shoulder facing in one axial direction;   selecting a tread ring of a material having a positive coefficient of thermal expansion and harder than the wheel body;   machining the inside surface of the tread ring to provide, at atmospheric temperatures, a machined inside diameter defining an annular rim having an inside diameter sufficiently smaller than the predetermined diameter to, at atmospheric temperature, lock on the predetermined diameter and further forming an axially facing annular surface to, when the ring is mounted to the wheel body, abut the stop shoulder,   applying sufficient heat to the ring to expand the tread ring or removing sufficient heat from the wheel body to shrink the wheel body to render the inside diameter of the ring larger than the predetermined diameter of the wheel to establish a radial clearance between the wheel body and ring;   while maintaining the clearance, fitting the tread ring axially onto the wheel body to abut the annular surface against the stop shoulder; and   returning the wheel body and ring to atmospheric temperature to shrink fit the tread ring onto the wheel body to lock the ring to the wheel body.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38  wherein:
 the step of selecting a lightweight metal wheel body includes selecting a wheel body of aluminum. 
 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 38  wherein:
 the step of selecting the ring includes selecting a ring constructed of steel. 
 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 38  wherein:
 the step of selecting the wheel body includes selecting a wheel body constructed of 6061-T6 Aluminum. 
 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 38  wherein:
 the step of selecting the ring includes selecting the ring constructed of carbon alloy tubing per ASTM A 519.