Bronze Vehicle Parts, Auto Accessories and Care Products Design · 2023
Whirlpool Wheel Hub
by Changshu Institute of Technology
- A' Design Award 2023 Bronze Winner in Vehicle Parts, Auto Accessories and Care Products Design
- Awarded April 15, 2023
- CLIENT: Changshu Institute of Technology
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 33,731
- Verification code 12498853B3 · Verify this award
About Whirlpool Wheel Hub
Whirlpool is a wheel hub designed to cool brake discs. The spokes have a propeller-like shape inspired by aircraft propellers. During braking, friction between the brake pads and the brake disc raises the temperature sharply, and the high heat shortens the life of the disc. The form of Whirlpool collects the air around the wheel and guides it toward the center of the brake disc. The airflow cools the disc while the vehicle is moving. The hub is made of titanium alloy and is produced by casting and CNC machining.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Conventional wheels do not have the function of cooling the brake discs. This wheel hub has a good air diversion function, which can quickly collect the air around the wheel hub and spread to the center of the disc, which can extend the life of the brake disc by cooling.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Width 432mm x Depth 203mm x Height 432mm.
- Tags
- Wheel Hub, Whirlpool, Cool, Titanium, Brake Discs
- Production Technology
- This wheel is made of titanium alloy material, using pouring and CNC processes, taking into account the function and aesthetics of the product.
- Design Challenge
- How to use the knowledge of fluid mechanics to cool high-speed air vortex and high-temperature brake discs is the most tuned part of the entire design. Through continuous testing, the design team finally found a more ideal wheel shape.
- Project Duration
- The project started in October 2022 in Changshu and finished in December 2022 in Changshu
- Operation Flow
- The spokes of this hub are made of a propeller-like structure. When running at high speeds, the hub can cool the high temperatures caused by braking by drawing in air.
- Research
- The research of this project is mainly to understand the defects of the product through literature reading, and to evaluate and test the 3D model virtually through the evaluation module in Alias software.
- Inspiration
- When the car brakes, the temperature of the brake disc rises sharply due to the high-speed friction of the brake disc by the brake pad, which will greatly affect the life of the brake disc. So our team wanted to design a hub that could cool the brake disc when braking. The design of the wheels is inspired by the propellers of an aircraft.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Creator Liao Guoxin, Wheel, 2022.