Vehicle wheel attaching device

Claim 1

A vehicle wheel attaching device for removably attaching wheels to the hubs of a vehicle, comprising an adapter attachable to a hub of the vehicle, said adapter being formed generally in the shape of a top hat having a cylindrical barrel portion with a top cap and an outwardly radially extending flaring flange at top and base ends thereof, respectively, said top cap being provided with an axially inclined inwardly projecting conical dish spring surface with a central axial bolt-receiving hole therethrough, said flange being provided with a plurality of radially symmetrical stud bolt-receiving holes and a plurality of radially symmetrical torque pin clearance holes therethrough; an annular fitting plate substantially corresponding in diameter to said flange and having a central hole accommodating said cylindrical barrel portion of said adapter, said fitting plate being provided with a plurality of radially symmetrical conical taper nut-receiving holes and a plurality of radially symmetrical torque pin-receiving holes, said plurality of taper nut-receiving and torque pin receiving holes of said fitting plate corresponding in number and location with said plurality of stud bolt-receiving and torque pin clearance holes, respectively, of said adapter so as to be alignable therewith; and a center bolt provided with a threaded portion, and a head having an axially inclined contact surface having an angle of inclination less than the angle of inclination of said top cap of said adapter and a diameter greater than the diameter of said central axial bolt-receiving hole of said adapter; wherein said adapter may be mounted to a hub of the vehicle with said stud bolt-receiving holes of the adapter engaged over corresponding stud bolts of the hub and with said threaded portion of said center bolt protruding outwardly through said central axial bolt-receiving hole of the adapter such that said contact surface of said center bolt contacts an inner surface of said top cap; said fitting plate may then be mounted to the hub over said adapter with said taper nutreceiving holes engaged over corresponding stud bolts of the hub such that said fitting plate and said adapter may be clamped to the hub with taper nuts applied to the stud bolts of the hub and engaging said taper nut-receiving holes of said fitting plate; and a wheel may be then mounted onto the hub by placing the wheel onto said barrel portion of said adapter and said fitting plate, a plurality of torque pins carried by the wheel aligning with corresponding said torque pin clearance holes of said adapter and being received by corresponding said torque pin-receiving holes of said fitting plate, a center hole of the wheel being fitted onto said threaded portion of said center bolt; whereby the wheel may be then removably attached to the hub by applying a center nut to said center bolt such that tightening of said center nut on said center bolt causes said head portion of said center bolt to cause elastic deformation of said top cap of said adapter so as to maintain the wheel in a non-rigid fixed stabilized condition on said adapter, torque being transmitted from the hub successively through said stud bolts, said taper nuts, and said fitting plate to the torque pins carried by the wheel.