QC & Testing

ProX Carbon Rim QC And Testing

Quality Control and Testing are important procedures before ProX carbon rims brought to market.

Quality Control starts from top-level design, and is implemented in every process of production.

ProX carbon rim quality control

The main QC process includes:

Mold Check

Before every batch of production started, mold condition is checked, make sure the main body and lock of molds are in good condition and cleaness.

After every batch of production finished, mold is cleaned, and put in specific shelf which indicated the mold number.

Mold number indicates whether it belong to Road or MTB rim mold, as well as the height and width of rim.

Dimension Check

After each procedure finished, there will be dimension checking before it is moved to next procedure.

Such dimension checking includes rim width, height, flatness, roundness, diameter of valve hole and spoke holes, hole distance, etc.

Besides, the rim finish is checked, make sure there is no wrinkle or bubble.

Inflation Test

- Test Condition: Inflate to 140 psi air pressure,test one time.

- Test Standard:

1) Inflate to 140psi air pressure.

2) Rim parallelism ≤0.25mm with 140psi air pressure.

3) There should be no acute noise, buldge or deformation.

Inflation test is very important for carbon clincher rim, which are usually used under high tire pressure.

If inflation test passed, the structural strength and reliability of carbon rim is proven,

so the possibility of wheel failure is significantly reduced.

Inflation test is done on 100% of ProX carbon clincher rim.

Any rims do not pass this test (either occur acute noise, buldge or deformation) will be abandoned.

carbon rim inflation test

ProX Carbon Rim Inflation Test

ProX Carbon Rim Flatness <0.3mm

Rigidity Test

Rigidity is important index for carbon rim performance.

The folowing table shows: vertical rigidity test (A1), lateral rigidity test (A2) and spoke tension test (A3)

Test Condition: Apply 40kgf force, test for 3 times.

Test Position: Valve hole area, the other 2 random positions.

Test Standard: Apply 40kgf force, should be no crack on rim.

Test Result: Apply 40kgf force, max deformation=3.1,

when withdraw force to 0kgf, deformation=0mm.

Test Condition: Apply 20kgf force, test for 3 times.

Test Position: Valve hole area, the other 2 random positions.

Test Standard: Apply 20kgf force, should be no crack on rim

Test Result: Apply 20kgf force, max deformation=6.2mm,

when withdraw force to 0kgf, deformation=0mm

Test Condition: Apply 300kgf force, test 4 spoke holes.

Test Position: Valve hole position, the other 3 spoke holes.

Test Standard: Apply 300kgf force, should be no crack around holes.

Test Result: Apply 300kgf force, no crack around spoke holes.

Braking Temperature Test

- Test condition: Inflate tire to air pressure 120psi, load 100kgf, brake force 15kg, braking for 80 seconds,

release for 10 seonds, speed keep in 12.5km/h.
Braking test 10 times as one cycles, running two cycles finish the test. Total braking time is 1600 seconds.
- Test Standard: Rims are the same as original and deformation ≤0.3mm.
- Test Result: After two cycles, rim without damage, and deformation ≤0.3mm

This is the most important test for rim brake wheels. By this test, you could know well how the wheel is heat-resistant.

In the testing, the braking temperature is as high as 245 centigrade!

Braking Distance Test

- Test condition: Inflate tire to air pressure 120psi, load 100kgf , brake lever force 18kg, speed 25km/h,

single cycle keep braking until stop, test 25times.
- Test Standard: Braking distance ≤12m.
- Test Result: Test according to the test condition, average braking distance 10m.

This test reflects how the brake track and brake pads perform together.

For a good rim brake wheel, it should be high-temperataure resistant, having good braking performance

with less noise and shorter braking distance no matter in dry or wet conditions.

Impact Test

- Test condition: air pressure 28psi, special-shaped steel anvil go to impact the wheel directly from a certain height.

The impact mass of the steel anvil weighs at 22.5kg.

For XC rim, our required impact height is 408mm(energy 90 Joules).

For Trail rim, our required impact height is 454mm(energy 100 Joules).

For All Mountain, enduro, our required impact height is 544mm (energy 120 Joules).
- Test Standard: Impact in valve hole, the opposition position of the valve hole, and choose any spoken position.

After all three impacts, no any cracks in the rim.
- Test Result: Test according to the test condition, rim without any damage.

This test is mainly for MTB wheels to make sure the rim's impacting strength is qualified.
It will require 3 times impact at a different position from a required impacting height.
Different wheels would have different impacting height requirements.