IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WHEELS. FOR VEHICLES, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED. THEREIN
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WHEELS. FOR VEHICLES,
AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED. THEREIN."-A com-
munication from abroad. by Auguste Colas, of Paris, in the Empire
of France..
Sealed the 14th August 1868, and dated the 16th March 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson:
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 16th March 1868..
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
. of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the Inven-.
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WHEELS FOR VEHICLES,.
AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication:
to me from abroad by Auguste Colas, of Paris, in the Empire of France,
to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to an improved mode of and apparatus for
applying the tyres to ordinary wooden wheels for carts, carriages, and.
i

page_text: other like vehicles, whereby the disadvantages arising from charring or
partially destroying the wooden felloes, and from the heating and
subsequent sudden cooling of the metal composing the tyre in order
that it may shrink on to the wheel, and whereby its strength is
impaired as at present adopted, are entirely obviated.
According to this Invention in lieu of first expanding the tyre
and then contracting it after it has been adjusted in its place on
the wheel, it is proposed to leave the molecules of the iron in the
tyre in a state of perfect rest and to produce an expansion in the
wooden portions of the wheel, thus in effect reversing the usual mode
of proceeding.
One arrangement of apparatus by which this Invention may be
practically carried out consists of a circular platform the upper
surface of which is dished inclined downwards towards the centre.
To this platform are jointed a number of levers, the upper and shorter
ends of which serve to compress the wheel which is laid horizontally
upon the platform, whilst the longer ends bear against the central
fixed portion or main standard or support of the apparatus. Whithin
this standard there is formed a hydraulic cylinder, and into this works.
a ram which supports the platform above referred to. On forcing
liquid into the hydraulic cylinder the platform will be elevated and
the levers will compress the parts of the wheel together.
pressed state the wheel is firmly screwed down at its centre on to
the platform and is maintained in its compressed condition by the
inclination of the platform, even after the compressing levers are
released. The tyre is now slipped on and the wheel is then allowed
to expand again, thereby effectually securing the tyre in its place
without the application of heat.
In this com-
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent 30
Office on the 7th September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special
license that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson,
my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time, and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WHEELS FOR VEHICLES, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN, a communication from abroad by Auguste
Colas, of Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
The said Invention relates to an improved mode of and apparatus
for applying the tyres to ordinary wooden wheels for carts, carriages,
and other like vehicles, whereby the disadvantages arising from charring
or partially destroying the wooden felloes, and from the heating and
subsequent sudden cooling of the metal composing the tyre in order
that it may shrink on to the wheel, and whereby its strength is
impaired as at present adopted, are entirely obviated.
According to this Invention in lieu of first expanding the tyre and
then contracting it after it has been adjusted in its place on the

page_text: wheel, it is proposed to leave the molecules of the iron in the tyre
in a state of perfect rest and to produce a contraction and expansion
in the wooden portions of the wheel, thus in effect reversing the usual
mode of proceeding.
One arrangement of apparatus by which this Invention may be
practically carried out consists of a circular platform the upper surface
of which is dished inclined downwards towards the centre. To this
platform are jointed a number of levers, the upper and shorter ends
of which serve to compress radially the wheel which is laid hori-
zontally upon the platform, whilst the longer ends bear against the
central fixed portion or main standard or support of the apparatus.
Within this standard there is formed a hydraulic cylinder, and into
this works a ram which supports the platform above referred to. On
forcing liquid into the hydraulic cylinder the platform will be elevated
and the levers will compress the parts of the wheel together. In this
*compressed state the wheel is screwed firmly down at its centre on
to the platform and is maintained in its compressed condition by the
inclination of the platform; even after the compressing levers are
released. The tyre is now slipped on and the wheel is then allowed
to expand again, thereby effectually securing the tyre in its place
without the application of heat.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I
shall now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in both the Figures.
Figure 1 represents a vertical section of the said improved machine,
and Figure 2 is a corresponding sectional plan thereof taken along the
broken line g, h, i, k, l, m, in Figure 1.
The wheel A is placed upon the platform B, the external surface of
which is conical or dished, which is an essential feature of this Invention.
The platform is capable of being elevated by the action of the ram C
worked by a hydraulic pump D, which forces oil or other liquid underneath
the ram in its cylinder through the pipe D¹. When rising the platform B
carries with it the axes E upon which are mounted the compressing
levers G and long arms H, which latter may work freely upon the axes I
in the main standard or central support J. By reason of this rising

page_text: motion the axes E are lifted and the levers G press against the blocks. K
in order to compress them against the periphery of the wheel A. The
compression of the wheel A causing a diminution in the diameter thereof,
it is free to descend lower upon the dished or hollow conical platform B
under the action of the fly wheel or cross arms at M working in the
upper portion of the vertical screw spindle L, which is secured firmly
to the centre of the platform as shewn clearly in Figure 1. By these
means a certain amount of compression from the periphery towards the
centre of the wheel A is obtained, and will be maintained even after the
pressure of the levers G has been removed, since on the one hand
the nut at M prevents the wheel from rising, and on the other the
inclined or sloping furnace of the platform B equally prevents the cir-
cumference of the said wheel from rising up and expanding. At this
stage and without necessarily releasing the levers G from the periphery
of the wheel the hand or tyre O may be brought into the position shewn
in red lines in Figure 1, then after having removed the pressure and
allowed the ram and platform to descend the blocks K are removed or
displaced so as to bring them into the species between the levers G in
order to permit of the complete adjustment of the tyre O into the position
indicated by black levers and covered blue in Figure 1. So soon as
the tyre has been placed on the wheel the operation is finished, the
nut M is slackened, and the wheel by its inberent elasticity expands
against the interior of the tyre O and holds its firmly in its place.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would obverve in conclusion, that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The system or mode of securing the tyres on wheels by first
compressing such wheels, and then allowing them to expand inside the
tyre which has been upplied when the wheel was under compression as
herein-before described.
Second. The mode of compressing wheels by the use of dished
platforms so disposed as that the wheel shall remain compressed after
the compressers have caused to operate upon its periphery as herein-
before described.

page_text: Third. The peculiar construction, arrangement, and combination of
machinery or apparatus for compressing wheels for the purpose of
receiving tyres as herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to
this my Specification set my hand and seal, the Seventh
day of September, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
eight.