Improvements in Suspension or Tension Wheels for Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 29th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 29th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 5th May, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Suspension or Tension Wheels for Vehicles.
We, CHARLES KINGSTON WELCH, The Hollies, Eaton Road, Coventry, in the
County of Warwick, and HARVEY DU CROS, Inniscorrig Castle, Dalkey, County
Dublin, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to suspension or tension wheels for vehicles and is intended
more especially to be applied to cab wheels or to the wheels of other heavy vehicles ;
it may however be used for cycle wheels.
One part of the said invention relates to an improved mode of securing the
spokes in the hub. For this purpose we screw the spokes into nipples which are
coned externally and split longitudinally in one or more places either for a part
or the whole of their length, and which are adapted to fit corresponding conical
holes formed in the hub. When the spokes are screwed into said nipples the latter
are drawn into the conical openings and their sides are thereby compressed tightly
on to the spokes thus very tightly gripping the spokes and securely holding same.
It is found that with this improved mode of retention, the spokes do not work loose
as they sometimes do when secured by the ordinary methods heretofore adopted.
The conical nipples may be formed with a square or other part so as to be
adapted to be turned by a wrench or key or screw-driver. In case a spoke
breaks, the nipple can be tapped back to release the pressure on the thread.
whereupon the broken piece of the spoke can be easily extracted.
Another part of the invention relates to a means of securing the spokes in
the rim which allows of very easy introduction and removal of spokes. For this
purpose we provide a split washer or its equivalent adapted to fit a recess in
the rim and having a coned opening in which the head of the spoke fits.
the spoke is screwed home the washer is thereby securely held in place.
Dated this 29th day of June 1893.
When
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Suspension or Tension Wheels for Vehicles.
We, CHARLES KINGSTON WELCH, of The Hollies, Eaton Road, Coventry, in
the County of Warwick, Engineer, and HARVEY DU CROS, of Inniscorrig Castle,
Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of this inventiou,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained, in and by the following statement:—
This invention relates to suspension or tension wheels for vehicles and has for its
object to provide improved means for securing the spokes in position between the
hub and rim of such wheels.
According to one part of the said invention we construct improved spoke-nipples
which are coned externally and are split longitudinally in one or more places for a
part or the whole of their length. Said nipples are adapted to fit holes preferably
conical formed in the hub or rim of the wheel so that when the spokes are screwed

page_text: into said nipples and the latter are thereby drawn into the holes in the hub or rim
the nipples are tightened on the spokes, and very securely hold the same. Moreover
owing to the aforesaid slots in the nipples, the spokes may be very easily screwed
into and out of the said nipples.
In another part of our invention we provide for securing the spoke to the rim by
means of a split washer or its equivalent adapted to fit a recess in the rim and
having a coned opening in which the head of the spoke fits. The head of the spoke
is easily put through the washer from the side of the rim nearest the hub but when
screwed tight and pulled towards the hub the washer is brought by the head of the
spoke to its bearing in the rim and is securely held in place.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a front view partly sectional of a hub adapted to have spokes secured
thereto in accordance with our invention, one spoke being shewn in position.
Figures 2 to 8 are front views shewing different varieties of the nipples, and
Figures 9 to 15 are plan views of Figures 2 to 8, respectively.
Figure 16 is a view shewing the threaded end of the spoke.
Figure 17 is a sectional view of part of a rim having a spoke secured thereto
according to my invention.
Figure 18 is a plan view of Figure 17, and
Figure 19 is a view similar to Figure 18 shewing a modification of my
invention.
A is the hub; B one of the nipples; and C one of the spokes. Our improved
nipple is conical in form as shewn and is split or slotted longitudinally as shown
at 6. The said slot is preferably T-shaped but it may obviously be of any suitable
form and we may provide the nipples with more than one slot if desired. The
holes a in the hub A for the nipples to bed in are conical so that when a spoke is
screwed up and its nipple drawn outwards, the said nipple is compressed and the
slot b therein is more or less closed. The nipple is thereby caused to grip the
spoke very tightly and hold it firmly in its place.
In Figures 2 to 14 nipples are shewn having slots of various forms.
In Figures 2 and 9 the slot is T-shaped and extends only part of the length of
the nipple; said nipple is moreover provided with a pin which engages in a
suitable recess in the side of the orifice a in the hub to prevent the nipple rotating
when in place therein. In most cases however the friction of the nipple in its
recess is sufficient to prevent such rotation.
In Figures 3 and 10 the slot is straight, extending from the bottom to nearly
the top of the nipple, in Figures 4 and 11 the slot is also straight but extends from
the top nearly to the bottom of the nipple, and in Figures 5 and 12 we shew a
nipple having two straight slots extending from the bottom only about half way up
the nipple.
Figures 6 and 13 shew a nipple similar to that shewn in Figures 2 and 9 but
without the pin b¹.
In Figures 7 and 14 the slot 6 is shewn extending the whole length of the
nipple.
Figures 8 and 15 shew a nipple formed with a hexagonal head 6 for the purpose
of enabling the nipple to be held while the spoke is screwed thereinto.
We may make more than one slot in the nipple if required except when the slot
extends completely through the nipple as shewn in Figures 7 and 14.
We often make the threaded end of the spoke with a saw-cut as shewn at c in
Figure 16 so that if the spoke be broken off short the end can be extracted from
the nipple without difficulty.
Our improved method of attaching spokes to wheel hubs may be used for the
wheels known as tangent wheels in which the spokes are tangential to the hub.
The hubs of these wheels are provided with holes for the nipples the axes of which
holes are not radial but make an angle with the radius.
The washers which we provide for securing the spokes to the rim according to
the second part of our invention are shewn in Figures 17 to 19.

page_text: D is the rim, E the washer, and c¹ the head of the spoke which is conical in shape
as shewn. The rim is pierced with an orifice d large enough to admit the head c¹
of the spoke and is provided with a recess d' into which the washer E fits. The
washer is provided with a coned hole e which fits the head of the spoke. In order
to obviate the necessity for threading the spoke through the washer in which case-
the threaded portion of the spoke must be of smaller diameter than the hole in the
washer, we either provide a slot e¹ in the side of said washer as shewn in Figure 18.
or we make the washer in two parts capable of being separated as shewn in
Figure 19. When the spoke is introduced through the hole in the rim the washer
is slipped on or the two parts of the washer placed in position round the head.
Then when the spoke is pulled towards the hub the washer beds in the recess d¹ in the
rim, being thereby prevented from coming apart or letting the spoke detach itself
through the slot.
Our improved method of securing the heads of spokes to rims is not necessarily
used in conjunction with the method described for securing spokes to hubs in the
first part of this Specification, as either method may be used independently.
Our invention is applicable both to very light wheels as those for bicycles or the
like and also to heavy wheels such as those for traps, cabs and other vehicles.
Our improved washer can obviously be used with any form of wheel rim.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. Securing the spokes of a suspension or tension wheel either to the rim or to.
the hub or to both, by means of nipples, which are coned externally and provided
with one,
two or more slots and which are received in suitable recesses in the part.
to which the spokes are attached so that when the spokes are screwed up the nipples.
are caused to very tightly grip the same, substantially as described.
2. In a suspension or tension wheel for vehicles, securing the spokes to the rim.
by washers adapted to bed in recesses in the rim, each of said washers being split.
or provided with a slot to admit the head of the spoke, substantially as, and for the
purpose, specified.
Dated this 29th day of March 1894.
Dated this 29th day of March 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.