Improvements in Spring Elastic Tyres, applicable to the Rims of Cycle Wheels and to the Wheels of other Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 5th June, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spring Elastic Tyres, applicable to the Rims of
Cycle Wheels and to the Wheels of other Vehicles.
I, RUPERT ROBINSON, of Brooklyn, Totley Rise, near the City of Sheffield,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to provide a composite tyre possessing great
elasticity not liable to be rendered useless by cuts or punctures and capable of
being used upon ordinary roads affixed to the rims of various kinds of cycles and
also to the iron tyres of other road vehicles.
This I prefer to accomplish in the following manner: I form in steel of suitable
strength and section a series of bent or twisted convoluted springs which, when
duly tempered, 1 attach, by means of rivets screws or other equivalent means, the
separate sections as close as possible together, without touching each other,
thereby producing tyre with practically continuous and true outer surfaces which
may be used in that state; but to make a neater finish and to protect the springs
from accumulations of dirt may be covered and enclosed in a wrapper or casing of
leather, rubber, woven or other flexible material secured as is well understood.
The said sections or springs may be formed out of plain or corrugated sheet
steel, or out of steel wire or rods, they may be simply bent thus C, .e., approxi-
mately to shape of letter U, laid upon its side: or the folds may be increased in
number producing more convolutions of the material. The said springs may be
attached to the rim or metal tyre longitudinally or transversely to the circum-
ference of such rim or tyre without materially affecting the action, although I find
the longitudinal mode of attachment preferable.
Whatever may be the number of convolutions, the springs may be made out
of corrugated material, while for heavy loads or exceptional cases blocks of rubber
or other compressible elastic material may be inserted in the spaces left by bending
or forming the spring.
The annexed sheet of drawings illustrates some of the forms of the spring
sections.
Fig. 1 shows one and a half of my three space convolute spring, S, placed upon
a portion of a cycle wheel rim, R: Fig. 2, is an end view of the same, although
the central convolutions may be flat in some cases:
Figs. 3 and 4, show respectively side and end views of single space spring, C,
which is also corrugated as an example of that mode of increasing stiffness:
Fig. 5, likewise shows an outline of a two space spring, marked, D.
I would have it understood that whatever may be the number of convolutions or
spaces between them, the material may be corrugated, curved, or flat to suit the
particular use and wheel the spring may be used upon without in any way departing
from the spirit of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. The application of a series of bent or convolute steel springs to the

page_text: rims of cycle wheels, or to the equivalent part of road vehicle wheels, forming
an elastic tyre to such wheels and constructed as hereinbefore described and
shown.
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ISAAC BECK, F.S.P.A.,
Consulting Engineer,
Haymarket Chambers, Sheffield, Agent for the Applicant.