IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION. OP WHEELS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William George Crossley, of the Town of
Cambridge, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION.
OP WHEELS."
Scaled the 14th September 1869, and dated the 22nd March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William George Crossley
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 22nd March 1869.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE CROSSLEY, of the Town of Cambridge, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF WHEELS," to be as follows:-
My improvements in wheels consist in forming the nave of two plates
or discs and a collar or ferrule to which the central axle is secured by
rivets or otherwise, the spokes are formed of separate pieces of hoop
iron or steel, the inner ends of each of the spokes are looped by turning
or folding the ends of the metal strips over and rivetting them together,
or I attach a loop of metal to the ends of the strips by rivets or other-

page_text: wise. The outer ends of the strips have pins or studs attached to them
by rivets, the pins are passed through holes in the tyre and hammered
down on the outside thereof, the inner ends of the spokes are connected
to the nave plates by transverse pins which also serve to afford additional
strength to the nave. In some cases I form the nave by casting, in
which case the inner ends of the spokes are bent or curved.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William George Crossley in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GEORGE CROSSLEY, of the Town of Cambridge, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said William George Crossley, Her
special licence that I, the said William George Crossley, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
George Crossley, my executors, administrators, and 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, usc, 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 CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William George Crossley, my exc-
cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 William George Crossley, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and

page_text: by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
My improvements in wheels consist in forming the nave of two plates
or discs and a collar or ferrule to which the central axle is secured
by rivets or otherwise, the spokes are formed of separate pieces of hoop
iron or steel, the inner ends of each of the spokes are hooped by turning
or folding the ends of the metal strips over and rivetting them together,
or I attach a loop of metal to the ends of the strips by rivets or other-
wise. The outer ends of the strips have pins or studs attached to them
by rivets, the pins are passed through holes in the tyre and hammered
down on the outside thereof. The inner ends of the spokes are connected
to the nave plates by transverse pins which also serve to afford additional
strength to the nave. In some cases I form the nave by casting, in
which case the inner ends of the spokes are bent or curved in order
that they may be held firmly therein.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a face view of a wheel
constructed according to my Invention, and Figure 2 is a vertical section
of the same.
The nave or hub is formed of two plates or discs a, a, one on each
side of a collar or ferrule b and to which they are secured by rivets
or bolts c, c. The central axle passes through this ferrule and is free
to run loosely in it, or is secured by rivets or otherwise. Each of the
plates or discs a, a, is pierced with a series of holes for pins to pass
through to hold the looped ends of the spokes d, d, which are of hoop
iron or steel to the plates or discs, the turned over ends being fastened to
the spokes proper as shown in the Figures. The outer ends of the spokes
are clasped by end pieces e, e, formed with pins or projecting studs
which are passed through holes in the rim or tyre f and hammered
down upon it so as to fix the spokes firmly to it. The end pieces e, e,
are rivetted to the spokes d, d, or otherwise secured. The nave or hub
may be formed by casting metal in a suitably shaped mould, in which
case I secure the inner bent ends of the hoop iron or steel spokes by
arranging them in the mould and pouring the molten metal on to
them so as to unite them together. Instead of bending the ends of
the spokes d, d, I sometimes fit loops g, g, on their inner ends by rivets
as shown in the front and sectional views, Figures 3 and 4. These
loops g, g, may be of stouter metal than the spokes to give additional
strength at the inner ends where the greatest amount of strain is brought

page_text: to bear. The outer ends of the spokes in these views also have loops h, h,
on them for looping over pins which pass through holes in the feather
or wing of the T iron or steel tyre. By the employment of a rim
or tyre of T iron or steel I gain great strength and rigidity at the
periphery, which also adds to the stiffness of the whole of the wheel
without increasing the weight to any great extent, this is of importance
in wheels for velocipedes to which my Invention is specially applicable.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
Firstly. The construction of wheels in which the nave or hub is
composed of two plates and a collar rivetted together in the manner
described and shown in the Drawings.
Secondly. Forming the spokes of hoop iron or steel and looping the
end or ends in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described
and shown in the Drawings.
Thirdly. The employment of loops secured to the spokes of hoop iron
or steel substantially as described and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said William George Crossley, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
ninc.
WILLIAM GEORGE CROSSLEY. (L.S.)