Improved Friction Driving Gear for Cycles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Jan., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Mar., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Friction Driving Gear for Cycles.
I, OSCAR WERNICK, of 18 and 19 Schützenstrasse, Potsdam, in the German
Empire, Merchant, 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 by the following statement :-
i
This invention relates to driving gear for cycles, and consists essentially of a
friction disc or wheel set in motion by intermediary gearing from the crank axle,
such friction disc acting directly on the periphery or tyre of the cycle-wheel to be
driven and allowing of the speed of travel to be considerably increased, in so far as
suitable intermediary transmitting gear is employed.
By means of this gearing-which has not to directly overcome the axle-pressure
of the wheel to be driven as is the case with the known chain-gearing having a
chain-wheel mounted on the axle of the cycle-wheel-it is possible to drive the
cycle with considerably less power than hitherto, the inertia of the transmitting
gear, especially facilitating the motion of the crank and making the pedalling
easier. Cycles of this description render brakes unnecessary or dispensable, since,
by preventing the pedals from rotating, the friction disc or wheel is stopped and
acts as brake on the cycle-wheel; it will be evident that this braking action may
easily be regulated by the rider to the greatest nicety.
2
The driving gear is so arranged that it may be readily attached to all the known
cycles; the intermediary gearing may also be readily adjusted to allow of the easy
regulation of the friction. Furthermore, by providing the friction disc or discs
with pneumatic tyres, such regulation may be effected by more or less inflating the
tyres. The friction disc is either solid and its periphery covered with indiarubber
or other suitable material, or is preferably formed of one or more spoke-wheels
provided with a pneumatic tyre. The cycle-wheel to be driven is provided with
the ordinary pneumatic tyre. The profile of the tyre employed for the friction
disc is made to correspond to that on the cycle-wheel.
On the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a cycle provided with the improved gear.
Fig. 2 is an end view of the gearing, some of the usual parts of the frame of the
cycle being broken away.
Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are modifications of the friction discs, on a larger scale shown in
combination with sectional pneumatic tyres of the cycle.
b is a toothed wheel keyed on the crank-axle a and engaging with a smaller
toothed-wheel c mounted on axle d, such axle d being rotably mounted in a
socket e adjustable by screws, or in any other suitable manner, on the frame-post f
A chain-wheel g keyed on the other end of axle d, drives the smaller chain-wheel i
by means of chain h. The axle k of this wheel i is rotably mounted in a sleeve or
socket adjustable on the fork m and carries the friction disc n, the periphery of
which bears against the cycle wheel o. The motion of the axle, therefore, is
transmitted to the axle k and friction-discs n by the toothed wheels and chain-gear,
the friction of the disc n on the wheel o thus driving the latter.
By suitably arranging the transmitting gear, similar to the manner shown in the
drawing, it is possible to attain a very high speed, the driving power to be
transmitted to the crank being therefore considerably facilitated by the inertia of
the toothed and chain-wheels.
The friction exerted on the cycle-wheel o may be regulated by adjusting the
sleeves mounted on fork m and carrying the axle k.

page_text: The shape of the periphery of the friction disc n preferably corresponds to that
of the tyre on the wheel o, and may be either solid (n', n² Fig. 3, 4) and covered
with indiarubber etc. or one two or more spoked-wheels n³ (Fig. 5) may be
employed, whose hub is mounted on the axle k and whose pneumatic tyres p exert
the desired pressure on the wheel o. The friction of the tyres p on the latter may
be regulated by inflating same more or less, whereas when no air is present in the
tyres p, they do not act on the periphery of the wheel o. This modified form offers
the further advantage that dirt etc. adhering to the wheel o is removed from same
by the spokes of wheels n³. The friction discs or wheels n are kept free of dirt etc.
by virtue of their great velocity.
It is preferable to attach an easily detachable brush r to the end of a shield or
rod, in order that the friction discs or wheels are kept as free as possible from
dirt. The shield 9 is preferably bent over the front side of discs n, as shown
in Fig. 1.
When the cycle-wheel o and the friction discs or wheels n are provided with
pneumatic tyres, both exert pressure on each other by virtue of their yielding
surfaces; this friction may then be regulated by correspondingly inflating the
tyres.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. Improved friction driving gear for cycles, consisting of a friction disc driven
from the crank-axle through the medium of tooth and chain gearing and acting
directly on the tyre of the cycle wheel to be driven with controllable pressure and
at the same time serving as brake, substantially as described and shown in the
drawing.
2. In friction driving gears for cycles, friction wheels provided with pneumatic
tyres, whose friction on the cycle wheels is regulated by more or less inflating said
tyres, substantially as described and shown in the drawing.
Dated this 21st day of January 1895.
A. F. SPOONER,
124, Chancery Lane, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.