An Improved Chain Wheel.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 11th June, 1895-Accepted, 20th July, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Chain Wheel.
I, JOSEPH DELIZY of 235 Faubourg St. Honoré, Paris in the Republic of
France Mechanician 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 :-
This invention consists in a wheel with a resiliently supported circumference or
periphery, and means for transferring the movement from the hub to the periphery
or from the latter to the hub as the case may be, in such a way that the radius at
the part of the wheel momentarily under the application of the load or power may
automatically vary so as to give greater or less leverage according as the work to
be done becomes, from inequalities in the road or otherwise, greater or less, or the
power exerted less or greater.
A wheel of this kind intended for a chain wheel for use as the pedal axle wheel
of the ordinary chain gear of a velocipede is shown in the annexed drawing in
which Fig. 1 is a side elevation with one of the side plates removed and Fig. 2 is a
cross section in the plane of the axis of the wheel.
In this improved wheel the loose peripheral ring I is provided with means for
engaging the excentric sectors E' pivoted to a body B' integral with the hub of
the wheel, the sectors being propelled outwardly by a spring or springs of any
suitable kind in such a way that the parts of the sectors more remote from their
pivots tend to remain in engagement with the peripheral ring thus maintaining a
larger radius, while the drag or load on the peripheral ring tends to retard it and
cause it to engage with a part of the sector nearer the hub, thus deflecting the
sector against its supporting spring and giving to that part of the wheel a smaller
radius in proportion as the drag is greater.
This wheel may be constructed as follows; The hub B carries two parallel
flanges or disks B, and the peripheral ring 1, having suitable cogs if desired for
driving a chain, lies loosely between the said disks B' and is provided with pins i
projecting beyond each of its side edges for the engagement of the toothed plates
or sectors E. There may be several of these plates or sectors arranged in pairs,
such as four pairs and the two plates of each pair respectively engage with the
pins i on the one and other side of the peripheral ring I. The sectors E' having
bearing on the pins E carried by the two flanges or disks B' B', and near the outer
ends of each pair of sectors there is placed between them a roller b supported by a
pin or trunnions passing through the sectors.
8
Passing between the sectors E¹ of each pair and between the rollers and the
hub B is the spring K built up of flat spring plates and curved in the form of a
circle with overlapping ends. One of the ends of the spring K is connected to a
bridle L pivoted to disks B', the other end terminates with a roller which rolls
upon the interior surface of the former said end of the spring. It will thus be
apparent that the spring K bears with pressure outwards against the rollers bb bb
tending to thrust said rollers and with them the sectors outwards. Other forms
of spring may however be used without departing from this invention, they being
applied to thrust the sectors E' outward in any suitable manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is ;-
1. The combination in a wheel of the peripheral ring I and sectors or equivalent