Improvements in the Construction and Manufacture of Wheels for Cycles and other purposes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 20th Dec., 1897-Accepted, 5th Mar., 1898
Improvements in the Construction and Manufacture of Wheels
for Cycles and other purposes.
WILLIAM FRASER, Engineer, "Dovedale," School Road, Moseley, Birmingham, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The majority of the hubs in general use are either manufactured from solid bar
steel, malleable steel castings or steel stampings, and the process of boring, turning,
finishing and plating has to be effected whether they are manufactured from the solid
or otherwise, they are always liable to rust either with or without plating. To obviate
the latter the various parts required for the production of same are manufactured
from a noncorrosive metal alloy produced and manufactured by me.
One of the principal objects of my invention is; to produce the hubs from solid
drawn tube made of my alloy, and which can be accomplished in the following
manner. The first process for front wheel hubs is, to cut the tubes into suitable
lengths, they are then tapered at each end by means of press tools (or spun, turned
or otherwise if preferred). A loose collar with a corresponding taper is then made
and fitted on each end, which can also be made from solid drawn tube or drawn from
sheet metal and stamped into shape by means of press tools; suitable orifices or
indentations being made partly in the collars and partly in the tapered ends of the
barrel for the reception of the spokes (or they can be made in either the one or the
other if preferred) the hub ends of the spokes are bent, but without a head and about
three eights of an inch long or thereby and made to fit, or fill, the said indentations
or orifices between the collars and the tapered ends of the barrel; the other ends are
screwed and provided with nipples and attached to the rims in the ordinary way.
The two rings are simultaneously drawn towards the centre of the hub by the tension
from the spokes and thereby become fast or jammed on the tapered ends of same, the
bent ends of the spokes being partly embedded in the barrel, and partly in the collars,
prevents either from moving, i.e., the spokes answer the purpose of keys, and the
indentations as key-ways, both collars being thereby firmly and automatically secured
to the barrel. The spokes can be attached to the hub in a double or single form;
in a double form, the wire would be exactly twice the length of the single spoke,
doubled up from the centre and bent from that end, the same length as the single
spokes, for the purpose of being held or secured in the hub as already described. The
two tapered collars can be despensed with, and the steel cups for holding the balls can
be made with suitable indentations for receiving and holding the ends of the spokes,
with the same results. Or, the said cups can be made with a collar, and if headed
spokes were used they would clip the cup the same way as the headed spokes clip the
flanges of the hubs at present in use. The spokes can also be held by means of
a recess, or horizontal groove made in the barrel of the hub suitable for receiving the
bent ends of the spokes, or both ends of the barrel can be recessed or spun over and
give similar results. The back hubs are made similar to the front, but larger in
diameter to suit the requirements of same; the space or recess inside the hub is filled
with cotton or other suitable material for the purpose of retaining a lubricant and
supplying same as required to the ball bearings. It is obvious that the hubs can
if

page_text: also be made from any other kind of material, and produced from the solid or other-
wise, and that the spokes can be attached in various ways between the collars and
the tapered ends of the hub, and that recesses, or notches can be made on the outside
ends of the collars to enable the spokes to stand flush with same, i.e., embedded into
the edges of the collar.
The cost of production and manufacture of same will be materially reduced.
Although I have referred to the ordinary steel cups being utilized for the purpose
of holding or securing the spokes, there are several other ways of applying them, by
altering the length and shape of same, which would be modifications of my invention.
Although the improvements mentioned refer particularly to cycles, they are also
applicable for motors, vehicles and all such purposes.
Dated this 18th day of March 1897.
Improvements in the Construction and Manufacture of Wheels
for Cycles and other purposes.
I, WILLIAM FRASER, Engineer, of "Dovedale," School Road, Moseley, Birmingham,
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 relates to the wheels of cycles; motor-cars and other light road
vehicles, and has distinct reference to the hubs and spokes thereof.
The said invention consists in an improved construction of hub, a new way of
attaching the spokes thereto, and a means of controlling the lubrication, which
simplifies and cheapens the manufacture, enables any of the spokes to be renewed
without the necessity of employing an experienced person, and also renders the
bearings of the hub more clean in their working and their general lubrication
more satisfactory.
According to this invention the inward pull of the spokes from the wheel rim and
also the spoke ends are utilized for locking together the principal component parts of
the hub, the said locking also forming the means of connection of the spokes'
hub-ends; so that the greater the tension of the spokes the more secure is their
attachment to the hub and also the more rigid the connection of the hub's principal
component parts. The hub consists of a barrel or tubular part with outwardly tapering
ends, upon the outsides of which are fitted loose cylindrical collars having tapered
bores, which constitute the heads to the hub. Within the ends of the bore of the
barrel body are fitted steel cups or ball races with perforations or holes in their inner
walls, and connecting these steel cups is a central tube surrounded by absorbent
material, which lies between the said tube and the bore of the hub barrel. At equi-
distances apart in the bore of the collars, and also upon the diameter of the tapered
ends of the hub's barrel or body, are formed longitudinal key-ways or grooves, into
which the ends of the spokes (which are bent) take for their connection to the hub;
the said key-ways or grooves being arranged so that they come coincident when the
collars fit socket-like upon the tapered ends of the hub body; the bent ends of the
spokes acting as keys for locking the said collars onto the barrel ends.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings the invention is practically illustrated;
Fig. 1 representing a longitudinal section of a cycle hub constructed according to
this invention with its spoke ends connected, Fig. 2 a side elevation of Fig. 1, Fig. 3
a like view as Fig. 2 but with the spokes cut away to illustrate the bent hub-ends of
the spokes, and Fig. 4 a like section as Fig. 1 but with the spokes and collar parts 5

page_text: of the hub separated. Separate views of the hub ends of the spokes in single and
double order are respectively shown in Figs. 5 and 6, whilst in Figs. 7 and 8
modifications of the invention are shown where the loose collars, as aforesaid, are
dispensed with. In Fig. 9 the manner in which two spokes cross is shown;
indentations being formed in each for engagement, which gives lateral rigidity to the
said spokes.
The same letters of reference are used to indicate similar parts, where permissable,
in the whole of the figs.
In Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive the barrel or body a² of the hub a is made from a length
of suitable tubing, and its respective ends a³, at outwardly tapered.
These tapered
ends are shown in the drawings slightly enlarged by a spinning or stamping process,
but, if necessary, they may be of a common diameter with the hub waist, in which
case they taper from a point. Within the bore of the ends of the barrel-part a² are
fixed steel cups or ball races cc, a thin tube c³, which may be removable, being
centrally arranged so as to connect them. The bottom walls of the said cups are
formed with holes or perforations c', which communicate from the said cups to the
space between the central tube c³ and the bore of the waist part of the barrel a².
Within this space is provided cotton wool or other absorbent c³, either to act as a
lubricant supply or as a means for preventing the overlubrication of the bearings.
The tapered cylindrical ends a³ a² of the barrel body a² have formed upon their
exteriors, at equi-distances apart, a number of longitudinal grooves a³, preferably of
the same taper as the barrel ends, their depth being approximately half the diameter
of the wire of the spoke ends which engage them. Loose collars d, de, having tapered
bores d³ d respectively, fit socket-like over the tapered ends a³ a' and are jammed
upon the said ends by the tension of the spokes. These collars also have within their
bores longitudinal grooves or key-ways d³ (preferably slightly tapered) corresponding
in size and number to those upon the tapered ends, as aforesaid, and their positions
are such as to come co-incident with those of the said ends.
The key-ways or
grooves d in the collars, as aforesaid, are each formed at their mouths with two
face sinkings or indentations do, formed upon the collars' faces approximately at
right angles to each other, (clearly shown in Fig. 3) for the purpose of
constituting face seatings for the hub ends of the spokes so that they may lie
flush.
The inner ends e² of the spokes e are cranked or bent approximately at right angles
to their main portions, and may be formed either in single order as shown in Fig. 5,
on in double order as shown in Fig. 6. These cranked ends are adapted to take into
the longitudinal holes formed by the grooves or key-ways of the heads a³, a', and the
collars d, d², and to constitute keys for connecting the said collars immovably to
the said ends; the parts adjacent to the cranked ends lying at the time in the
seatings do of the collars.
In connecting up the parts in Fig. 4 the collars d, d², would be first loosely placed
upon the tapered ends of the hub body so that the key-ways or grooves a, de, come
coincident. The cranked ends of the spokes are then pushed longitudinally into the
holes formed by the sinkings and then their nipple ends connected to the wheel rim.
The subsequent act of tensioning up the spokes pulls the collars towards each other
and also causes the spokes' cranked ends to be gripped between the collars and the
hub ends to which they form keys.
It is obvious that the greater the tension of the spokes the tighter the grip, and
hat it is a simple matter to refit a spoke should one become broken or bent.
In Fig. 7 a modification is shown dispensing with the collars d, d², and also the
necessity of brazing or forcing in the steel cups or ball races. In this arrangement
he keyways or grooves a³, d³, are formed in the bore of the ends of the barrel
body a², and in the exterior diameter of the steel cups or ball races c; the formation
of the ends e² of the spokes e being the same. In this arrangement the tensioning
of the spokes locks the ball races to the hub body and also jams the spoke ends
between them.
In Fig. 8 another modification is shown utilizing only the pulling-in tensioning

page_text: action of the spokes e for fixing the bearing cups c in the ends of the hub body. An
exterior flange c² is provided upon the bearing cups for the threading of ordinary
headed spokes, and the bottoms thereof are serrated or toothed at c³ to bite against
a shoulder c in the barrel body to prevent the said cup turning. The exterior
diameter of the said cups may be inwardly tapered if necessary.
Referring back to Figs. 1 to 6, instead of forming keyways in the loose collars and
ends of the hub body, as described, simple holes may be formed through a flange on
the said collar for the ends of the spokes to engage, and a secondary means provided
to prevent any rotation of the said collars if the jamming of them upon the coned ends
of the hub body by the tension of the spokes is not found sufficient.
The tube c³ is preferably so fitted that it can be detached in order to renew or
replenish the absorbent material c5.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
First. In wheel hubs or centres the combination of a hub body or barrel having
taper socketted or plug-like ends, attached collars ball races or their equivalents to
which the ends of the said spokes are connected, or by which the spokes are
connected, to the hub body, and the pulling-in to the centre action of the spokes
in tensioning, substantially as described and set forth.
Second. In wheel hubs or centres the combination of the hub body a² having
coned ends a³, a, collars d, d² having taper bores to fit socket-wise the ends a³ a*,
spokes e connected to the said collars or to the hub body by the said collars, and the
pulling in to the centre action of the spokes on tensioning, substantially as described.
Third. In wheel hubs or centres the combination of a body part or barrel a²
having coned ends a³ a provided with grooves or keyways a³, loose collars & d² with
tapered bores and keyways or grooves d', the said collars being adapted to fit socket-
like onto the ends a³ at of the body a², spokes e having cranked ends e² which take
into holes formed by the said key-ways and form keys for locking the said collars
onto the ends of the body a² and thereby affix themselves by reason of their pulling-
in wedging action on being tensioned, substantially as described.
Fourth. In wheel hubs or centres the combination of a body part a² having coned
ends a³ a provided with grooves or key-ways a³, loose collars d d with tapered
bores and keyways or grooves d5 and sinkings do, the said collars being adapted to fit
socket-like onto the ends a3 a4 of the body a², spokes e having cranked ends e²
which takes into holes formed by the said key-ways and form keys for locking the
said collars onto the ends of the body a² and thereby affix themselves by reason of
their pulling-in wedging action on being tensioned, ball races c c² having piercings c
in their bottoms, and an absorbent c arranged between the said ball races and within
the hub body, substantially as described.
Fifth. Making the body part or barrel a² of the hub from a piece of tube by
expanding its ends or coning them and fitting onto them loose collars, substantially
as described.