IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS' FOR TRACTION ENGINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES "
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John McLaren, Henry McLaren and Charles Morris all of
Leeds in the County of York for an Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS'
FOR TRACTION ENGINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John M.Laren, Henry M.Laren,
and Charles Morris at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
18th October 1882.
JOHN MCLAREN HENRY MCLAREN and CHARLES MCLAREN [sic] all of Leeds in
the County of York "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS FOR TRACTION ENGINES AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
"
I
The object of our Invention is to provide a wheel which will give a springing
action so desirable especially with traction Engines or Machines of an analogous
character.
In carrying out our Invention we make an ordinary traction wheel rim We
make the boss for the wheel with ribs or arms corresponding to the number of
Springs to be used in the wheel. To these ribs and to the rim we bolt curved or
bowed steel plates or springs constituting spring arms or spokes so broad in pro-
portion to their thickness that they allow the wheel to spring or yield in a vertical
direction and at the same time maintain the wheel in an upright position owing to
their great width, without the aid of guides or plates, which have been found to be
useless, owing to the wear in consequence of always working in mud and sandy
grit. The working of the springs is as follows:-the spring arms under the centre
line of the wheel are in compression and the springs above the centre line are in
tension; thus the weight of the Engine is constantly distributed on all or nearly all
the spring arms-no matter what position the wheel is in.
On the sides of the boss we fix plates tied together near the rim by tie bolts and
distance pieces thus making the two plates and the boss virtually one ridged
piece.
These plates serve to drive the rim as the curved arms simply carry the weight
This driving of the rim is effected by means of a pin passing through them and

page_text: •
between two lugs secured to the rim; this pin works in a slot so as to allow the
wheel to spring in all positions. The said plates also serve as a buffer or guard
to prevent the springs from being broken or strained when the Engine is jolted
over any obstruction or rough place in the following manner:-They are made a
little less in diameter over all than the inside of the wheel thus leaving a clearance
for springing at the same time preventing the wheel springing too far, as the plate
comes in contact with the inside of the rim, there is also a little clearance sideways-
between the said plates and the rim so that when the wheel is at work there is no
wear but in cases of emergency they prevent the curved arms from getting twisted
too far sideways and, thus, they will always be able to go back to their original
upright position and the wheel keep true edgeways. We prefer instead of casting a
fange round each side of the boss (to secure the driving plates).we only cast half the
flange at one side and half at the other alternately, thus by taking off the driving
plates we can take any one spring out and need not disturb the others, one half of
"the springs can be taken out at one side and the remainder at the other side. We
may also make a wheel of similar construction, but with laminated or volute
springs and an arrangement of moveable arms as may be required. And we may
also employ rubber tyres with webs or bands of strong material embedded therein
either in the shape of webs woven out of vegetable fibre, or wire or chain of
ordinary or special construction.

page_text: SPECIFICATION. in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John McLaren, Henry McLaren, and Charles Morris in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 18th April 1883.
JOHN MCLAREN HENRY McLAREN and CHARLES MORRIS all of Leeds in the
County of York "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS FOR TRACTION ENGINES AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES "
**
Our Invention relates to wheels which will give a springing action so desirable
especially with traction engines or machines of an analogous character. The said
wheels are so constructed or arranged according to our Invention as hereinafter
described that the springs which give the said action are not submitted to the
driving strain.
.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation. Figure 2 a vertical section Figure 3 is a trans-
verse section on the line 1, 2. Figure 1. and Figure 4 a transverse section on
the line 3. 4. Figure 2. of a wheel constructed or arranged according to our.
Invention.
We make an ordinary traction wheel rim A and we make the boss B for the
wheel with ribs or arms b corresponding to the number of springs to be used in
the wheel. To these ribs or armis b and to the rim A we bolt as shown in the
drawing curved or bowed steel plates or springs C constituting spring arms or
spokes so broad in proportion to their thickness that they allow the wheel to
spring or yield in a vertical direction and at the same time maintain the wheel in
an upright position owing to their great width without the aid of guiding plates
which have been found to be useless owing to the wear in consequence of their
working in mud and sandy grit. The working of the springs is as follows:-The
spring arms under the centre line of the wheel are in compression and the spring
arms above the centre line are in tension, thus the weight of the Engine is
constantly distributed on all or nearly all the spring arms, no matter what position
the wheel is in. In order to impart the driving motion to the rim of the wheel
and thereby relieve the springs of driving strain, we fix on the sides of the boss B
plates D tied together near the rim by tie bolts and distance pieces d the said
plates being bolted by bolts d³ to the webs 62 of the boss so as to make the two
plates and the boss virtually one rigid piece. These plates serve to drive the rim
as the curved spring arms C simply carry the weight. This driving of the rim is
effected by means of a pin E passing through the said plates D and between two
pairs of lugs F secured to the rim A. The said pin E works in slots f between the
lugs F so as to allow the wheel to spring in all positions. The said plates D also
serve as a buffer or guard to prevent the springs from being broken or strained
when the engine is jolted over any obstruction or rough place in the following
manner-They are made a little less in diameter over all than the inside of the
wheel, thus leaving a clearance at g for springing; they at the same time preventing
the wheel from springing too far, as the plate comes in contact with the inside of
the rim before a dangerous strain is put on the springs. There is also a little
clearance sideways at h between the said plates and the webs a of the rim A so
that when the wheel is at work there is no wear but in cases of side strain the
plates come into contact with the webs and prevent the curved spring arms C from
getting twisted too far sideways and thus the said arms will always be able to

page_text: return to their original upright position and the wheel be thus kept true edgeways.
We prefer instead of casting a flange round each side of the boss (to secure the
driving plates) to cast only half the flange at one side and half at the other that
is to say, we make the flange up of webs 6 situated between adjacent arms b
alternately on one and the other side of the boss so that by taking off the driving
plates D we can take any one spring arm out without disturbing the others;
one half of the springs can be taken out at one side and the remainder at the
other side, It will be evident that if desired a plate may be used on only one
Bide of the boss but we prefer two plates as illustrated. The spring arms C may
be in one or several plates or thicknesses as may be required and we may also
employ rubber tyres, with webs or bands of strong material embedded therein
either in the shape of webs made of vegetable fibre or metal wire which are
preferably woven or interlaced or of chain of any suitable construction or pattern.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect we would observe in conclusion that what we consider to be novel and
original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the hereinbefore
in part recited Letters Patent is :-
Constructing wheels for traction engines or other vehicles with spokes or arms
which give a yielding or springing action between the rim and the boss in combi-
nation with a plate or plates for imparting the driving movement to the rim and
relieving the said spokes or arms of the driving strain as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings
In witness whereof We the said John McLaren and Henry M.Laren on
behalf of ourselves and the said Charles Morris have to this our Specification
set our hands and seals the Seventeenth day of April One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
JOHN MOLAREN
(L.B.)
HENRY MCLAREN (LS)