Improvements in the Wheels of Velocipedes and other Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Jan., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 26th Oct., 1893-Accepted, 2nd Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Wheels of Velocipedes and other Vehicles.
FREDERICK WESTWOOD 1 Lombard Street Birmingham Cycle Fittings Maker
do hereby deolare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improvement in the felloes or rims for pneumatic
tyres, which are held in position by circular wires which take up their position,
when inflation takes place, on the outer edges of the rim. In ordinary rims the
weakest portion is the edge. By my improved process I make the edges the strongest
portion, & the trough or lower portion of the rim the weaker, so that when the
tyre is blown upon the rim, the wires taking their bearing on the outer edges tend
to force them out, & the trough being the weakor part partially flattens, thereby
causing a tension or spring upon the wires, keeping them continually taut. My
method of construction to accomplish this is as follows:-To the edge of the
ordinary U shaped rim I attach a solid tube having therefore no wind upon it, &
for the purpose I use either a seamless steel tube, or a tube having the seam welded
or brazed together. I am aware that small round beads have already been made
on the edges of various rims, for the purpose of either making the edges orna-
mental, smooth, or for holding special shapes of tyres, but these beads have been
a portion of the rim, turned over like a lip, not a solid tube, and as it is only
possible to make the rim spring in the centre when the tubes are solid i.e. :—having
no wind upon them, the rims mentioned would be useless for the purpose above
described.
Dated this 94th day of Januar 1802
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Wheels of Velocipedes and other Vehioles.
I, FREDERICK WESTWOOD, of 1 Lombard Street, in the City of Birmingham,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
samo is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention relates to an improvement in the felloes or rims for pneumatio
tyres, which are held in position by circular wires, which take up their position
when inflation takes place, on the outer edges of the rim.
In ordinary rims the weakest portion is the edge. By my improved process, I
make the edges the strongest portion, and the trough or lower portion of the rim
the weaker, so that when the tyre is blown upon the rim the wires taking their
bearing on the outer edges tend to force them out, and the trough being the weaker
part partially flattens, thereby causing a tension or spring upon the wires keeping
them continually taut. My method of construction to accomplish this is as follows
To the edge of the ordinary U shaped rim (hollow or solid) I attach a solid walled
tube, and for the purpose use either a seamless steel tube, or a tube having the
Beams welded or brazed together.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings
Figures 1, 2, 3 4 and 5 are transverse sections illustrating the application of my
invention.
In one method of carrying the invention into effect I attach solid tubes BB
(preferably steel tubes) to the outer edges of a U shaped rim A (Figure 1) at the
surfence CC humans of being other similar desion and thus nuoduos tubula

page_text: edges which give great strength and rigidity to the edge of the rim. The centre
part of the rim A by this arrangement becomes comparatively elastic and when the
tyre is inflated the centre part springs and the tubes B B tend to separate in such
manner as to tighten the wires on the rim. The tubes B B I preferably arrange
on the external edge of the rim as shown at Figure 1, but they may also be fixed
to the interior edges of the rim as shown at Figure 2, where similar letters indicate
like parts.
Instead of brazing on a solid tube as illustrated at Figures 1 and 21 may turn
over the edges of the rim to form tubes as shown at Figures 3 and 4 corresponding
to Figures 1 and 2. But in this case I form the bent over tubos B B into solid
wall or rather continuous wall tubes by brazing the bent over parts along the lines
of junction indicated at C C. I thus produce solid or walled tubes to form the
edges of my felloes or rims. Figure 6 shows another method of forming the solid
tubular edge which consists in inserting the edge of the rim A into a split in the
tube B and hard soldering the tube along the lines C C. By this means also a
Bolid tube is formed.
I am aware that small round beads have already been made on the edges of
various rims, for the purpose of either making the edges ornamental, smooth, or for
holding special shapes of tyres, but these beads have been a portion of the rim,
turned over like a lip, not a solid tube, and as it is only possible to make the rim
spring in the centre when the tubes are solid, the rims mentioned would bo useless
for the purpose above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said iuvon-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
olaim is :-
A felloe or rim for pneumatic tyres in which the edges of the rim are strengthened
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.