Improvements in Wheels for Traction Engines, Road Rollers, Motor Cars, and similar Heavy Road Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wheels for Traction Engines, Road Rollers, Motor
Cars, and similar Heavy Road Vehicles.
I THOMAS CLIFFORD AVELING, of Meriden Street, Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows.
-
This invention relates o improvements in wheels for traction engines, road
rollers, motor cars, and similar heavy road vehicles, and has particular reference
to the rims or peripheries of the said wheels. The object of my invention is
the building up of a wheel rim in such a manner that the life of the wheel is
considerably lengthened, whilst its cost of production is decreased.
Hitherto in building up traction engine wheels and the like considerable care
has to be exercised in casting the rims of such wheels so as to obtain the right
degree of hardness of metal. The rims must not be too soft, or else they will
wear away rapidly, and they must not be too hard or else they will fail to obtain
a grip upon the surface of the road. Further the rims of both wheels should be of
the same consistency of hardness or else one will wear out quicker than the other,
and this again requires careful casting. When these rims are cast they have to
be machined or turned up in a lathe and, as the metal is hard, this operation
takes time and is an expensive one, and this particularly in the case of renewable
rims which require a large amount of machining.
A
My invention consists in casting the rim of the wheel in a fairly soft state
and incorporating with it, in the casting, to constitute a wearing surface, hardened
steel netting of a kind known as expanded metal." This "expanded" metal
consists of lengths of diamond-shaped hardened steel netting expanded from a
slit piece of metal in such a manner that the edges of the split strips are turned
up at an angle of about 45°, and constitute a hard-wearing surface particularly
adapted for use where heavy loads or a large amount of friction is entailed.
length of this "expanded" metal is inserted edgeways in and around the mould
in which the wheel rim is to be cast to cover the outside surface of the same and
is cast with it. Two or more layers of this "expanded" metal may be incorporated
with the rim in casting, one of which may be embedded some little distance in
the periphery of the wheel to act as a secondary wearing surface, and the other
to embrace the periphery of the wheel and act as the first wearing surface.
By thus casting the rim of the wheel with soft metal and protecting the same
with a casing or casings of hardened steel netting of the kind described the cost
of machining the wheel rim is considerably reduced, especially in the case of
renewable rims, a better gripping surface is obtained for the wheel, and the life
of the same is considerably prolonged.
T 1
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atomho 1000

page_text: Improvements in Wheels for Traction Engines, Road Rollers, Motor
Cars, and similar Heavy Road Vehicles.
I THOMAS CLIFFORD AVELING, of Meriden Street, Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer, 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 comprises the hereinafter described improvements in the rims
or circumferences of wheels of traction engines, road rollers, and similar heavy
road vehicles and machines.
According to the present manufacture the rims or circumferences, as aforesaid,
are of hard or tough metal in view of wear, but the degree of hardness must
necessarily be considered in order to obtain a good grip upon the surface of a
road, such grip being the better the softer the metal; therefore considerable
limit is put upon the production of a rim or circumference in respect of wear.
Further, and what is still more important in the manufacture of the wheels of
traction engines and road rollers is, that after the rims or circumferences have
been cast they require considerable machining and fitting in order to true up the
edges of the treads and the faces of the webs or flanges to which the spokes or
arms are connected, and this with a metal of considerable hardness and offering
great resistance to cutting tools.
Now the object of the present invention is to decrease the cost of production
of the said rims (essentially in the machining) to considerably lengthen the life
thereof, and to ensure each wheel rim being of the same consistency of hardness
in view of wear, the latter in order to ensure the rims of each wheel of a vehicle
defined lasting approximately the same length of time without renewal.
66
ex-
The invention consists in forming the rim of the wheel of a fairly soft metal
which will easily machine, and incorporating with it to constitute a wearing sur-
face hardened steel, preferably in the form of a netting or mesh known as
panded metal." This expanded metal" is a diamond-shaped hardened steel
mesh formed by splitting a sheet of metal at intermediate points and then opening
it out diagonally, or at an angle, so that the edges of the splits are turned up at
an angle of about 45°. This "expanded metal" or hardened steel is cast in or
embedded in the tread of the fairly soft metal rim, preferably in layers, the said
layers being laid in the mould in rings before the metal to constitute the rim
is poured; the result being that after the rim is cast it consists of a body-part
or a body substance of metal sufficiently soft for easy machining and yet con-
tains a hardened steel which will constitute a good wearing surface.
A steam road roller wheel having its rim constructed with the improvements
according to this invention is shown in the accompanying sheet of drawings in
diagramatic side and end elevations in Figs. 1 and 2, the dotted lines in these
figs. showing how the "expanded metal" is laid in the rim and cast in with it.
Fig. 3 is a larger view of a portion of the rim or circumference Figs. 1 and 2,
and Fig. 4 a still larger view of a portion of the rim or circumference Fig. 3,
the said Fig. 4 showing clearly the disposition of the "expanded metal." Figs. 5
and 6 are views of the "expanded metal."
The last named is cut into long lengths of the breadth and circumference of
the rim, with its terminations cut obliquely where they join, (this is indicated
by a full line in Fig. 2) and is laid in the mould in a number of rings or circular
layers previous to the casting of the rim, the said rings or layers being preferably
tied together true by wiring. The fluid metal is then poured into the mould to

page_text: surround the said rings or layers of "expanded metal" and to thoroughly embed
them within the cast iron after setting, the said rings or layers being disposed
in the manner shown by o in Figs. 3 and 4, which presents a steel edge towards
the tread of the rim. Any number of layers or rings of expanded metal or other
hard metal fabric may be cast in with the rim when the latter is formed, but
such rings or layers are only of the breadth of the tread of the finished rim, or
a little less then the breadth, and do not extend into the flange or web d; it
being the essential feature of the improvements according to this invention that
the faces of the web or flange and also the edges of the tread of the rim,
particularly the upper or pouring edge when the rim is being cast, shall be free
from hardness or be of a soft material or of soft metal which can be easily
machined or turned.
64
It will be observed from Fig. 4 of the drawings that the layers or rings of
expanded metal" c are so laid in the body metal of the rim that the top edge
of the inner layer comes into wear simultaneously with the wearing away of the
outer layer, and that at all times a soft metal portion of the rim body is presented
to the road surface, through the diamond shaped openings of the fabric, to obtain
a good grip on the road surface.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
First. In wheels of traction engines, road rollers, and such like, building up
the body-part of the rims or circumferences of a fairly soft metal, and incorporat-
ing therewith in the casting a hard metal substance or fabric which will combine
with the soft metal body part to present a good wearing and gripping surface to
the road, and which will allow of the said rims or circumferences being easily
machined or turned upon the portions desired, substantially as described.
Second. Building up the rims or circumferences of the wheels of steam road
rollers, and such like, by casting in a body part of fairly soft metal layers of
expanded metal" or other hard metal of an open work or mesh construction,
for the purposes substantially as described and set forth.
"
Third Building up a rim or circumference of a traction engine or road roller
wheel in the manner described and set forth in Figs. 1 to 6.
day
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
11, Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birmingham,
Also at Liverpool, London, and Manchester,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.