AN IMPROVED FLY-WHEEL
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hugo Blank at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th June 1883.
HUGO BLANK, of Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia, "AN IMPROVED
FLY-WHEEL
This invention relates to fly-wheels and the object of my said invention is is to
construct the rims or rings of the said wheels or similar wheels or pulleys in such
a manner as to allow of a ready construction of such rings even in a fly-wheel of
large diameter, and also to afford practical security against the danger of the said
wheel tearing or breaking asunder when the same is running with great circum-
ferential speed. For this reason my improved wheel is particularly well adapted
for all engines running at a great speed, as for instance for engines in rolling-mills,
the same being generally provided with fy-wheels the rims or rings of which as
heretofore constructed are composed of a number of segments suitably connected
with each other and with the arms or spokes of the wheel, the said rims being
liable to burst or tear asunder, and thereby damage life and plant, in case of a
stoppage in the rolling-train causing a sudden stopping of the said bigh circum-
ferential speed of the fly-wheel.
My improved fy-wheel is intended to obviate these difficulties and, therefore,
my said invention consists essentially in constructing the rim or ring of the said
fly-wheel as if it were in one piece, of coils or windings of wire, hoops or other
convenient forms of iron or other suitable metal the said coils or windings being of
greater length than the circumference of the wheel they are intended for; and in
the novel manner of fastening or applying the said ring thus obtained to the
frame of the wheel.
For the purposes of my invention it will not be found necessary to change the
construction of the hubs and arms or spokes hitherto used in fly-wheels, and the
said hubs, and spokes may also be made of cast or wrought-iron as usual
In my improved fly-wheel the arms or spokes radiating from the hub are of
D

page_text: equal length and have their outer or diverging ends rigidly connected by means
of flat plates or bars so as to form a polygon. At each side of the said plates
forming the said polygon, are rigidly attached to the spokes and to each other a
corresponding number of other plates projecting some distance beyond the said flat
plates, and enclosing the latter on both sides, thus forming a trough-like hollow
space between the said flat plates and the said side-plates projecting in a different
plane from that of the said flat plates
The said hollow space or trough thus obtained has a polygonal base (the latter
being formed by the upper surfaces of the said flat plates) and serves for the
reception of the wire, hoop-iron or other metal of convenient form which by some
suitable means is wound around the said polygonal base of the said trough,
preferably use iron-wire-for-my-improved-fly-wheel, several-layers_of_the_said_
wire being wound around the said polygonal base. Another plate which must be
a little shorter than the plates forming the base of the polygonal trough, is then
laid upon each upper side of the polygon of wire thus obtained, and around this
plate are wound other layers of wire, whereupon another still shorter plate is laid
upon the wire above each upper side of the polygon the said plate being also
surrounded by new coils or windings of wire, and this will be continued until at
last quite a short plate is applied upon the several layers of the wire so that the
last windings of the latter will have assumed a circular form. Instead of inserting
several plates of decreasing lengths between the several layers of wire, one plate
only may be applied for the same purpose it being only necessary to give such plate
a properly curved outline in order to transform the said polygon of wire into the
said circular forun.
The said interposed plates are wound tightly and are held securely between the
said layers of the wire or its equivalent, and thus prevent the shifting of the latter.
By means of thus transforming the polygonal form into the circular form I ensure
a rigid connection of the wire or its equivalent upon the frame or the arms of the
"wheel

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Hugo Blank in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
November 1888.
HUGO BLANK, of Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia "AN IMPROVED
FLY-WHEEL"
This invention relates to fly-wheels, and its object is to construct the rims or
rings of the said fly-wheels (or other equivalent wheels or pulleys) in such a
manner as to allow of a ready formation of such rims or rings even in wheels of
the largest practicable diameter, and also to afford all possible security against the
said wheels tearing or breaking asunder when they are running with great
circumferential speed. The improved wheel is particularly well adapted for all
engines running at a high speed-as for instance, for engines in rolling-mills which
are generally provided with fly-wheels the rims or rings of which, as heretofore
constructed, are composed of a number of segments suitably connected with each
other and with the arms or spokes of the said wheels; these rims are liable to
burst or break asunder, and thereby endanger life and plant in case of a stoppage
in the rolling train causing a sudden stopping of the said fly-wheel.
The improved Hy-wheel is intended to obviate these difficulties, and for this
purpose I construct the rim or ring of the said fly-wheel as if it were in one piece
by coiling wire, hoop-iron or other convenient forms of iron or other suitable
metal around a frame, the pieces of wire or other material being of greater length
than the circumference of the wheel they are intended for; and the said invention
comprises novel means for fastening or applying the said coils of wire or similar
material to the frame of the wheel.
To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the nature of the said
invention I will now proceed to describe the same when wire is used for con-
structing the rim or ring of the wheel, reference being had to the accompanying
drawing in which.
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section, illustrating my invention, and
Figures 2 and 3 are transverse sections on the lines A. B and C D. Figure 1.
For the purposes of the said invention it will not be found necessary to change
the construction of the hubs and arms or spokes hitherto used in fly-wheels and
the said hubs and spokes may be made of cast or wrought iron, as usual.
a a are the arms or spokes of the wheel, the outer or diverging ends of which
are rigidly connected by means of plates or flat bars b, of iron or other suitable
metal, so as to form a polygon. At both sides of each of the plates b forming the
polygon are rigidly attached, to the spokes a and to each other, a corresponding
number of side plates, c, projecting some distance beyond the plates b, so as to form
a troughlike hollow space on the circumference of the wheel, the said trough or
hollow space having a polygonal base formed by the upper surfaces of the plates b,
and serving for the reception of the wire, hoop-iron, or other metal of convenient
form which is wound around the said polygonal base of the said trough. After
winding around the said base formed by the plates b a few layers of iron wire
which I preferably apply for the purposes of the said invention, a plate d fitting
accurately in the trough between the plates c c, and of shorter length than the
plates b, is then placed upon each side of the polygon of wire thus obtained and
around these plates d are wound other layers of wire, another still shorter plate d'
is then laid upon the wire above each side of the polygon the said plates d¹ being
also surrounded by new layers of wire, and so on, until at last a very short plate d
is applied upon the topmost of the several layers of wire, so that the last coils of
the latter will assume a circular form as will be readily seen from Figure 1 of the
drawing.

page_text: Instead of inserting several plates of decreasing lengths between the several
layers of wire, one plate only may be applied with substantially the same effect it
being only necessary to make such plate with a properly-curved outline, so as to
transform the polygon of wire into the final circular form. Such curved plate e is
shown in Figure 1 in longitudinal, and in Figure 3 in transverse section. The
interposed plates d d¹, or e are wound tightly with, and held rigidly between,
the several layers of the wire or its equivalent, and are thus effectually prevented
from shifting. For the purposes of the said invention it is of minor importance
whether a single wire is wound around the polygon or whether the wire is applied
upon the latter in rows, and after the winding has been completed the end or ends
of the wire may be fastened in any suitable manner, such as by interlacing the
same.
Having thus fully described-my-said invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it distinctly understood that I do not confine-myself_to_any_
particular mode of applying the said wire or its equivalent upon the frame of the
fly-wheel or other wheel, but in order to carry the said invention into practice I
deem it preferable to use the polygonal form of the said frame, as by converting
the said polygonal form into the circular form as above described a thoroughly
rigid connection of the wire upon the frame or the arms of the wheel is ensured;
and I claim;-
First. A fly-wheel having its rim composed of wire or strips of metal wound in
layers around the frame, substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
Second In a fly-wheel, the arrangement of a trough having a polygonal base
upon the frame of the said wheel, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified
Third. In a fly-wheel, the combination with the arins a, of the plates -b and c
forming a polygonal trough, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified
Fourth. The rim of a fly-wheel made by winding wire or strips of metal around
the polygonal base of the frame, and then introducing blocks, as above set forth,
and winding the said wire or other strips upon the said blocks to form the circular
periphery.
Fifth. In a fly-wheel having a rim of metallic coils, the combination with the
said coils, of the interposed plates, herein described, for converting the original
polygonal form of the frame rim into the final circular form, substantially as, and
for the purpose, set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Hugo Blank, have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Tenth day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.