Improvements in Steering Wheels for Mechanically Propelled Road Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Dec., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 15th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 22nd Oct., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Steering Wheels for Mechanically Propelled Road
Vehicles.
ALFRED WILLIAM SOUTHEY, Engineer, and TILE ELECTRIC MOTIVE POWER Co.
LTD., both of 16, Elm Street, Gray's Inn Road, London, W.C., do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in steering wheels as described in our
Letters Patent No. 14284/96, & it has for its object to prevent the steering wheels
taking charge & turning spontaneously, which they are always liable to do when
the carriage is travelling at a high rate of speed.
We carry our invention into effect by constructing our steering wheels with
hollow hubs as shewn in Figure 4 in the Specification of our Letters Patent
No. 14284/96, but instead of pivotting the wheels in its geometrical centre in the
plane of the tyres we pivot it slightly in advance of the geometrical centre but
still in the plane of the tyres giving the wheel a slight castor action.
This allows the vertical pivot to be made in one piece,
the axle arm on which the wheel turns.
pass by the side of
The centre of the axle arm may be turned smaller in order to allow the vertical
pivot to be fitted nearer the geometrical centre, in this case the vertical pivot acts
as a locking device & holds the axle arm in the box.
Dated this Eighteenth day of December 1897.
Improvements in Steering Wheels for Mechanically Propelled Road
Vehicles.
ALFRED WILLIAM SOUTHEY, Engineer, of 53, Victoria Street, London, S.W.,
and THE ELECTRIC MOTIVE POWER CO. LTD., Motor Carriage Builders, of 16, Elm
Street, Gray's Inn Road, London, W.C., 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 improvements in steering wheels as described in our
Letters Patent No. 14284/96, and particularly to the modification shewn at Fig. 4
of the said specification

page_text: It has for its object to improve & simplify the construction of said steering
wheels & also to prevent them from taking charge & turning spontaneously, which
under certain conditions of speed and road they are otherwise liable to do.
We carry our invention into effect by constructing our steering, wheels with
hollow hubs, as shewn in Fig. 4 of our said Letters Patent, preferably of metal, &
each carries an internally projecting axle arm keyed or otherwise rigidly attached
thereto, such axle arm constituting the internal member of the wheel bearing.
The external member consists of a metal sleeve within which the axle rotates
with or without the interposition of balls, rollers or other anti-friction device.
The external member is also provided with a hole, bored vertically through it
by the side of the horizontal bearing within which the axle arm rotates, & is
caused to pivot for the purposes of steering by being mounted on a vertical pin,
supported in a solid metal fork formed on the end of the fixed axle, and passing
through the vertical hole in the external member. The said external member, is
preferably formed with an extension at the side through which the vertical hole
is bored, the position of the extension being such that the axis of the vertical hole
through it, is in the plane of the centre of the wheel tire. The relative positions
of the horizontal & vertical borings in the external member or sleeve may be
varied within certain limits, so as to bring the vertical pivot nearer or further
'from the geometrical centre. For example, the vertical boring may be so much
to the side of the horizontal as to be separated from it by a certain portion of
metal or the two borings may just touch; or the vertical may cut the horizontal
hole to any desirable extent, in which case the axle arm may be turned smaller
so as to form an annular groove to allow of the passage of the vertical pin, or if
desired a plain axle arm may be used, & a groove be formed on the vertical pin.
In the former case the pin also acts as a locking device to hold the axle arm in
the sleeve and resist lateral strains. In the latter case the axle arm acts as a
locking device to hold the vertical pin in position.
..
In carrying our invention into effect the vertical pivot is preferably placed in
advance of the horizontal axle arm thus giving to the steering wheels. a slight
castor action or tendency to run straight, the amount of which will depend upon
the horizontal distance between the axes of the horizontal and vertical bearings,
respectively. The construction is equally suitable, where, for any purpose, it is
desired to place the pivot in advance of the geometrical centre. The external
member carries also a steering arm rigidly attached. to it in any desirable way.
It will be evident that by this invention great strength, simplicity & economy in
manufacture may be obtained owing to the use of a single vertical pivot in the
place of the 2 shewn in Figure 4 of Letters Patent No: 14284/96, and the con-
sequent ease in supporting the pivotting parts in a solid fork.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure I is a vertical mid-section and Figure II a plan with the hollow hub
in section of so much of a steering wheel as is necessary to illustrate our invention.
A is the hollow hub to which the spokes (not shewn) of the wheel are attached.
B is the internally projecting axle arm rigidly fixed to the hub A. C is the metal
sleeve within which the axle arm B rotates, the bearing in the case shewn being
without anti-friction device, though such may be added if required. DI is an
extension formed on the external member C at one side of the horizontal bearing
within which the axle arm B rotates. D) is the hole bored vertically through the
extension D. F is the vertical pin passed through the vertical hole D and on
which the external member pivots for the purposes of steering. G is the solid
metal fork, forming part of the fixed axle of the vehicle & supporting the vertical
pin F. H is an annular groove' in the horizontal axle arm B to allow of the
passage of the vertical pin F where the vertical cuts into the horizontal hole as is
the case, in the particular construction shewn in the drawings. I is the steering
arm rigidly attached to the external member C and connected in any desirable
way to the steering handle of the carriage. J, K are respectively the usual lock

page_text: nuts & dust caps by which the axle arm is held in place and lubricated, respec-
tively. It is evident that in the construction illustrated, where the vertical pin
cuts into the axle arm, the hub must be removed from the said axle arm before
the pin can be drawn and the axle arm slipped from its bearing, owing to the
length of the vertical pin in relation to the internal diameter of the hub.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, & in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
I. In separately pivotted steering wheels for mechanically propelled road
vehicles, the combination with a hollow hub carrying an inwardly projecting axle
arm and a sleeve within such axle arm rotates, with or without any friction
device, of a vertical pin or pivot passing through the said sleeve (or through an
extension thereof) at one side of the said axle arm, and a fixed fork supporting
said pin substantially as & for the purposes described.
II. The combination with a hollow hub inwardly projecting axle arm & verti-
cally pivotted sleeve of an annular groove formed either in the axle arm or in
the vertical pivot for reducing the distance between the said pivot & the
geometrical centre of the wheel substantially as described.
III. The combination of the vertical pivot & the annular groove in the
revolving axle arm, substantially as described, constituting our improved form of
pivotting and locking device for separately pivotted steering wheels.
IV. The improvements in separately & internally pivotted steering wheels as
described and shewn in the drawings.
1000
A. W. SOUTHEY.
THE ELECTRIC MOTIVE POWER COMPANY LIMITED,
ARTITUR PAGET,
Director.