Improvements in Joints for the Tubular Parts of Velocipedes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 5th July, 1893-Accepted, 12th Aug.,
1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Joints for the Tubular Parts of Velocipedes.
I, JOACHIM RAGOUCY, of No. 15, Rue du Terrage, Paris, France, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
For the sake of lightness most parts of velocipedes are constructed of steel tubes.
Such tubes afford considerable strength with a minimum of weight, but they have
the disadvantage of being more or less weak at the points where they are jointed
together or to other parts of the structure.
To obviate this, bolts have in some cases been introduced into the tubes, where
they are jointed, but this arrangement greatly increases the weight of the machine.
According to my present invention I employ a mode of jointing which allows of
the tubes being worked in a cold condition, and of so shaping them at the ends and
other parts as to receive rigid fixing devices which practically do not add to the
total weight.
For further increasing the rigidity of the tubular parts without materially
adding to their weight, I introduce into them tight-fitting wooden cores.
For these purposes, according to one arrangement, I form the end of the tube
slightly tapering and I close the extremity by a washer or plug which may be
either solid or cup shaped, brazed or screwed in, over which the extreme edges of
the tube may be turned. Over this tapered end 1 fit a correspondingly tapered
socket, which may have a longitudinal slit so as to have spring action, and be
provided with lugs on each side of the slit for the reception of a screw for
tightening the socket on the tube. The tube is formed so as to leave a small space
between its end and the bottom of the socket, so that on introducing a screw
through a hole in the latter, and screwing it into a threaded hole of the plug or
washer, the tube end can be drawn tightly into the socket so as to form a firm
joint. The socket is provided externally with any desired means for connection
with the other part of the velocipede to which the tube is to be attached.
According to another modification, the plug or washer fixed in the end of the
tube has a tapered central hole and is partially split, and a screw bolt is passed
through such hole in the socket and is screwed up by means of an external nut,
whereby the tapered head of the bolt fitting into the hole of the washer or plug is
made to wedge itself tight in the same. The end of the tube may in this case also
be split so as to be expanded against the socket by the wedging action of the bolt
head. Or the bolt may have an ordinary flat head, bearing against the inner
surface of the washer or plug, which in that case is not split and has a cylindrical
hole.
According to another modification, the screw bolt may be fixed to or formed in
one with a cup-shaped washer or plug, or the bolt may be formed with a cylindrical
head fitting the cup of the washer.
The cup shaped washer may have one or more circular grooves in which the tube
is secured by necking, thus affording an increased hold between the two, and a wire
ring may be secured in the necking so as to prevent it from bulging.
For securing the ends of two tubes, which may form a forked piece of the
velocipede, to an eye, ring or bearing for securing to or receiving a third tubular
part, such eye or bearing may advantageously be cast in one with two of the before
mentioned sockets that receive the ends of the tubes, and which are situated on
opposite sides of the eye, ring or bearing.
Dated this 14th day of October 1892.
ABEL & IMKAY,
Agents for the Applicant,

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Joints for the Tubular Parts of Velocipedes.
1, JOACHIM RAGOUCY of No. 15 Rue du Terrage, Paris, France 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 aud by the following
statement:
For the sake of lightness most parts of velocipedes are constructed of steel tubes.
Such tubes afford considerable strength with a mimimum of weight, but they have
the disadvantage of being more or less weak at the points where they are jointed
together or to other parts of the structure.
To obviate this, bolts have in some cases been introduced into the tubes where
they are jointed, but this arrangement greatly increases the weight of the machine.
According to my present invention I employ a mode of jointing which allows of
the tubes being worked in a cold condition, and of so shaping them at the ends and
other parts as to receive rigid fixing devices which practically do not add to the
total weight.
For further increasing the rigidity of the tubular parts without materially adding
to their weight, I introduce into them tight-fitting wooden cores.
For these purposes, according to one arrangement shewn in vertical section at
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing, I form the end of the tube A slightly
tapering with its inner end turned inwards to form the abutment for a washer or
plug C which may be either solid as at Figs. 1 and 2 or cup-shaped, as at Fig. 3.
Over this tapered end I fit a correspondingly tapered socket B which may have
a longitudinal slit as at a Fig. 2 so as to have spring action, and be provided with
lugs on each side of the slit as shewn, or otherwise, for the reception of a screw for
tightening the socket on the tube, and for attachment to other parts of the framing.
The tube A is formed so as to leave a small space between its end and the bottom
of the socket, so that on introducing a screw D through a hole in the latter, and
screwing it into a threaded hole of the plug or washer C, the tube end can be drawn
tightly into the socket so as to form a firm joint. The socket is provided
externally with any desired means for connection with the other part of the
velocipede to which the tube is to be attached.
According to another modification shewn at Fig. 4, the plug or washer C fixed
in the end of the tube A has a tapered central hole and is partially split, and a
screw bolt D is passed through such hole in the socket and is screwed up by means
of an external nut E, whereby the tapered head D₁ of the bolt fitting into the hole
of the washer or plug is made to wedge itself tight into and to expand the same.
The end of the tube A may in this case also be split as shewn so as to be expanded
against the socket by the wedging action of the bolt head. Or the bolt D may
have an ordinary flat head as at Fig. 5 bearing against the inner surface of the
washer or plug C, which in that case is not split and has a cylindrical hole. The
tube A may be strengthened by a filling H of wood driven in.
According to another modification, the screw bolt D may be fixed to or formed
in one with a cup-shaped washer or plug C as shewn at the left hand side of Fig. 6,
or the bolt D may be formed with a cylindrical head D' fitting the cup of the
washer as on the right hand side.
The cup shaped washer C may have one or more circular grooves C¹ in which
the tube is secured by necking, thus affording an increased hold between the two,
and a wire ring may be secured in the necking A¹ so as to prevent it from
bulging.
For securing the ends of two tubes A, which may form a forked piece of the
velocipede, to an eye, ring or bearing F for securing to or receiving a third
tubular part, such eye or bearing may advantageously be cast in one with two of
the before mentioned sockets B that receive the ends of the tubes and which are
situated on opposite sides of the eye, ring or bearing as shewn at Fig. 6.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In joints for the tubular parts of velocipedes, forming the tubes with their
ends bent inwards so as to form an abutment for washers or pluge introduced into
such ends, and serving as means of union; also, forming neckings in the said tubes
and plugs for securing them more firmly together, substantially as described.
2. The combination of tube ends formed as set forth in the preceding claim, with
an internal washer or plug having a screw threaded hole, and an external socket
either solid or split, to which the tube is secured by a screw bolt screwing into the
plug or washer, substantially as described.
3. The combination of tube ends formed as set forth in the first claim with an
internal washer or plug having a central hole, an external socket either solid or
split having means of attachment to other parts of the framing, and a screw bolt
having a head situated within the tube end, and a nut for securing the external
socket thereto, substantially as described.
4. In combination with the parts referred to in the preceding claims, the use of
a wood filling piece driven into the tube end for strengthening the same and for
holding the screw bolt and plug or washer in position when the parts are
detached.
5. The several forms of joints for the tubular parts of velocipedes herein
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 5th day of July 1892
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.