Wheels and Pullies, including Cycle Wheels.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left. 19th Nov.. 1892-Accepted, 31st Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Wheels and Pullies, including Cycle Wheels.
I, ARCHIBALD SHARP, Engineer, 2 Ravenscroft Road, Fairlawn Park, Chiswick,
County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the building of wheels and pullies, including cycle wheels,
Hy-wheels and large belt or rope pullies for transmission of power.
For cycle wheels the spokes are made in pairs, the middle of the length of wire
forming a pair of spokes is bent round the hub and the ends are fastened to the rim
by nipples in the manner usually used with tangent spokes. When the required
tension is on the spokes the parts of the wire in contact with the hub may be brazed
or soldered to the hub. If the angle of contact between each length of wire and
the hub be great enough and also the initial tension on the spokes great enough,
the frictional grip of the wires on the hub will be sufficient, so that brazing or
soldering may be dispensed with.
For larger wheels and pullies the construction and arrangement of the spokes is
similar, but the length of bar forming a pair of spokes may have an eye formed on
it, for fixing by means of a screw to the hub; or some equivalent for providing a
positive fastening to the hub.
בד
3
1005
ARCHD. SHARP.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Wheels and Pullies, including Cycle Wheels.
I, ARCHIBALD SHARP, Engineer 2 Ravenscroft Road, Fairlawn Park, Chiswick,
in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
My invention relates to the building of wheels and pullies including velocipede
wheels, fly wheels and belt or rope pullies for the transmission of power.
For velocipede wheels the spokes are made in pairs, one piece of wire a (Fig. 1)
forming a pair of spokes. The middle of the wire a is bent round the hub at b.
(Figs. 1. 2. 3.) and its ends are fastened to the rim by nipples in the manner usually
used with tangent spokes. The surface of the hub round which the spokes
are wound may be smooth as shewn in section Fig. 2, in which case there will be a
small flange c at the inner ends of the surfaces b. b, to keep the spokes in place.
The line of contact of each pair of spokes a (Fig. 1.) may be an arc of a circle in a
plane at right angles to the axis of the hub, but I prefer to have this line of contact
an are of a helix, so that one half of the spokes will leave the hub close to the
flange c and the other half will leave the hub near the outer edge of the surface b.
If the arc of contact between each length of wire and the hub be sufficiently great,
the frictional grip of the wires on the hub will be sufficient to keep them in position
relative to the hub without slipping. To increase the frictional grip and therefore
decrease the arc of contact necessary, grooves d, d, (Figs. 3 and 4) may be made on
the surfaces b, b. Fig. 4 is a section to a much larger scale than Figs. 1. 2. 3.
shewing the wires a, a, resting against the sides of the grooves d, d. These grooves
will form right handed screws at one end e of the hub (Fig. 3) and left handed
screws at the other end.

page_text: .
.
e,
and
Fig. 2 is a section of a driving hub of a rear-driving bicycle, the cog-wheel being
fitted on at h. In a driving wheel the hub will tend to slip relative to the spokes
wound round it. In Fig. 2, let the direction of driving be as indicated by the arrow.
Then if a series of right-handed screws be cut on the surface b near the end
left handed screws be cut on the surface b. at the end f; if slipping does take place
the part of the spokes in the grooves will all move further from the centre line g. g.
of the hub and thus the spokes will be tightened. In driving in the opposite direc-
tion the spokes will all tend to rise over the flanges c. c. and will again be
tightened.
I find that an arc of contact of about two thirds of a turn on a surface of about
1" diameter gives sufficient grip for a 28" rear-driving wheel.
In a wheel with 32 spokes there will be 16 pairs and therefore eight pairs wound
round each end of the hub. Therefore there will be right and left handed
eight-threaded screws made on the surfaces b. b. (Fig. 3).
In the front wheel of a rear-driving bicycle, and in the back wheel of a front-
driving bicycle, there is no great force tending to make the spokes slip relative
to the hub, and the use of grooves is not so imperative. They may however
be used, as they facilitate the work of building the wheel. The cog-wheel,
spindle, cones, and balls will be the same as in hubs of the usual patterns.
When the required tension is on the spokes the parts of the wires in contact with
the hub may be brazed or soldered to the hub.
The ends of the spokes may be butted as shewn at t. t. (Fig. 1.), so that when
screwed the sectional area at the bottom of the screw thread will not be less than
the sectional area of the middle of the spoke.
Fly wheels and pullies may be built in the same way. Fig. 5. shews a
section of a hub or nave for a fly wheel, the arms or spokes a. a. being formed
in pairs and wrapped round the hub, in the manner described for velocipede
wheels. The hub surface round which the spokes are wound may be cylindrical
as shewn in Fig. 5, or may have grooves in it as shewn in Fig. 4. Figs. 6
and 7 are two arrangements for fastening the ends of the arms or spokes a. a.
to the rim. In Fig. 7, the end of the spoke a passes through a hole in the
rim and is secured by a nut n lying in a recess, so that it does not project
beyond the outer surface of the rim. In Fig. 7, the spoke has a nipple. threaded
on it, the end of the spoke has then a head formed on it which rests on a
corresponding surface on the end of the nipple. The outer end of the nipple n
is screwed and fits into a hole tapped in the rim. The inner end of the
nipple n is made square or hexagonal so that it can be turned by a spanner.
The tension and adjustment of the spokes is got by screwing up the nut or
nipple n (Figs. 6. or 7). If the nipple (Fig. 6) is split into two after having
the screw cut on it, it will not be necessary to thread it on the spoke before
the head is formed on the latter. Of course one half of the spoke ends will
leave the rim inclined to the plane of the wheel as in Fig. 6, the other half
will be equally inclined in the opposite direction. With a fly wheel built on
this system and carefully designed, it will be possible to run safely at much
higher speeds than are used at present.
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. The building of velocipede wheels, fly wheels, pullies, and metal wheels
generally, by making a pair of spokes from one piece of wire or rod which is
wrapped round the hub, the ends of the said piece of wire or rod being fastened
to the rim by nuts or nipples; the fastening of the spokes to the hub being
obtained either (a) simply by the frictional grip due to the initial tension of
the spokes, or (b) by brazing or soldering after building; substantially as
hereinbefore described.
2. The wrapping of the spokes spirally round the hub.

page_text: 3. The making of grooves on the hub, in which the spokes lie; so that the
frictional grip is increased, or building of the wheel facilitated.
4. A pair of spokes, for the purpose hereinbefore described, made of one piece of
wire butted and screwed at the ends, the middle of the said piece of wire being bent
round the hub.
Dud 10th day of November 1900
ARCHD. SHARP.