Improvements in Wheels for Vehicles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 4th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 27th June, 1894-Accepted, 28th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wheels for Vehicles.
I, CARL SCHMIDT of 39/40 Karthäuserstrasse, Erfurt, Germany, Carriage
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
All methods of fixing wooden spokes hitherto usually employed possess the
drawbacks that the ends of the spokes on which the pressure of the load acts are
not sufficiently strong to resist this pressure and that no means are provided for
remedying in an easy manner the loosening of the spokes which results from the
shrinking of the wood and from the friction between the spoke and the felloe or
rim (hereinafter called the felloe) of the wheel.
According to my invention, I entirely dispense with spoke-tenons, with the
result that the spokes have the greatest possible area for resisting the pressure of
the load, ensuring that their wear shall be very slight.
This new mode of fixing spokes is furthermore novel and peculiar from the fact
that any spoke that may have become loose after long use, can be easily fastened
and fixed in all directions as before.
Moreover, in a wheel constructed according to my invention damaged spokes
can be easily and quickly replaced by new spokes without its being necessary for
this purpose to take the wheel to pieces.
This mode of fixing spokes is equally adapted for use with wooden felloes and
iron felloes.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 shows a cross section of sufficient of a wheel provided with an iron
felloe to illustrate my new mode of fixing spokes ;
Fig. 2 shows a section through the fastening of the spoke in the direction of
movement of the wheel, i.e. at right angles to Fig. 1, on the line C-D of Fig. 1;
and
Fig. 3 shows a horizontal section through the cap and the cover on the
line A-B of Fig. 1, the wedge being represented in plan.
In these figs., r is the tyre, f the iron rim or felloe, and s the outer end of the
spoke. The end s is fitted in a somewhat box-shaped cap k which is provided with
a cover d. A screw-bolt m serves to screw the cap and its cover firmly together
and thus hold the end of the spoke tightly.
At the outer end of the spoke there is provided a wedge n which is of itself
sufficient to fix the spoke firmly in the cap, even before the tyre is put on. Any
play present in the longitudinal direction of the spoke can be easily remedied by
making the wedge n thicker.
By loosening the screw-bolt m, the wedge n, and the hub-discs, any spoke can be
readily removed from the wheel and a fresh spoke substituted, which can be
durably and strongly fixed in position by knocking in a wedge of suitable thickness
and tightening the screw-bolt m.
Dated this 4th day of June 1801

page_text: .
Improvements in Wheels for Vehicles.
1, CARL SCHMIDT, of 39/40 Karthäuserstrasse, Erfurt, Germany, Carriage
Manufacturer, 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 :-
The methods of fixing wooden spokes hitherto usually employed possess the
drawbacks that the ends of the spokes-on which the pressure of the load acts
are not sufficiently strong to resist this pressure and that no means are provided
for remedying in an easy manner the loosening of the spokes which results from
the shrinking of the wood and from the friction between the spoke and the felloe
or rim (hereinafter called the felloe) of the wheel.
Now according to my invention, entirely dispense with spoke-tenons, with the
result that the spokes have the greatest possible area for resisting the pressure of
the load, and consequently that their wear will be very slight.
The new method of fixing the spokes is furthermore novel and peculiar from
the fact that any spoke that may have become loose after long use, can be easily
re-fastened and fixed in all directions as before.
Moreover, in a wheel constructed according to my invention, damaged spokes
can be easily and quickly replaced by new spokes without its being necessary for
this purpose to take the wheel to pieces.
The said method of fixing spokes is equally adapted for use with wooden
felloes and iron felloes.
In the drawing filed with my Provisional Specification,
Fig. 1 is a cross section showing sufficient of a wheel provided with an iron
felloe to illustrate my new method of fixing spokes thereto;
Fig. 2 shows a section through the fastening of the spoke in the direction of
movement of the wheel, i.e. at right angles to Fig. 1, and on the line C-D of
Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 shows a horizontal section through the cap and cover on the line A-B of
Fig. 1, the wedge being represented in plan.
In these figures r represents the tyre, f the iron rim or felloe, and s the outer
end of a spoke.
The spoke ends is fitted in a box-shaped metal cap or head
piece which is provided with a cover d, and with a lug or tenon that is caused
to extend through an opening in the inner side of the rim or felloe f before the
spoke is inserted in the cap, for the purpose of retaining the cap and spoke end in
place. A screw-bolt m serves to screw the cap and its cover firmly together and
thus hold the end of the spoke tightly in place.
At the outer end of the spoke there is provided a wedge n which is inserted in
place before the cover d is fixed in position and which is of itself sufficient to fix
the spoke firmly in the cap, even before the tyre is put on. Any play present in
the longitudinal direction of the spoke can be easily remedied by using a wedge n
of sufficient thickness. By removing the screw-bolt m, the cover d, the wedge n,
and the hub-discs, the corresponding spoke can be readily removed from the wheel
and a fresh spoke substituted therefor, which can be durably and firmly fixed in
position by knocking in a wedge of suitable thickness replacing the cover d, and
tightening up the screw-bolt. m as before.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner, the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The herein described method of fixing spokes in a wheel rim or felloe by fitting
the outer end of each spoke in a divided box-shaped cap or head-piece consisting

page_text: of a cap connected to the wheel rim or felloe and provided with a cover d and
capable of being adjusted by means of a screw bolt; the spoke being fixed in its
longitudinal direction by means of a wedge n forced in between its outer end and
the said cap or head piece substantially as herein described and shown.
Dated this 27th day of June 1894.
TA
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.