Improvements in Machines for Setting Wheel Tyres.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 23rd June, 1894
Improvements in Machines for Setting Wheel Tyres.
A communication from JONATHAN BURNS WEST, Manufacturer, of 105, Meigs
Street, Rochester, New York, United States of America.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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 an improved machine for setting tires, which improve-
ment is fully described and illustrated in the following Specification and the
accompanying drawings,-the novel features thereof being specified in the claims
annexed to the said Specification.
In the accompanying drawings representing this improved tire-setting machine
Figure 1 is a side elevation.
Figure 2 is an end view.
Figure 3 represents one of the standards, detached, as seen from the inside;
Figure 4 represents the clamp-jaws detached;
Figure 5 represents the socket-wrench;
Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 Figure 1.
Figure 7 represents a modification of the device for supporting the tire from the
outside during the upsetting operation.
Figure 8 is a side elevation of a modification;
Figure 9 is a plan view of the base of same.
This improved tire-setting machine is designed more particularly for setting
tires cold, on the wheel, and it operates by means of two pairs of clamp-jaws,
which are adjustable to engage at suitable distances apart with the edges of the
tire, and which pairs are then drawn or moved towards each other, thus upsetting
the tire between them and shortening it so that it becomes tight on the wheel.
The machine comprises suitable standards which carry the adjustable clamp-jaws,
and support the wheel, means for adjusting the jaws so as to clamp them against
the edges of the tires, means for causing the two pairs of jaws to move relatively
to each other, a support for the inside of the felloe between the jaws, a support
for the outside of the felloe, and also a suitable supporting frame-work, if
desired.
In the machine of the accompanying drawing, A represents a suitable base or
bed-plate, B B uprights or arms attached thereto and serving to sustain the
standards CC, which carry the clamp-bolts e, and the upsetting screw D. The
jaws a a constitute one set or pair, and the jaws all al, another set or pair.
The clamp-jaws are curved, serrated on their opposing surfaces, and attached to
the interior of the standards in any suitable way, in such fashion that they may
engage with the edges of the tire of a wheel placed between the standards. The
bolts and nuts e are employed to adjust the lower ends of the standards towards
each other, engaging the toothed clamps firmly with the edges of the tire. The
two pairs of jaws are then caused to move towards each other by turning the
nut F on the screw D, by means of the lever or socket-wrench H. The frame-
work, if used, is made of such a character as to permit the adjustment of the
standards in engaging the clamps with the edges of the tire, and in drawing the
two pairs of clamps towards each other. In the machine of the drawings,
the uprights B are made of wrought iron, which will yield sufficiently to permit
the movements of the clamps. The inner opposing surfaces of the standards are
recessed, as indicated at 9, Fig. 3, to permit the screw D to pass through between
D .
27

page_text: -
them, the screw being provided with a head h at one end outside the standards.
The inner ends of the standards are connected together on one or both sides by a
strap i, Fig. 1, and bolts, one of which j, passes through a slotted hole in the strap,
so as to permit the movement of the standards towards each other. A spring, k,
serves to keep the standards separated, except when moved towards each other by
the nut F on the screw-rod D. The clamp jaws a a' all all are secured in suitable
curved recesses in the inner faces of the standards, being fastened by screws, 1, Fig. 3,
at one end, and resting against an abutment, m, at the other. The clamp-jaws are
preferably made somewhat wider than the thickness of the heaviest tire for which
the machine is designed, in order that the teeth of the clamps may engage with
the edges of tires of differing curvature on wheels of different sizes. The jaws
are preferably hardened, and arranged with their teeth pointing inwards, to properly
engage with the edges of the tire, as indicated in Fig. 4.
In order to adopt the machine to wheels of different sizes, the standards C are
provided with rows of holes n, Fig. 1, to receive the rod p which passes through
the hub and supports the wheel. The rod p is provided on one end with the hand-
piece and at the other with the clamp-nut q. For a larger wheel than that
represented in the accompanying drawings, the rod p is placed in some of the
upper holes in the rows n, the upper ends of the standards being separated, the
standards turning on the bolts e in the frame-work B,-this movement shifting
the clamp-jaws to correspond sufficiently closely with the increased curvature of
the tire of the larger wheel,-the recesses 9 being large enough to permit this
arrangement. The outside of the tire is supported during the upsetting operation
by the shoulders y formed on the standards immediately below the clamp-jaws. My
correspondent also sometimes employs a metallic strip S, Figs. 1 and 7, which is
inserted between the outside of the tire and the shoulders y, and fits accurately
against the tire and supports it throughout its entire length between the two pairs
of clamps. This strip is slightly narrower than the tire, is preferably of steel, and
effectually bridges the joint at the center between the standards.
In order to support the felloe from the inside during the upsetting of the tire, I
form on the standards C two or more lugs or projections, ss', Fig. 1, and insert
between them and the interior of the felloe, a wedge t, Fig. 2, which being driven
home, sustains the felloe against the pressure produced by the inward movement of
the clamp-jaws. A bar u, Fig. 2, may be inserted between the wedge and the
felloe. A screw or other device may be employed for the purpose of sustaining
the felloe, but my correspondent prefers the wedge as affording a sufficient range
of adjustment and as being simple and quick. The wedge forces the tire into
contact with the shoulders y, or the strip S which rests on the shoulders, and the
tire is thus effectually prevented from kinking in either direction when the
clamp-jaws are moved towards each other to upset or shorten it. The bolt p
through the standards forms a central pivot, which makes the two pairs of
standards swing towards each other on the exact circle of the tire of the wheel
operated on, and prevents them from dodging either up or down during the
upsetting.
The clamp-jaws are usually made for a 36-inch wheel, and consequently when a
larger say 2-inch wheel is placed in the machine, the curve being different, it
necessarily rests on a slight apex on the shoulders y near the center between the
standards, touching again at the outer ends. For the larger sizes of wheels, I
therefore insert, between the shoulders y and the tire or strip S, the wedges W,
Fig. 7, the inner ends of which are bevelled, aud, when driven home, support the
outside of the tire near the inner ends of the shoulders, as represented at X.
The wrench H is provided with a socket w, Fig. 5 of a shape corresponding with
that of the nut F. The nut is provided with a cylindrical hub, v, on which the
socket fits, so that the operator, having turned the lever from H to H', Fig. 2,
slides the socket laterally off of the nut, but not off of the hub,-
-30 that he can
readily return the lever to the first position and engage it with the nut in order to
impart another partial turn thereto."

page_text: I represents a socket wrench employed for turning up the nuts e, to clamp the
jaws on the tire. This wrench is provided with a projecting handle, which is
used to turn the nuts up until they begin to catch on the clamps, after which
greater leverage is secured by employing the extending end of the lever.
The manner of operating this improved tire-setter will have been already
understood from the preceding description. A wheel with loose tire having been
placed between the standards, the rod p is inserted, and the lever H is then
operated to turn up the nut F on the screw D, thereby drawing the clamps
together and upsetting the tire between the clamps, thus shortening it and
rendering it tight on the felloe. The tire may be upset at two or more different.
points in its circumference, if necessary. The whole operation is performed
quickly and easily, and without injury to the wheel in any way.
In Figs. 8 and 9 I have represented a modification in which the clamp-jaws are
operated by hydraulic pressure. In this case A' represents a suitable base, which
may rest on the floor or other suitable support, and which sustains the standards CC
and is provided with cylinders in which the pistons or plungers & c and d move.
The plungers b¹ and c¹ force the jaws a a', u all against the edges of the tire,.
while the plunger d' moves the clamps a a¹ towards the clamps all all to upset the
tire. B' is a pump of any suitable construction, operated by hand or power, which
draws a suitable liquid through a pipe e and delivers it through f¹ and 9' to the
cylinders of the plungers. h¹ and h" are check-valves for the pump. is a cock
by which the pressure may be cut off from the plungers &' and c', when they have
forced the clamp-jaws against the tire. The standards are supported by suitable
flanges, or they may extend entirely through the opening in the base and rest on
the support. In order to reduce the friction of the movement of the clamps a a',
there is interposed between them and the base A' on one side and the plunger b² on
the other, a series of anti-friction rollers k¹. These rollers are held in place laterally
by being placed in recesses, or between flanges, and above and below by suitable
plates attached to the base. This style of machine is designed to be used on tires.
too heavy to be upset by a screw, and its operation is in all respects similar to that
already described, except that the clamp-jaws are worked by hydraulic or other
pressure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is-
1. In a tire-setting machine, the combination of two sets or pairs of relatively
adjustable and movable tire-edge-clamping-jaws, means for moving the pairs of
jaws relatively to each other to upset the tire, and suitable means for supporting.
the wheel, substantially as described.
2. In a tire-setting machine, the combination, of two sets or pairs of relatively
adjustable and movable tire-edge-clamping-jaws, means for moving the pairs of
jaws relatively to each other to upset the tire, and an adjustable device for
sustaining the felloe, substantially as described.
3. In a tire-setting machine, the combination of two sets or pairs of relatively
adjustable and movable tire-edge-clamping-jaws, means for moving the pairs of
jaws relatively to each other to upset the tire, suitable means for supporting the
wheel, and an adjustable device for sustaining the felloe, substantially as described.
4. The combination, in a machine for setting tires on the wheel, of serrated
clamps adapted to engage with the edge of the tire at a suitable distance apart,
means for moving the clamps relatively to each other to upset the tire, and a
support for the inside of the felloe during the upsetting operation, substantially as
described.
5. The combination, in a machine for setting tires on the wheel, of serrated
clamping jaws adapted to engage with the edge of the tire at suitable distances
apart, and capable of being shifted to suit tires of different curvature, means for
moving the clamps relatively to each other to upset the tire, and an adjustable.

page_text: support for the inside of the felloe during the upsetting operation, substantially
as described.
6. The combination, in a tire-setting machine, of the adjustable and movable
clamps a a' a" a", the adjusting screws e, the upsetting screw D, and suitable
connecting mechanism, substantially as described.
7. The combination, in a tire-setting machine, of the standards C C, the rod p,
the serrated clamps a a¹ a" a", the adjusting screws e, and the upsetting screw 1),
substantially as described.
8. The combination, in a tire-setting machine, of the standards C C, the rod p,
the serrated clamps a a¹ a¹¹ a¹¹, the adjusting screws e, the upsetting screw D, and
the wedge t, substantially as described.
9. The combination, in a tire-setting machine, of the standards C C, the serrated
clamps a a aa, the adjusting screws, e, the upsetting screw D, and the spring k,
substantially as described.
10. The combination, in a tire-setting machine, of the adjustable and movable
clamps a a¹ a a, the adjusting screws e, the upsetting screw D, suitable
connecting mechanism, and a flexible or yielding support, substantially as
described.
11. The combination, in a tire-setting machine, of the standards C C, the rod p,
the clamps a a¹ a" a, the adjusting screws e, the upsetting screw, and the yielding
support B, substantially as described.
12. The combination, in a machine for setting tires on the wheel of serrated
clamps adapted to engage with the edge of the tire at a suitable distance apart,
means for moving the clamps relatively to each other upset the tire, a support for
the outside of the tire, and a support for the inside of the felloe during the
upsetting operation, substantially as described.
111
13. The combination, in a tire-setting machine of the standards C C, the
shoulders y adapted to sustain the tire, the rod p, the serrated clamps a a' all all,
the adjusting screws e, and the upsetting screw D, substantially as described.
14. The combination, in a tire-setting machine of the standards C C, the
shoulders y, adapted to sustain the tire, the rod p, the serrated clamps a a¹ all all,
the adjusting screws e, the upsetting screw D, and the supporting strip S,
substantially as described.
15. The combination, in a tire-setting machine, of the standards C C the
shoulders y, adapted to sustain the tire, the rod p, the serrated clamps a a¹ all a
the adjusting screws e, the upsetting screw D, and the wedges W, substantially as
described.
16. In a tire-setting machine, the combination of two sets or pairs of relatively
adjustable and movable tire-edge-clamping-jaws a hydraulic cylinder and piston for
moving the jaws relatively to each other to upset the tire, and suitable means for
supporting the wheel, substantially as described.
17. In a tire-setting machine, the combination of two sets or pairs of relatively
adjustable and movable tire-edge-clamping-jaws, hydraulic pistons for clamping the
tire between the jaws, and a hydraulic piston for moving the jaws relatively to each
other to upset the tire, substantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of April 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.