IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Woodford Pilkington, of Balham, in the County
of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF WHEELS."
Sealed the 14th October 1870, and dated the 10th August 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Woodford Pilkington
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 10th August 1870.
I, WOODFORD PILKINGTON, of Balham, in the County of Surrey, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object certain improvements in the con-
struction of wheels applicable either to railways, traction engines, or
carriages for common roads, whereby they are rendered elastic to such.
an extent as to cause them to take a firmer hold or bite upon the surface
they travel upon, thus reducing the effect of shocks and the wear and
tear of carriages and machinery in locomotion.

page_text: Wheels constructed according to my Invention are formed with sliding
telescopic or contracting spokes combined with an elastic segmental
felloe or tyre which is capable of contraction within certain limits at
the part where it bears for the time upon the road or surface. It travels
upon the action of a powerful spring combined with each stroke,
causing it to return or expand to its original size on the removal of the
pressure.
The mode of constructing wheels in accordance with my Invention
may be considerably varied depending upon the purposes for which
they are required. One portion of each spoke is formed hollow. or
tubular, into which the other portion slides, a powerful cylindrical or
other suitable spring or springs being introduced into the hollow
or tubular part for the sliding part of the spoke to press and bear against.
Each spoke is thus rendered capable of yielding with the segmental
tyre to the percussive action upon the road caused by the weight of the
load carried. The ends of the spokes are connected to the segmental
felloe or tyre by pins, bolts, or otherwise in such manner as to allow
sufficient movement for the segments to contract or assume a flattened
surface upon the road as each spoke with the tyre yields to the pressure
of the load. The segmental tyres may be made of cast or wrought iron
or steel, being varied in form to suit the size, purpose, and strength of
the wheel required.
In constructing tyres according to my Invention for wheels of great
strength, such as for traction engines or other purposes, they may be
formed with comparatively small segments linked together in such
manner as to allow of the required amount of contraction, but none
of expansion of the tyre, the segments forming a succession of feet
similar to ankle joints, to which the ends of the spokes are attached by
means of lugs or projections, with pins or bolts to connect them together.
The holes for the connecting pins or bolts are formed oval to such an
extent as to allow the spring spoke to act freely so that the surface or
segmental tyre of the wheel may assume at the bearing point a flattened
surface.
The segmental tyres of ordinary carriage wheels having elastic or
spring spokes constructed in accordance with my Invention may .be
formed tubular or trough-shaped, the parts or segments forming the
felloe of the wheel being connected by blocks of metal which act as
solid links, the holes through which the bolts or pins pass to connect.

page_text: the blocks and segments together being slightly oval in form to permit
the parts to slide or contract in the direction of compression to the
extent required. Or the tyres combined with elastic spokes as pre-
viously described may be formed. unyielding or without segments, the
clasticity of the spokes, simply acting to diminish or destroy the
percussive action of the load upon the road..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Woodford Pilkington in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 4th February 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WOODFORD
PILKINGTON, of Balham, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty. Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Woodford Pilkington, Her special licence that
I, the said Woodford Pilkington, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Woodford Pilkington, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, 'the said Woodford Pilkington, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six-
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said. Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Woodford Pilkington,, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :—

page_text: This Invention has for its object certain improvements in the con-
struction of improved wheels applicable either to railways, traction
engines, or carriages for common roads, whereby they are rendered
elastic to such an extent as to cause them to take a firmer hold or bite
upon the surface they travel upon, reduce the effect of shock and
ordinary vibration, and the wear and tear of machinery in locomotion.
Various modifications of improved wheels constructed according to
my Invention are shewn in the accompanying Drawings; and in order
that the same may be fully understood I will describe several modes in
which I construct my said improved wheels, reference being made
to the Drawings which shew the same respectively and are hereunto
annexed.
Figure 1 is a side view; Figure 2, a double front view; and Figure 3,
a double transverse section of one of my improved wheels representing a
driving wheel suitable for a traction engine.
Figure 4 is a side view shewing another modification, being another
of my improved wheels suitable for a front bearing or guide wheel;
Figure 5 shews a coupled front view; and Figure 6, a coupled transverse
section of this modification.
Figures 7, 8, 9, shew another modification shewing another wheel of 2
my improved construction adapted to the wheels of ordinary carriages,
carts, or other vehicles.
Figure 10 shews an enlarged view of the spoke specially constructed
by me to be used as shewn in my approved wheels with an outer
relieving spring, and also shews in transverse section one method
employed by me in forming the connection with the segmental
.periphery.
Figure 11 is a complete longitudinal section of my improved wheel
which may be used as a driving wheel as in Figure 1, shewing the mode
of constructing the entire wheel in duplicate parts; and Figure 12 shews a
a single wheel front of this modification.
Figures 13, 14, 16, 17, and 18 shew another mode of constructing
the periphery employed by me for my improved wheels so as to form
an unyielding interior circumferential groove in the line of which the
sliding spokes can move to a given extent (which may be varied) 3
between elastic rubber covered bolts suitable for ordinary carriages or
railway wheels.

page_text: Figures 2, 3, 5, 6, shew a method of combining two or more wheels of
this class on the same axle, so as to produce transverse conformity to
the road surface. The projecting studs or arms working in slots in the
sides of the spring chamber of the spoke are used in the large driving
and bearing wheels to carry outside coil relieving springs in my improved
wheel to obtain sufficient strength for these purposes; A, A, A,
Figure 10, shew their bearing and position against the nave or hub of
the wheel, and B, B, B, shews a method of boxing in the spring com-
partments of these wheels when used for traction engines, heavy
carriages, or railway wheels. The sliding part of the spoke C, C, C,
is made hollow of lap welded drawn iron or steel tubing, and the spring
chamber D, D, D, of brass lined iron drawn tubing where great
exactness of fit and slide is necessary, or it may be made entirely of
brass or nickel silver where ornamental wheels are required. The spring
chamber may also be lined or packed with oiled felting kept in place by
screw capping at the entrance of the spring chamber to give softness
to the action of the spokes. The nave or hub of wheels of this class in
accordance with my improvements are cast in halves and afterwards
brought together so that the spoke spaces may be bored out truly radial,
as in Figure 15, the slides E, E, E, being perfectly flat for heavy wheels
and in duplicate parts two or more wheels can be braced or bolted
together to increase the width of foot tread and render it at the same
time conformable to the road surface. The interior springs may in some
cases be made of india-rubber in place of coil steel F, F, F. The small
link motion segmental feet of the periphery G, G, G, may be tangent
to the circumference, as in Figure 1, or segments of it, as in Figure 11.
In Figure 4 the felloe portion H, H, H, is trough shaped, the con-
necting slide link being formed square throughout, slightly round at the
top and bottom end, and in Figure 7 are of lap welded square tubing,
the link being curved at the centre and round at the ends, like the
figure eight, but true to the plane of the wheel at the sides, the link
holes being bored oval.
In Figures 13, 14, 16, 17, and 18, the groove I, I, I, is formed in'
halves, of angle iron, in order to place the spokes in segments bonded and
braced by the rubber covered shoulder bolts K, K, K, upon which an
ordinary tyre or railway tyre may be placed or shrunk on. The groove
I, I, I, may be capped, if desired, so as to give the appearance of an
ordinary wheel, or the periphery may be in trough-shaped segments

page_text: braced together as above, the spoke spaces being taken out to the
maximum amount of slide required between the tie bolts, so as to close
in the groove, as before.
Having now described my Invention and the manner in which it is
performed and carried into effect, I would have it understood that I am
aware that attempts have heretofore been made to use for friction bearing
wheels of carriages sliding spokes made to act upon springs, and I do
not claim as of my Invention the use of such spokes and springs
generally or otherwise than when applied as herein-before described in
wheels of my improved construction, but I claim,―
First. The respective combinations of parts forming my improved
wheels, constructed and arranged respectively as herein-before described
and shewn in the Drawings annexed.
'
Secondly. I claim as novel parts of my improved wheels the parts
marked N, N, N, shown respectively in Figures 1 to 18, when such
parts are used in the construction of wheels substantially in the
manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Woodford Pilkington, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirticth day of January,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-one.