Improvement in Cycle and other Tires.
Year: 1897

page_text: I, JOHN THOMAS KETTLE, of 10, Woodville Road, Chorley, in the County of
Lancaster, a Retired Officer of Inland Revenue, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a new form of tire preferably made of spring steel, or
other suitable material, plaited or woven so as to form a round or oval tubular
structure, which is formed into a circle or tire by the interlacing of some of the
strands from each end, and being so arranged as to bring the joined ends of each
strand at different intervals in the circle, these ends being joined by brazing, a
The tire is so finished as to fit
double socket or any suitable way of joining them.
into the groove or bed of the rim of a cycle or other wheel & is kept in place by
its own grip or pressure, it being sufficiently elastic as to stretch so as to be slipped
over the edge of such rim.
The tire may be covered with a covering, preferably of rubber or any other suitable
material, and the object is to do away with the liability to puncture, as in a pneumatic
tire, at the same time having equal smoothness in running & minimum of
vibration, as should the covering be punctured the utility of the tire is in no way
affected.
I should claim for the tire that it will be as smooth running as any tire and
without the disadvantage of liability to puncture.
Dated this Fourth day of November 1897.
Improvement in Cycle and other Tires.
I, JOHN THOMAS KETTLE, of 10, Woodville Road, Chorley, in the County of
Lancaster, Retired Inland Revenue Officer, 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 object of this invention is to provide a tire for cycles and other road vehicles,
to obtain
which shall have considerable elasticity or cushioning effect, so as
smoothness in running and little vibration; whilst avoiding the disadvantage which
attends the pneumatic tire in its liability to puncture, i.e. to collapse.
My invention consists in obtaining this elastic or cushioning property by using,
instead of a pneumatic tube, a tube formed of interlaced or woven strands of spring

page_text: steel, so that the strands form right and left hand spiral springs of considerable
pitch and constitute when the tube is bent into a circle, a tire having considerable
elasticity or cushioning effect.
In order to protect this tire from the effects of the weather, it is covered with an
outer cover, preferably formed of rubber and considerably thicker on the tread, than
on the inner side next to the rim. The cover may be formed of other material, for
example leather; though in the case where the cover is made of rubber, it is
preferably formed as a tube, which is slipped over the tire tube of interlaced or woven
steel strands.
This tire may be constructed by first coiling each strand into a spiral, having a
length about equal to the mean circumference of the tire, and one half of the strand
coils will be right handed, and the other half left handed. These coils are then
interlaced, which may be so effected, that the ends all come respectively to the ends
of the tube thus formed; or so that the joined ends of the different strands come at
intervals, that is at different places in the circle of the tire. The ends may be
joined by braizing, socketing or other means.
A
The tire tube however is most conveniently formed in a circle loom, so designed
as to give the requisite equal spiral twist to the separate strands. "The proper length
of the tube is then cut off, bent round to form a circle, and the ends then joined as
above described; or one end may be blocked or stretched lengthways, to be of some-
'what smaller diameter, so as to be entered into the other end; when the ends may
be secured together by sewing, or threading with wire, or by braizing, or other
means.
The strands may be formed of round steel wire, or preferably of flat narrow or
ribbon steel; as in the latter case, the undulations formed by the interlacing cause
less deviation from the true circle or spiral, and consequently detract less from the
elasticity or cushioning property of the tube.
And in order that my invention and the manner in which the same is to be per-
formed may be more readily and clearly understood, I have annexed hereto the
accompanying drawings to illustrate my invention in which Fig. 1 is a view of part
of a tire constructed in accordance with this invention; the outer rubber cover and
the metal rim of the tire being shown in section, so as to expose the inner tire tube.
Fig. 2 is a cross section of the tire.
A are the interlaced or woven strands of ribbon spring steel, coiled to right and
left hand spirals of about 45 degrees. By increasing or decreasing the angle, i,e,
lessening or increasing the pitch, and decreasing or increasing the number of the
strands, the elasticity of the tire may be increased or decreased. The ends of the
tube thus formed are joined by inserting one end within the other, as shewn at BB
and secured by wires C C threaded through the meshes of the overlapping
ends.
D is the cover of the rubber, formed thicker over the tread portion; and
E indicates the metal rim of the tire.
In the addition to the advantage that is not liable to collapse or serious damage
by puncture, a tube constructed in accordance with my invention is considerably
lighter than a pneumatic tube tire.
It will be evident, that though my tire tube above described is intended to replace
the pneumatic tube; that my tire tube may be used in connection with, i.e. fitted
within a pneumatic tube to prevent collapse or puncture.
Lastly especially in the case of heavy vehicles, such as traction engines, a single
coil wire spring may be inserted in the spring tire tube to support it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
(1). The construction of an elastic tube for cycle and other tires formed by
interlacing or weaving strands of spring steel substantially as herein set forth.

page_text: (2). The combination of a tube formed of interlaced or woven spring steel strands
with an outer protecting or wearing cover of rubber, leather or the like, to form a
tire for cycles or other road vehicles, substantially as herein set forth.
Dated this Second day of September 1898.
J. CLARK JEFFERSON, F.I.P.A.,
30, Park Row, Leeds, Agent for Applicant.