Improvements relating to the Securing of Metal Rims or Felloes to the Spokes of Vehicle Wheels.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 30th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 7th Mar., 1896
Date of Application, out mar, 1090
Complete Specification Left, 30th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 7th Mar., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Securing of Metal Rims or Felloes to
the Spokes of Vehicle Wheels.
I, CHARLES KINGSTON WELCH, of The Hollies, Eaton Road, Coventry, in the
County of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention relates to wheels for cabs, carriages, omnibuses, and similar
vehicles (the spokes of which whether wood or metal are in compression or subject
to end wise pressure) and particularly to wheels that are to be fitted with pneumatic
tyres, and has for its objects the provision of an improved method of and means for
securing metal rims or felloes to the spokes.
I am aware that it is known to fix the metal rim or felloe to the spokes where
the wood felloe is dispensed with by means of metal sockets which are driven
tightly on the reduced ends or tangs of the spokes and which are riveted to the
rim, the said sockets being furnished with flanges or heads through which the rivets
are passed.
I also
According to my invention I make the outer ends of the sockets convex.
form concave depressions in the inner circumference of the rim or felloe in line
with the spokes to fit the said convex ends of the sockets. I preferably make the
head or end of the socket of circular transverse section though that is not
essential.
Having thus prepared the sockets and the rim as aforesaid and having driven
the sockets on the prepared ends or tangs of the spokes I heat the rim to enlarge
its diameter and then pass it over the spokes after which I cool it and thus contract
it on the spokes. The diameter of the rim is such that when cool, it very securely
grips the spokes. The aforesaid concave depressions in the rim engage with the
convex ends of the sockets and ensure a very perfect fit and good bearing surface
(without unduly straining the tangs) between the spokes and the rim.
I may contract the rim on the spokes by pressure in a suitable press instead of
employing the heating and cooling method above described, or the rim or felloe
may be reduced by other suitable means for the same purpose, or the spokes may
be made extensible by screws or otherwise and tightened in the rim by extending
them.
I sometimes further secure the rim in place by wood, metal or other pegs, screws
or the like passed through the rim and into the ends of the spokes.
My invention also provides for using washers or disc-like packing pieces of metal
or other material between the ends of the sockets and the metal rim.
Dated this 30th day of March 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: .
Improvements relating to the Securing of Metal Rims or Felloes to
the Spokes of Vehicle Wheels.
I, CHARLES KINGSTON WELCH, of Park House, Coventry in the County of
Warwick, formerly of The Hollies, Eaton Road, Coventry, aforesaid, Engineer,
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 wheels for cabs, carriages, omnibuses, and similar
vehicles (the spokes of which wheels whether of wood or of metal are in compression
or subject to end wise pressure) and particularly to wheels that are to be fitted with
pneumatic tyres, and the said invention has for its object an improved method of
and means for securing the metal rims or felloes of such wheels to the spokes.
I am aware that the metal rim or felloe, where the wood felloe is dispensed with,
has been heretofore fixed to the spokes by means of metal sockets driven tightly
on the reduced outer ends or tangs of the spokes and riveted to the rim, the said
sockets being furnished with flanges or heads through which the rivets are
passed.
According to the present invention the rivetting of the sockets to the rim is
dispensed with, the outer ends of the sockets are made convex, and the inner
circumference of the rim or felloe is provided with a number of concave depressions
in line with the spokes and adapted to receive and fit the said convex ends of the
sockets. The sockets having been tightly driven on to the ends of the spokes, the
rim is heated to enlarge its diameter and the said rim is then passed over the spokes
and contracted thereon by cooling, the diameter of the rim being such that when
cool, it very securely grips the ends of the spokes and holds them tightly in place.
The concave depressions in the rim in combination with the convex ends of the
sockets ensure a very perfect fit and good bearing surface between the sockets and
the rim whatever may be the angle of the spokes or amount of "dish" of the
wheel whereby the tangs are relieved from undue strain such as is likely to occur
when the sockets are riveted to the rim.
The said invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein
Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a wheel.
Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section through a portion of the rim and through
the ends of two spokes secured therein.
Figure 3 is a transverse section of the rim and of a socket and portion of the
spoke applied thereto drawn to a larger scale.
Figure 4 is a section of the socket and spoke taken in a direction at right angles
to the plane of section in Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the socket.
Figure 6 is an underplan view of a portion of the rim showing a concavity or
recess therein for receiving the end of the spoke, and drawn to the same scale as
Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 7 is a similar view showing a modified form of recess hereinafter
described.
Figures 8 and 9 are front and side views of a portion of a spoke and socket thereon
adapted to fit the recess in the hub shown in Figure 7.
Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several figures.

page_text: A is the hub or box of the wheel; B, B are the spokes; C, C are sockets fitted
on the ends of the spokes; D is the metal rim. The sockets C are driven tightly
on to the reduced ends or tangs B' of the spokes, and may be held by friction or
by other means. The sockets are sometimes provided with a wedge shaped bar or
knife C extending diametrically across the hole therein which knife enters the eu.1
of the taug when the latter is driven into the socket and presses the sides of the
tang very tightly against the sides of the socket thereby ensuring a very tight
hold. To still further reduce the chance of the socket working loose, the hole
therein may be made slightly taper the larger diameter being at the bottom of the
hole, as indicated in Figure 4; this construction is however not essential to the-
carrying out of the invention, as the socket may be firmly secured on the tang by
other means.
The tang should be slightly shorter than the hole in the socket so
that its extremity will not touch the bottom of the hole, but the socket will bear
firmly on the shoulder B2 of the spoke.
I sometimes make the face of the inner end of the socket slightly conical so that
it may have a tendency to close in the fibres of the wood at the shoulder B².
The convex ends of the sockets may be spherical as indicated in Figure 5 or
cylindrical as indicated in Figures 8 and 9. The sockets may be made of brass, or
of malleable iron, or of steel cast or stamped steel.
In the inner circumference of the rim D are formed a number of cavities or
recesses D' corresponding to the number of spokes, and spaced at equal distances
apart. These recesses are adapted to receive and fit the convex ends of the sockets..
In the case where cylindrical recesses are provided to fit sockets having cylindrical
ends, the axis of the cylindrical surface is in the plane of the rim as indicated by
Figure 7.
In making the wheel, the spokes are first secured in the hub or box by any of
the usual methods, and the ends of the spokes are reduced preferably by a tanging
machine to form the tangs B¹, the sockets are then driven or forced on to the tangs.
The metal rim or felloe having the concavities or recesses D' hereinbefore described
formed in its inner circumference is then heated to a suitable temperature to enlarge
its diameter sufficiently to allow it to be passed over the ends of the sockets. The
rim is then cooled by water or otherwise and thus contracted on to the spokes,.
whereby the convex ends of the sockets are caused to enter and find a proper
bearing or seating in the recesses in the rim. The length of the spokes is such
that when the rim is contracted thereon as above described they will ensure the
amount of end pressure necessary to tighten up the wheel, and this result will be
obtained without unduly straining the tangs. The end pressure so obtained may
in most cases be made sufficient to prevent displacement of the spokes without any
other fastening, but if additional security is required, a pin, peg, dowel or screw
may be driven or passed through the rim into the end of the socket after the
manner indicated at E, E in Figure 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The method of securing a metal rim or felloe to the spokes of a wheel by
means of sockets having convex ends fitting into corresponding concavities or
recesses in the inner circumference of the rim or felloe and contracting the rim or
felloe upon the ends of such sockets.
2. The sockets shown and described for the purpose specified.
3. A vehicle wheel consisting of a pneumatic tyre, a metal rim or felloe having
on its inner circumference a series of depressions, spokes radiating from a hub or
central box and fitted at their outer ends with metal sockets shaped at the ends to
fit the said depressions in the rim or felloe, the said rim or felloe spokes and hub
being held together by the contraction of the rim or felloe all substantially as
described.

page_text: 4. A vehicle wheel having its rim secured to the spokes by means substantially
as described with reference to Figures 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6, or to Figure 2, or to
Figures 7, 8 and 9 of the drawings.
Dated this 30th day of January 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.