Improvements in Tires.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 29th June, 1897 Accepted, 31st July, 1897
Improvements in Tires.
I, FREDERICK AUGUSTUS HODGMAN, of Scarsdale Avenue, in Yonkers, in the
County of Westchester, in the State of New York, United States of America,
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 rubber tires of the class generally known as solid tires,
in distinction from the class generally known as pneumatic tires, although tires
to which my invention is applied are not necessarily made of a solid piece of rubber,
as will appear more clearly hereinafter. Such tires are now usually made with
a core of wire or of a strip of metal which is relied upon to retain the tire in place
upon the rim of the wheel and to maintain the rubber in a state of compression.
Tires having such a core are ordinarily molded straight. The ends of the wire or
metal core are then brought together, when the tire has been applied to the rim
of the wheel, and are united by welding or otherwise, the rubber being pushed back
to expose the ends of the core. Finally the ends of the rubber are brought together
and cemented or held by the tension of the wire. It is practically impossible for
an ordinary wheelwright to apply a tire of this description and the consequence is
that the wheels to which rubber tires are to be applied must be sent to some place
where may be found special facilities for doing the work. I have sought to provide
an improved tire of this general description which can be sent out from the factory
and applied to the wheel by any ordinary wheelwright or other person without any
difficulty whatsoever, while at the same time the tire shall be secured firmly to the
whee without the possibility of accidental displacement. In accordance with my
invention I form the ends of the wire or other metallic core which are wholly en-
closed within and covered by the body of the tire with inclined, interlocking teeth
so that when the tire has been applied to the wheel and is compressed, such ends
shan automatically engage with each other at the time of greatest compression of
the tire and shall therefore prevent subsequent expansion thereof. It will be
obvious, as this description proceeds, that the ends of the core might have various
forms of teeth to accomplish this result, although I shall describe certain specific
embodiments of the invention which are intended for illustration merely.
In the accompanying drawings,—
Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of a portion of a tire which embodies
my invention, the plane of the section being transverse to the section of the wheel
and a portion of the rim of the wheel being also shown;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal central section of the tire in a plane parallel with the
axis of the wheel, the core being shown in plan view with parts broken away to
show more clearly certain features;
Figure 3 is a transverse section on the plane indicated by the line y-y of
Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Figure 1, but showing a core of different
form;
Figure 5 is a side elevation of a wheel having a rubber tire applied thereto and
showing means for compressing the tire upon the wheel.
As represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings the main body of the tire

page_text: can be
is composed of a substantial thickness of rubber A with a core B3 which is preferably
a hollow tube of proper form and is wholly enclosed within and covered by the body
of the tire. Inasmuch as I desire to provide for a subsequent contraction in longth
of the core after the tire has been placed upon a wheel so that the tire
its ends are formed preferably to overlap slightly when the tire is in the mold or
secured firmly upon the rim of its wheel, the core does not have its ends united, but
its ends are formed preferably to overlap slightly when the tire is in the mold or
vulcanizer or on the wheel and to be capable of slipping past each other to a greater
extent when the tire is compressed upon the wheel, and also of engaging with each
other automatically when the tire has been compressed to the full extent, so that the
tire shall be held upon the rim of the wheel and the rubber maintained in a state of
compression. As represented in the figures referred to, the end portions of the
core, which are preferably solid, are reduced in width, as at b, so that the reduced
portions may overlap each other in the tire, and such reduced portions are provided
upon their abutting faces with inclined, interlocking teeth so that the two reduced
portions may be slipped past each other as the tire is compressed but shall prevent
any backward movement or expansion of the tire, when the tire is released from the
compressing devices. The core may be suitably prepared, before the rubber dough
is applied, (if the rubber is molded on the core) to permit of its movement within
the rubber, as by coating it with paper or cloth or other suitable substance, in a
manner commonly praticed in the art. Provision is also made to prevent the intro-
duction of the rubber between the ends of the core in such a manner as to prevent
their proper movement, the wall of the core being extended alongside of the reduced
solid ends, as at 3, to cover and protect the joint between the ends thereof, without
interfering with the free movement of such ends toward each other in the manner
described.
In the construction represented in Figure 4, the coro of the tire is in the form of
a hollow tube C, one end of which is reduced in diameter sufficiently to permit it
to be introduced within the other end. In the larger end of the tubular core is
secured a sleeve c which is provided with a series of internal teeth c. The reduced
end of the tubular core is slotted longitudinally for a short distance to form yielding
arms or fingers, each of which has a tooth c¹ to engage the teeth e' of the sleeve c.
It will be obvious that when the tire is compressed the teeth c³ will slip over the
teeth to permit the compression of the tire and will then engage automatically
with said teeth to prevent the expansion of the tire.
3
The tire may be molded in an annular form and when it comes from the mold
it is large enough to slip easily upon the grooved rim D of the wheel, or it may be
formed in a straight piece with a hole through which the core is drawn and its ends
subsequently brought together. Then a band E is applied to the wheel outside of
the tire and its ends are drawn together by any suitable means, as by a bolte and 4
nute, thereby compressing the tire upon the rim of the wheel. When the tire has
been compressed as much as possible or as desirable, the band E is removed but
the tire does not expand for the reason that the overlapping ends have automatically
interlocked the one with the other to prevent the expansion of the core. Therefore
the tire will be firmly secured upon the rim of the wheel and the rubber will be 4
maintained in a state of compression.
It will be obvious that the forms of the teeth for effecting the automatic engage-
ment of the two free ends of the core may be varied without departing from the
spirit of my invention and that the form of the core may also be varied. Therefore
I do not desire to be limited to the precise construction of the core and of such 5
devices which I have shown herein.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
A solid rubber tire having a core wholly enclosed within and covered by the body 5
of the tire, the ends of said core being overlanned and found an
1

page_text: faces with inclined, interlocking teeth to slip past each other as the tire is com-
pressed and to engage automatically, the one with the other, to prevent expansion
of the tire.
PHILLIP M. JUSTICE,
Chartered Patent Agent, London; For the Applicant.