Improvements in Air-proof Chambers for Wheel Tyres and other purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 25th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 6th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Air-proof Chambers for Wheel Tyres and
other purposes.
JOSEPH CASTLE HALL 2 Gresham Buildings, Basinghall Street, London E.C.
Chartered Accountant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to air-proof tubes or chambers for wheels of cycles,
carriages of all kinds and road skates and the process involved is also applicable in
the manufacture of pipes to convey water et cetera, the said tube or chamber to be
known as the "helical tyre" when used for tyres as aforesaid.
I construct the said tube, or chamber from strips, or one long strip, of canvas or
textile tape or strip of a suitable breadth which I arrange helically that is in a
spiral manner, one layer or tape partly upon the other and thus wound round any
suitable base to form the chamber required. The said tape or strip of canvas is
preferably made air and water proof by suitable solution of liquid rubber or like
substance before the same is turned into the helical tube or chamber as aforesaid
and the said strip may be left in such a state before making it into the said tube
that it will stick fast together on being wound as aforesaid. I prefer however to
leave a narrow strip of the tape in a state so that it will not so stick.
This strip
forms the interior spiral margin of the tube and, for tyres, affords a loose flap
which yields before pressure say from a sharp instrument from the exterior. On
withdrawing the latter the flap goes back &, when used in tyres under the
pneumatic principle, the pressure of air presses it down upon the hole thus
preventing escape of air through the walls of the chamber which would otherwise
be punctured. When desired a separate inner rubber chamber may be used and
also, in tyres, an outer cover for road wear, may be affixed.
DL:s and 1 of Antahan 1902
J. CASTLE HALL.
Improvements in Air-proof Chambers for Wheel Tyres and
other purposes.
..
JOSEPH CASTLE HALL 2 Gresham Buildings, Basinghall Street, London E.C.
Chartered Accountant, 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 :-
My invention relates to pneumatic tyres or air-proof tubes or chambers used in
the construction of wheels of cycles, carriages of all kinds, and road skates or foot
cycles and the process involved is also applicable in the manufacture of pipes to
convey water et cetera, the said tube or chamber to be known as the helical tyre
when used for tyres as aforesaid.
I construct the said tube or chamber from strips, or from one long strip, of
canvas or textile tape, band, cord, strip, or other ligament of a suitable breadth
strength or thickness which I arrange helically, that is, in a spiral manner, one
layer or tape partly touching, or upon, the other, and thus wound round any
suitable base to form the chamber required. The said tape, band, strip, or other
ligament of canvas or other suitable material is preferably made air and water

page_text: proof by suitable outer coatings of rubber or like substance before the saine is
turned into the helical tube or chamber as aforesaid, and the said strip or other
ligament may be left in such a state before making it into the said tube that it will
stick fast together on being wound as aforesaid. "I prefer however when using a
tape, of greater breadth than thickness or diameter, to leave a narrow strip of the
tape in a state so that it will not so stick. This strip forms the interior spiral
margin of the tube and for tyres affords a loose flap which yields before pressure
say from a sharp instrument from the exterior. On withdrawing the latter the flap
goes back and when used in tyres under the pneumatic principle the pressure of air
presses it down upon the hole thus preventing escape of air through the walls of
the chamber which would otherwise be punctured. When desired a separate wall
or rubber chamber may be used of any desired thickness and quality and also in
tyres an outer cover or coating for road wear may be added. I do not confine
myself to any particular number of layers either of the said separate rubber covers
or of the said helically or spirally wound tapes, bands, cords, or other ligaments,
nor to any particular manner of winding or otherwise applying the same to the
positions occupied by them respectively in the construction of the said helical
tyres. The strip, tape, or other ligament used may also be of any desired thickness
and strength, and either constructed circular, oblong, triangular, square, or other
shape in section, for example, it may either resemble a piece of whipcord, thread
of flax or hemp, or a strip of linen or other braid an inch or two in breadth.
Referring to the annexed drawings,
Fig. 1 shows a short length of tyre or air chamber. B B are the walls of the
inner rubber shell of the chamber surrounded with the helical layer or coil A A.
Fig. 2 represents the tube composed of strips about an inch in breadth A, A
& A. Strip A for example may reach from Kd to K that is, it passes underneath
the other strips excepting as to about one third its breadth.
Fig. 3 illustrates a further modification of Fig. 1. In this case the strips or
cords AA are coiled at a short distance apart, so as to afford the maximum of
resilience with the minimum of weight.
In Fig. 4 I have shewn an example of a double coil A A and C C respectively;
BB representing the inner shell or wall of rubber tubing as aforesaid.
Fig. 5 shows a further modification of the double coils mentioned in reference to
Fig. 4.
In this case the first coil, represented in section by A A, is wound close
together and helically, round the first or inner wall B B. The second coil C C is
then wound upon the first and by wrapping the second coil somewhat more tightly
than the first one, a very desirable end is achieved, viz. that in the event of a
puncture the stretch given to the first series of cords expands the same against the
second or upper series and the rubber around and between the two is pressed
together and escape of air prevented or restricted.
In Fig. 6 is shewn a further modification in applying the flat strips A, A¹
and Around the chamber B B. H H is a small cavity left between each strip
and over which a second strip may if desired be wound, reaching for example
from J to J. Greater resilience however results from only using the single strip,
tape, or ligament although this is more liable to puncture.
Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a tyre made as described in Figs. 13 and 6. D is
the interior of the chamber, E is an outer wall for road wear, F the intermediate
helical strip, band or other ligament and G is the shell or wall of the inner
chamber of rubber or other suitable material.
In Fig. 2 the said helical strips are shewn to constitute the entire wall of the
chamber but there may be added an extra inner shell or chamber of rubber and
also an outer cover for road wear. The said inner rubber chamber may itself
be made of thin rubber wrapped helically and overlapping as aforesaid, or it may
be an ordinary tube of rubber and the same may be surrounded with a series
of strips of suitable tape, canvas strips, (cut either on the cross or bias or other-
wise) or cords of silk, hemp, linen, or the like. There may also be inserted within
any of the layers, produced as aforesaid, any desired substance or thing that may

page_text: be calculated to prevent the entire walls of the said chamber being punctured.
When wrapping a second helical or other additional coil around the base used
in the manufacture of the said tyre it may either be wrapped transversely or
partly transversely upon the underlying coil or strip as shewn in Fig. 4, or parallel
with the first coil as shewn in Fig. 5. Any of the said strips, cords, tapes, or
other ligaments may be surrounded or partially surrounded with rubber, cotton,
wool or like material prior to being wrapped around as aforesaid, and such strips
or other ligaments along with the underlying coil or wall may be suitably covered
with solution of rubber or other liquid so that they may adhere firmly in their
respective places when wrapped or wound as aforesaid and particularly to adhere
firmly to the underlying shell coil or wall of the chamber.
It will be seen that tyres thus made produce when desired a helical periphery or
series of spiral elevations shewn by X X in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 respectively which
elevations prevent side slip.
A portion of the inner margin or strip of the tape when made into a tyre as
shewn in Fig. 2, not being solutioned to the layer immediately above it, forms an
endless valve or flap which prevents puncture as it tends automatically to fill up
any puncture made in the outer walls.
The base around which I prefer to make these tyres may either be a straight or
other shaped pole or pipe of any material and of suitable diameter or may be a
stout rubber inner chamber slightly inflated so as to hold sufficiently firm to have
the strips, cords, or tapes wound around it as aforesaid.
In the manufacture of air chambers in accordance with my invention I am able
to construct the same without subjecting the canvas strips, cords, tapes, or other
ligaments aforesaid to the heat required to vulcanise rubber. In the manufacture
of tyres made without separate and detachable air chambers it has been the
common practice to subject the rubber along with the canvas to vulcanisation and
this destroys (sometimes almost to tinder) the textile fabric and utility of the
canvas. This is therefore an important feature of my invention. Another is the
facility afforded in the manufacture of air chambers for tyres or the like and
especially those of very small diameter. For example, it is now by means of my
invention, quite simple to make an air tube of two or three inches only in diameter
by using a suitable base say a block of wood or other material turned or other-
wise curved into one half of a circle of the size required. Over this, after
chalking it, may be pulled a tube of pure rubber. The latter is solutioned on the
outside and the strip, thread, cord, or other ligament is then also solutioned and
wound round the tube. As I approach the opposite end of the wood base, I slide
the finished tyre off and continue to work on the base aforesaid. Or the said
wood or other base may be a complete circle or ring in which case I split the same
and pull each end a small distance apart.
The said base may be of any desired shape and so constructed that a segment
or portion thereof may be drawn away from the rest which will result in the
latter collapsing somewhat and forming a less diameter than before, which
facilitates their withdrawal from the tyre aforesaid. It will thus be seen that the
manufacture of air chambers or pneumatic tyres under this invention is greatly
simplified and improved. I affix usual valves for inflating the tyre in the ordinary
manner.
I am aware that thin spiral layers of pure rubber have been used to prevent
puncture, the plan being that each layer being loose from the one beneath it would
change its position on being punctured also that thin parallel strips of rubber
have been placed inside air chambers to form a series of clack valves, but neither
of these processes affect my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1 The construction of air proof chambers for wheel tyres and other purposes

page_text: consisting of an inner shell layer or layers of rubber or like material surrounded
by a textile or other flexible strip or strips, tape or tapes, or other ligaments
wound helically or spirally around such inner shell and either surrounded or not
with an outer covering or coverings of rubber or other material for road or other
wear substantially as described and set forth.
2. An air chamber for wheel tyres and other purposes in which the walls thereof
are constructed on any one or more of the following systems:-
(a) With a thin layer of rubber solutioned and wound helically and over-
lapping itself to form the inner air proof shell, surrounded with a strip of
canvas, tape, hemp, flax, silk, thread, or other ligament either in one or
more coils and each strip or ligament either touching each other or at a
short distance apart, each of the said strips tapes or other ligaments or a
portion of them being first covered in any ordinary manner with a coating
or tube of rubber or other material and also being solutioned along with
the outer surface of the said inner tube prior to being wound around the
said outer surface, and the whole being then surrounded with an outer
cover or layer of rubber or like material for road wear, substantially as set
forth.
(b) The construction of a tyre or air chamber as claimed under the preceding
paragraph marked (2) and sub-paragraph (a), but without any additional
outer cover or layer for road wear, substantially as set forth.
(c) The construction of a tyre or air chamber as claimed under the preceding
paragraph marked (2) and sub-paragraph (a) with an ordinary but not
detachable inner shell or wall of rubber the latter being made in any
ordinary manner and not made from winding a strip of rubber as herein-
before defined, substantially as set forth.
3. The construction of a tyre or air chamber in which the walls consist of a
strip of suitable canvas, tape or other ligament, one or both sides of which is
covered with a thin sheet of rubber or like material and which after being
solutioned is wound around any suitable base, helically each strip partly overlapping
the last, substantially as set forth.
4. The construction of a tyre in which the textile fabric or other ligaments
used are not subjected to the heat required in vulcanisation, substantially as set
forth.
5. The construction of a pneumatic tyre for wheels in which rubber and canvas
strips, tapes, bands, or other ligaments are wound helically around a base of wood
or other material, of any shape required, such base being withdrawn after the
process of wrapping aforesaid, substantially as set forth.
6. The construction of tyres, circular tubes or air chambers of very small
diameters by means of winding helically, strips bands or other ligaments combined
with rubber around an artificial base, substantially as set forth.
7. The construction of a wheel tyre or air chamber comprising a stout rubber
inner shell surrounded with strips of canvas or other material (either cut in the
bias or otherwise) tapes, bands, or other ligaments sufficiently strong to prevent
the said inner rubber shell from bursting on being inflated and wrapped (with or
without solution) helically around the inner shell aforesaid either in single or double
coils or layers, each strip or ligament either touching each other, overlapping
each other, or at a short distance apart from each other, the said strips or ligaments
being surrounded or not so surrounded with an outer covering of suitable
rubber arranged in helical strips, or otherwise, for road wear, substantially as
set forth.
8. The construction of a wheel tyre with an internal and continuous helical or
spiral valve or flap, substantially as set forth.
9. The construction of a wheel tyre with an outer helical ridge caused by the
overlapping of strips or the distancing of tapes or ligaments of rubber or other
material, substantially as set forth.
10. The construction of a wheel tyre of air chamber comprising as a new

page_text: process of manufacture for the objects and purposes specified, any one or more of
the helical principles of construction herein before described, substantially as set
forth.
J. CASTLE HALL.