Method and Apparatus for Manufacturing Wrought Iron and Steel Disc and Spoke Wheels and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 4th June, 1395-Accepted, 6th July, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Method and Apparatus for Manufacturing Wrought Iron and Steel
Disc and Spoke Wheels and the like.
I, HEINRICH EHRHARDT, of No. 20 Reichsstrasse, Dusseldorf, Germany,
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 a method and apparatus for the manufacture of disc
and spoke wheels and the like out of one piece of wrought iron or steel in such a
manner that the fibres of the material are disposed radially in the discs or spokes
and become much stronger by the action of drawing.
I will describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A long piece of iron or steel (Figures 1 and 2) is provided with a hole and cut
into pieces b whose weight is that of the wheel to be produced or short pieces
of the weight of the wheel are manufactured originally with or without a hole.
This piece b is put into a matrix c (Fig. 3) and is brought by pressure to the
form e by means of the die d. The matrix c is enlarged at its upper part and the
hole fis larger than the pin g of the die. By this means the material can pass in
all directions. The piece e obtained in this way is put into a second matrix h
(Fig. 4) in which a piece i is obtained such as can be drawn. It is passed with the
die k into the hole of the drawing plate (Fig. 5), either entirely or only to
such an extent that the part not drawn corresponds in its volume to the inner ring
or rim of the wheel. For obtaining the thickened edge which forms the inner
ring or rim, the die k is made of smaller size at the back part, as shown in Figs. 4
and 5.
By this arrangement the edge of the piece m which is pushed over the thinner
part of the die is not drawn and the fibres remain in the radial direction around the
die into which they are brought by pressing. After drawing, the half-finished wheel
is enlarged by means of one or more conical dies n (Fig. 6) and finally is pressed
into the matrix p by means of the die o (Fig. 7).
By this operation the wheel is entirely finished and at the same time rendered
of uniform condition. For avoiding the thinning down of the edge for the rim and
of the disc itself which would otherwise be caused by the enlarging (Fig. 6), the
section of the die k and drawing plate (Fig. 5) may be corrugated as shown in plan
in Fig. 8, instead of being circular. This corrugated form however, must pass over
into a round one in the fore part of the die. The entire length of the corrugated
edge of the piece m (Fig. 8) corresponds to the circumference of the rim of a wheel
so that any detrimental spreading of the edge is impossible.
If spoke wheels are to be manufactured, the matrixes and drawing plates must
be provided with ribs for this purpose. Figs. 9 to 16 represent the several operations.
In this case also, a piece a (shewn in dotted lines at Fig. 9) is pressed into a
matrix e provided with ribs b (Figs. 9 and 10) and is brought to the configuration e
by means of a pressing die d, the material being thus pressed into the openings
between the ribs.
In the following matrix f (Fig. 11) the piece e is pressed by the die g, until the
latter touches the ribs h. In this way a piece i is formed which is provided with thick
spokes connected at the centre by the nave, and at the periphery by the rim, which
is still thicker than is required. The piece being then pushed through the drawing

page_text: plate h (Fig. 12), the spokes will have the exact required dimensions imparted to
them. The die 7 and drawing plate 'have such a configuration that the wheel is
brought thereby to the form represented in elevation and plan in Figs. 13 and 14.
The rim is undulated and will, when extended, correspond to the circumference of
a finished wheel. Moreover, bending and rectifying will be facilitated as in the
disc wheels. In the finishing matrix (Fig. 15), the flattened wheel is made of
uniform condition by means of the die m and matrix n, the spokes being brought
into the configuration represented at Fig. 16. In the spoke wheel, the direction of
the fibres of the material in the spokes is also radial. By this means and by the
drawing operation, the wheels are consequently much stronger and may therefore be
made much lighter.
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. A method of manufacturing wrought iron and steel disc and spoke wheels and
the like by pressing iron or steel pieces with or without a hole into matrixes, with
or without ribs, and drawing them through a drawing plate in such a manner that the
direction of the fibres of the material in the discs or spokes is radial, substantially
as described.
2. Apparatus for carrying out the method referred to in the first claim by means
of which the edge which forms the rim is brought to a corrugated form in such
manner that its length is equal to that of the circumference of a finished wheel, while
its diameter remains smaller, substantially as described.
Dated this 4th day of June 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
.Agents for the Applicant.