Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Wheel Tyres and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1896-Accepted, 1st Aug., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Wheel Tyres
and Apparatus therefor.
I, HENRY JAMES DOUGHTY, Manufacturer, of 940 Broad Street, Providence,
in the County of Providence, and State of Rhode Island, United States of America,
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 has for its object to rapidly, economically and effectually form the
continuous covers that are used for the tyres of velocipedes, and to this end I make
use of the process and apparatus fully set forth hereinafter, and illustrated in and
by the accompanying drawings, in which ;-
Figures 1 and 2 are views illustrating diagrammatically the operations and
features of my improved process and apparatus.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the complete apparatus.
Fig. 4, a plan view of the "former" contracted.
Fig. 5, a plan view of the "former" expanded.
Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of a modification of the combined mould and
vulcanizer.
Before referring to the details of the mechanism embodying and carrying out
my improvements, I will refer to the diagrams, Figs. 1 and 2, which illustrate.
without regard to special construction, the main steps of the operations and means
employed.
A, represents an expansible former of circular shape when expanded, and
constructed in any suitable manner to ensure such expansion, and of such form as
circumstances may demand.
The said former is contracted to receive the cover strip a. This strip consists of
any suitable material, as for instance a web of knitted, woven or braided fabric in
the form of a strip with its ends connected together or knit or woven of a circular.
shape, and which is either put upon the former while it is contracted, and coated
after the former is expanded, or it is coated with suitable material, as rubber
compound, and then placed upon the former, the centre of the strip being opposite.
the edge of the former. In either case the expansion of the former after the strip
is applied will distend the centre portion of the strip and cause the edges to close
round upon the former, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 1. A flat strip may thus
be formed up into proper shape by the mere expansion of the former.
Heretofore it has been common to remove the strip from its mould or former
after it has been brought to the proper shape thereon, or to remove the former and
strip together to the baking oven where the material is vulcanized. This is
attended with loss of time, expense and other disadvantages which it is one object
of my improvement to avoid, and to this end 1 combine with the expausible former
a combined mould and vulcanizer. Said mould and vulcanizer is capable of being
constructed in a variety of different ways, and is either a one-part mould or a
two-part mould, accordingly as may be preferred.
As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, the mould B, in this instance, consists of two
circular dies or parts bc, each having a recess x, of such shape that when the two
parts are together as shown in Fig. 2, the said recess x, will coustitute a mould of the
proper dimensions to receive the edge of the former and its strip and impart to the
'

page_text: tyre cover its proper shape as the former is brought between the dies constituting
the mould, and these dies or parts bc, are made hollow with recesses or chambers e,
to receive steam or hot air by which they are heated to the desired temperature and
maintained at said temperature for sufficient length of time. The mould is then
opened, the former and its cover separated therefrom, the former is contracted and
the tyre cover in its finished and perfected shape so far as moulding and vulcanizing
are concerned is removed to give place to another circular strip a, which is operated
upon in like manner.
Thus, by a single series of operations in one machine I mould, shape and
vulcanize the circular covers.
.
It will be evident that expansible formers may be made and expanded in different
ways, and that the separable moulds may be made in different ways and that they
may be heated by steam or hot air, or by gas flame or electricity, or any suitable
manner, and I will now describe one construction which has proved to be effective,
and which is illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5.
In said figures the frame of the machine consists of a lower ring G, and an
upper ring Z, the latter supporting the upper die b, of the divisible mould, and
preferably this section is in the form of a ring separably connected to the ring Z,
and the heating chamber e, is in the latter. I can thus substitute rings b, of
different forms and proportions without changing the part that has the heating
chamber in it.
The lower section or die c, of the mould is also in the form of a ring connected
detachably to a sliding frame E, which has in it the heating chamber e, and which
is moved up and down upon connecting rods 2 2, that connect the rings G Z.
Between the frame E, and the ring Z, is arranged a frame F, which carries the
former A. As shown, the said former consists of four curved sections 5, 5, 5, 5, and
four wedge-like sections 6, 6, 6, 6, the ends of the sections 5, being bevelled to
correspond to bevelled sides of the sections 6, in such manner that when the former
is expanded, as shown in Fig. 5, the outer edges of all the sections will correspond
to the same circle, and when the former is contracted, as shown in Fig. 4, the ends
of the sections 5, will nearly be in contact.
The sections 5 and 6, are provided with radial ribs 7, adapted to radial grooves v.
in the frame F, which guide the sections so they can slide radially in and out, and
the sections 5, are connected with the sections 6, by means of links g, pivotted at 8,
to the sections 5, and at 9, to the sections 6, as shown.
In consequence of this arrangement, if the sections 6, are moved outward, they
will carry with them the said sections 5, but as the "former" expands, the travel of
the sections 6, will increase relative to the sections 5, until the edges of all the
sections coincide with the same circle. When the sections 6, are drawn back, the
sections 5, will be drawn radially inward and their ends will approach each other
until they nearly meet, as shown in Fig. 4.
Different means may be employed for imparting movement to the sections 6.
I have shown a series of bent levers H, which extend between roller bearings J,
upon the frame E, their upper ends projecting into recesses i, in the sections 6, and
their lower ends having slots 3, receiving guide pins 4. By this arrangement,
when the frame E is moved upward, the bearings J, acting upon the levers H, first
carry the latter outward to expand the former wholly or partially, and then as the
die c, is brought against the strip upon the former, the frame F is lifted, carrying
upward also the levers H, until the two dies of the mould are brought together.
When the frame E, descends the reverse operation takes place.
Different mechanism may be used for raising and lowering the frame E. I prefer
to use an engine K, consisting of a cylinder 10, secured to the frame E, and the
properly packed piston 12, fitting the cylinder and secured to a hollow stem 13,
affixed to the hub of a cross-piece extending across the ring G. Suitable means of
introducing water or other fluid under pressure to the channel S, of the stem 13,
are provided, whereby to fill the space above the piston and lift the frame E, and
also for exhausting the fluid, allowing the frame to descend by its weight,

page_text: Referring to the modification shewn in Fig. 6, it will be seen that the combined
mould and vulcanizer M, is formed all in one, which enables me to perform the
operation herein before referred to by the use of a fewer number of parts. In this
construction also it will be seen that the levers which operate the formers are
simply pivotted at their lower ends at 4, instead of being slotted, since no vertical
movement of said levers is necessary, as with the first construction. The operation
and construction of the former F in this modification is identical with that
illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 & 5 and need not be re-described.
The before described invention may be modified without departing from the
essential features thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is;-
1. The within described improvement in the manufacture of tyre covers for
wheeled vehicles the same consisting in first forming a cylindrical ring from any
suitable fabric coated with rubber or a substitute material then expanding the said
ring by a pressure outward at the centre thereof thus bringing the edges parallel
to each other and forming a U-shaped ring substantially as set forth.
2. In the manufacture of tyre covers for velocipedes first forming a cylindrical
ring of suitably coated fabric then introducing and expanding a former within
said ring to distend the centre of the latter and then moulding and vulcanizing the
ring upon the former substantially as set forth.
3. An apparatus for forming and vulcanizing tyres of velocipedes provided with
an expansible former means for expanding and contracting the same and with a
two-part vulcanizing mould adapted to receive the former when expanded
substantially as set forth.
4. The combination of a two-part vulcanizing mould means for moving one of
the parts to and from the other expansible former between the said parts and
means for expanding the former and moving it to and from one of the parts
substantially as set forth.
5. The within described expansible former for making tyre covers for velocipedes
the same consisting of a series of sections 5, with inclined ends a series of wedge-
like sections 6 and a frame carrying all of the sections and means for carrying
them outward and inward on radial paths.
6. The combination of the segmental sections 5 wedge-sections 6, guides for the
said sections and links uniting the sections substantially as set forth.
7. The combination of the separable dies a frame É carrying one of the dies an
expansible former and a frame carrying the levers H having bearings upon the
frame E and connected with sections of the former and an engine K for raising and
lowering the frame E substantially as set forth.
8. An apparatus for forming and vulcanizing tyres of velocipedes provided with
an expansible former and with a two-part vulcanizing mould adapted to receive the
former when expanded and guides for carrying the former to and from one part of
the mould and for carrying the other part to and from the former substantially as
set forth.
9. The combination with a mould constructed in one part of an expansible
foriner, as shown in Figure 6.
Dated thi 101 1.
SM 1800
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.