Improvements in the Construction of Wheels for Road Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Sept., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 8th June, 1894-Accepted, 14th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Wheels for Road Vehicles.
I, WILLIAM THOMAS, of 106 Tettenhall Road, Wolverhampton in the County
of Stafford, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in the construction of metal
wheels for road vehicles according to which such wheels shall be light for their
strength, readily built up and the rims set true with the hubs, the spokes be all in
tension and the tension be readily adjusted to the greatest nicety, a damaged spoke
be readily replaced with a fresh one, and the rims, spokes and hubs of wheels of a
given size be readily interchangeable.
A wheel constructed according to this invention has the spokes each formed of
two lengths of tube joined together by a socket screwed right-and-left hand so that
when screwed up it draws the tubes nearer together and shortens the spoke; or
other form of screw coupling may be used for the purpose. The rim is of metal
with an inward flange, being conveniently of T-section; and the hub is surrounded
near each end with a flange or a number of lugs. An ear or mounting is fixed in
each end of each spoke, and the ends of the spokes are connected with the flange
of the rim and with the flanges or lugs of the hub, respectively, by bolts which pass
sideways through the ears or mountings forming the ends of the spokes and through
the flange of the rim and flanges or lugs of the hub, respectively. The inner ends
of the spokes are connected alternately to the opposite flange or set of lugs around
the hub. The rim may itself form also the wheel tyre, or a tyre may be fixed
around the rim.
It will be seen that by the employment of this invention the length and tension
of the spokes may be adjusted to the greatest nicety, and that owing to the facility
with which the length of the spokes may be adjusted, the rims, spokes and hubs of
wheels of a given size are readily interchangeable.
Dated this 8th day of Sentembe- 1009
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Wheels for Road Vehicles.
I, WILLIAM THOMAS, of 106 Tettenhall Road, Wolverhampton in the County
of Stafford, Manufacturer, 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 has for its object improvements in the construction of metal wheels
for road vehicles according to which such wheels shall be light for their strength,
readily built up and the rims set true with the hubs, the spokes be all in tension
and the tension be readily adjusted to the greatest nicety, a damaged spoke be
readily replaced with a fresh one, and the rims, spokes and bubs of wheels of a
given size be readily interchangeable.

page_text: A wheel constructed according to this invention has the spokes each formed of
two lengths of tube joined together by a socket screwed right-and-left hand so that
when screwed up it draws the tubes nearer together and shortens the spokes; or
other form of screw-coupling may be used for the purpose, such for instance as a
coupling swivelled to the end of one tube to be coupled and screwed to screw
around the inner end of the other tube. The rim is of metal with an inward flange,
being conveniently of T-section; and the hub is surrounded near each end with a
Hange or a number of lugs. An ear or mounting is fixed in each end of each
spoke, and the ends of the spokes are connected with the flange of the rim and
with the flanges or lugs of the hub, respectively, by means of bolts or rivets. The
rim may itself form also the wheel tyre, or a tyre may be fixed around the rim.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood, I will proceed to describe
a practical application thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, of
which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheel constructed according to this invention,
I the lower portion being bruken away for convenience of illustration; and Figure 2
is a vertical section taken on line xx of Figure 1, except that the spokes through
which the plane of the section passes are shewn in elevation. The hub A of the
wheel has a flange a around it near each end. The rim B is shewn of T-section,
of which the stalk forms an inward flange from the head c. Each spoke C is
formed of two lengths of tube de, and these are joined together by a socket f
The socket is screwed with a right-hand thread for one half the distance inwards
from one end, and with a left-hand thread for the remaining distance, and the
coupled end of one of the lengths of tube de is screwed right-handed and the
other left-handed so as to engage, respectively, with the oppositely screwed portions
of the socket f; and thus, as the socket is screwed up upon the ends of the
tubes de they are drawn nearer together and the spoke consequently shortened,
and the opposite result is of course effected by unscrewing the socket. Each spoke
is connected at one end with the inward flange b of the rim B by means of a bolt g
passing through the spoke end and through the flange, and is similarly connected at
its other end with one of the flanges a of the hub A; and, to enable these
connections to be made, the ends of the spokes are formed solid by means of ears
or mountings h forged, welded, brazed or otherwise fixed in the ends of the tubes
of which the spokes are made. In the illustrations the mountings of the spokes
are shewn to be fixed up against the inner faces of the flanges a a of the hub, but
they may be fixed at the outer faces of such flanges, if desired. The inner ends
of the spokes are connected alternately to the opposite flanges around the hub, and
the outer ends of the spokes are fixed alternately on opposite sides of the inward
flange b of the rim B. The rim B may, as before explained, form also the wheel
tyre. In the illustration, however, a separate tyre D, consisting of a plain hoop of
rectangular section, is shewn as fixed around the rim.
It will be seen that by the employment of this invention the length and tension
of the spokes may be adjusted to the greatest nicety, and that owing to the facility
with which the length of the spokes may be adjusted, the rims, spokes and hubs
of wheels of a given size are readily interchangeable.
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. Wheels, for road vehicles, having spokes formed each with two lengths of
tube joined together by a screw coupling which affords ready means of adjusting
the length, substantially as described.
2. Wheels, for road vehicles, having spokes formed each with two lengths of
tube joined together by a screw coupling which affords ready means of adjusting
the length, the ends of the spokes having ears or mountings fixed thereto by means
of which they are connected with the hubs and rims, respectively, by bolts (or
rivets), substantially as described.

page_text: 3. Wheels for road vehicles constructed substantially as described and shewn by
the drawings herewith.
Dated this 7th dor of June 1901
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.