Improvements in Pneumatic Tyres.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1897--Accepted, 3rd July, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pneumatic Tyres.
I, GEORGES D'INFREVILLE, of No. 10 Desbrosses Street, New York City, New York,
United States of America, Electrician, 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, and has for its object to construct a tyre
that will not collapse, or become unserviceable, when punctured, or cut, even at
several different points and which can be easily and quickly repaired at small cost.
My invention consists in forming a tyre of a series of small hollow rings, or endless
tubes of rubber, or equivalent material, secured side by side, in such a manner that
the equatorial plane of each of the rings is perpendicular to that of the completed
tyre, the said series of small hollow rings or endless tubes, when so placed, forming
a larger hollow ring, or tube, to encircle the wheel rim, and in providing means for
inflating the tyre thus formed.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a tyre
made in accordance with my Invention, shewing the tubes enclosed in a laced onter
covering.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a rim and tyre, made in accordance
with iny Invention, shewing the tubes enclosed in a split outer covering, such as is
known as the Clincher tyre.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 shew in side, end, and sectional views, one of the individual
hollow rings or tubes.
Figure 6 is a perspective view, partly in section, of several small tubes bound
together as hereinafter explained; and
Figure 7 is a similar view, shewing the tubes thus formed enclosed in an outer
casing.
Figure 8 is a view partly in section, of a portion of a complete tyre when inflated.
Figure 9 is a similar view shewing the tyre uninflated.
Figures 10 to 12 are detail views hereinafter explained.
To illustrate the principle of my Invention I have shewn in Figures 1 and 2, a tyre
consisting of a number of small hollow rings or endless tubes a, of rubber, or other
expansible material, placed side by side in an outer covering b. These small hollow
rings or tubes a are shewn separately in Figures 3, 4 and 5. Several of these tubes a
may be punctured without rendering the tyre unserviceable, for, when a tube
collapses the tubes at each side thereof will fill up the space formerly occupied by
the collapsed tube, and several tubes may collapse without serious impediment to the
use of the machine. To repair the tyre, the punctured or collapsed tubes can be
readily removed and new ones inserted in their places.
.
Referring to Figures 6 and 7, the tubes a are first cemented together side by side
to form a larger hollow ring, or tube, having an air-tight inner conduit c. To further
ensure the conduit c being air-tight, I cement strips of thin India-rubber & about the
made-up tube. Each strip d covers only portions of the tyre, say three or four of the
tubes a, and it is therefore only necessary when a tube is to be removed to peel off
that section of rubber & which covers the section containing the tube to be removed.

page_text: One method of inflating a tyre thus made is to force compressed air into the
central conduit c, which causes each tube to expand in its equatorial plane until the
outer covering is properly expanded, the outer circumference of the tubes a flattening
out against the inner surface of the outer covering b.
The preferred method of inflating the tyre, however, is as follows. Referring to
Figures 8 to 12 I provide each tube a with an inwardly opening valve e having a stem f
and provided with a spring bearing on the head to close the valve. A valve m is
fitted to the inner conduit c in any convenient manner. As shown a rubber washer m¹
is formed with the inner part of the valve, and this washer is cemented between two
of the tubes a. When compressed air is forced through the valve m, into the inner
conduit c the air enters each individual tube a through the valves e with equal
pressure.
To deflate these tubes a, I provide a rubber or other flexible pipe h loose in the
inner conduit c and to one end of this pipe h is connected the valve k the other end
being closed. The valve m is first opened and then air is forced into the tube h,
which latter, in expanding, presses against the valve stems f and opens the valves e.
The compressed air escapes from the tubes a through the conduit c and open
valve m.
Figure 9 shews the tyre before it is inflated and Figure 8 shews it after it has been
inflated. Figure 11 is a cross section of Figure 9.
Referring to Figures 10 and 11 it will be seen that when the tube h is uninflated
as shewn in Figure 11 it does not act on the valve stems but when inflated as
shewn in Figure 10 the tube h presses against the valve stems f to open the valves.
Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 11 shewing the strips d. In this figure, the
inner tube is shewn as being held by another form of outer covering.
If, in the making up of the tyre, the tubes a be pressed together laterally, there is
a constant tendency to press the cemented sides of the tubes together, to close up a
punctured tube, and its puncture, and if a nail, or the like, should penetrate between
two of the tubes, to close the tubes together again.
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 :-
1. A wheel tyre composed of a series of inflated or inflatable hollow rings of rubber
or the like so cemented joined or held together as to form a larger hollow ring or
tube having an inner air-tight conduit, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. A series of hollow rings of rubber or the like cemented joined or held together
to form a tyre having an inner air-tight conduit, each of the said hollow rings being
provided with an inflating valve on its inner circumference, and means for forcing air
into the said inner conduit, and into the said hollow rings substantially as
hereinbefore described.
3. A series of hollow rings cemented joined or held together to form a tyre having
an inner air-tight conduit, and means for forcing air into the said conduit each of the
said hollow rings being provided with an inflating valve having a valve-stem
projecting into the said inner conduit an inflatable pipe in the said conduit and
means for inflating the said pipe to open the said valves all substantially as and for
the purposes set forth.