Improvements in Pneumatic Tyres and Tyre-covers for Cycle and other Road Wheels.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 6th June, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 4th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 17th Apr., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pneumatic Tyres and Tyre-covers for Cycle and
other Road Wheels.
I, JOHN CAMERON GRANT, of Albert Lodge, Albert Place, Kensington, in the
County of Middlesex Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-.
My invention relates to improvements in the construction of pneumatic tyres and
tyre covers for cycle and other road wheels, the chief objects of which are to insure
greater immunity from accidental injury to the tyres and greater simplicity in the
securing thereof to their rims or felloes, greater simplicity in construction of the
tyres themselves, greater lightness and strength, and the doing away with all wire
or wires or similar hard and inelastic cores for the securing of the tyre or tyre cover
to the rim or felloe, or the necessity of any arrangement of broad caoutchouc and
dovetail joints which owe their security to momentary compression of the bearing part
of the tyre upon the rim.
Hither to all tyres or tyre covers with which I am acquainted and believe to be
in common use, are formed with a wire or wires to secure them to the rim, or depend
upon what is practically a broad dovetail joint made between the rubber of the tyre
and the rim itself; according to my present invention I dispense with all such wires
or hard cores or dovetail rubber joints for securing the tyre to the rim, and in lieu
thereof I employ a woven fabric forming the base to the caoutchouc covering, which
fabric is so woven in any known manner as to produce either at the selvages or at
intermediate points of the width, thickened hard longitudinal ribs or ridges which,
when the fabric is bent round into tubular form, fit into correspondingly formed
grooves in the rim or felloe, and thus securely hold the tyre or tyre cover on the rim
when the tyre is inflated..
By preference I make the said fabric of rhea (urtica textilis) fibre, which is very
considerably stronger than the finest flax, and the closely woven thickened selvages
or ribs of which would be of an exceedingly hard nature, so as to afford a very
firm hold in the grooves of the rim. By way of example I have shown on the
accompanying drawing some of the various transverse sectional forms of the fibric
which I employ for the above purpose. At Figure 1 the fabric A is woven with the
thickened ribs A' A' which are to fit into the grooves of the rim, and beyond such
ibres are extensions A³, which, when the part A of the fabric has been coated with
caoutchouc in the usual manner, cover the part next the rim as indicated at Figure 4
where the tyre is shewn fitted to the rim, and, in being cemented to the caoutchouc
covering, such extensions act as shields in protecting it against puncture by sharp
bjects; if desired, these shields may be further strengthened by weaving filaments
of metal or hard material into them, or by covering them with a thin plate of
netal, preferably aluminium, or other material such as vulcanite, leather &c.
emented thereto.
These side shields may either be woven in one with or separate from the other
art of the fabric, being in the latter case secured thereto in any suitable manner,
nd they may be so woven as to be more or less elastic, so as to stretch sufficiently
hen the fabric is bent into the tubular form shewn at Figure 4. In this arrangement

page_text: the woven fabric with its caoutchouc covering is made to constitute the tubular
pneumatic tyre itself; it may, however, be used as a cover to an inner inflated tyre.
When used by itself, it may be closed at the side next the rim B, by a strip of
caoutchouc C without woven fabric so as to allow of ready expansion when inflated,
this strip being jointed to small extensions A3 A3 of the fabric A. Or this strip may
take the form of a complete tubular lining.
It will be seen that by the above described construction, the securing of the tyre
to the rim is entirely effected by the shoulders formed by the ribs A' fitting closely
into the correspondingly shaped grooves of the rim, (which may be covered with
caoutchouc or leather to prevent cutting) and is not dependent upon any frictional
contact of extended surfaces such as that of the dovetail caoutchouc joints now used,
where the efficiency of the joint is more or less dependent upon the compression and
consequent expansion of the tyre at the point of the periphery of the wheel where
the tyre is pressed down on the ground by the load. Also, I avoid all use of wires
or other hard cores in the edges of the fabric such as are at present used for
strengthening them and obtaining the requisite grip on the rim, the necessary grip
being effectually obtained by the ribs or thickened selvages formed of the body of
the woven fabric.
Figure 2 shews a modification of the form.shewn in Figure 1 in which the middle
of the part A of the fabric is woven double, the two parts being preferably separate
as shewn, or they may be combined in the weaving. By this means the outer part of
the tyre or cover is greatly strengthened against puncturing, so that, in combination
with the side shields, the tyre may be rendered almost puncture proof.
Figure 3 shews a form similar to Figure 2 in which the side shields A' are dispensed
with, and the double fabric is extended the whole width of the tyre.
If desired a cushion of air may be retained between the two thicknesses, or the
air may be exhausted from the space between them, or again, the narrow space
may be filled with a layer of caoutchouc introduced in paste form through suitable
openings.
Figures 5 and 6 shew similar forms to Figure 1 but with ribs or thickenings A
formed in the weaving either longitudinally as at Figure 5. or transversely as at
Figure 6. These ribs serve both to increase the hold of the caoutchouc upon the
fabric and to lessen the quantity of caoutchouc required for affording grip on the
road, inasmuch as they will bulge the caoutchouc outwards at those points and thus
do away with the necessity of forming ribs thereon, and in leaving the outer surface
of the caoutchouc smooth, they also serve to greatly reduce the resistance due to wind
friction on roughened on ribbed tyres.
Dated this 6th day of June 180
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pneumatic Tyres and Tyre-covers for Cycle and
other Road Wheels.
1, JOHN CAMERON GRANT, of Albert Lodge, Albert Place, Kensington, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particular! described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
All pneumatic tyres and covers for tyres heretofore proposed, suffer from two
disadvantages, namely, firstly, their liability to become punctured, and secondly, their

page_text: liability to slip sideways, by which most of the serious cycling accidents are caured.
The forming of ribs or recesses on the outer surface of the caoutchouc coating of the
cover or tyre does not avoid this danger, because either the ribs become squeeze.l
quite flat on the ground by the load on the wheels, or the recesses or grooves become
filled with caked mud, which may render the tyre more liable to slip than if its.
surface were smooth.
According to my present invention I practically avoid both the above named'
disadvantages by employing as the woven fabric that constitutes the foundation or
backing of the caoutchouc tyre or cover a fabric made preferably of rhea fibre-
(urtica textilis or bo'emeria ninra) which is so woven as to present a series of
projecting hard ribs either on the outer surface alone, or both on the outer and the
inner surface of the fabric, such ribs being made in the longitudinal direction. By
the employment of such ribbed fabric of rhea fibre in combination with the caoutchouc
coating I obtain on the one hand a tyre or tyre cover that is practically puncture
proof, in particular when internal as well as external ribs are employed in the manner
to be presently explained, while on the other hand the action of the hard ribs of the
foundation is such that on pressing the tyre with increasing force on to the ground
the caoutchouc covering is pressed more and more in a lateral direction from under
the hurd ribs, so that the hold of these and consequently of the tyre upon the ground
is correspondingly increased and side slip is practically avoided.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing shews a section of a part of a tyre cover
constructed with a foundation or backing A of woven rhea fibre having hard"
longitudinal ribs A¹ formed thereon in the weaving.
These ribs may be of any size and number and may extend only over the middle
part of the cover, as shewn, or over a greater part of the width. When the cover
thus formed and coated with caoutchouc B is fitted on a pneumatic wheel tyre and.
subjected to pressure on the ground, the outer layer of caoutchouc B, which is.
preferably left quite smooth, will be squeezed away from under the ribs A, which
will consequently bear almost directly upon the ground, and thus afford a firm grip on
the latter so as to practically avoid side slip, even when running at a considerable-
angle.
The said ribbed rhea fabric in addition to fulfilling the above function, will also have
the property of effectually resisting puncture, as not only does the thickness of the
ribs prevent this, but also, the rhea fabric is of itself of so strong a nature as
practically to resist puncture also in the parts between the ribs, and this may be still
farther ensured either by weaving the ribs so as to lie close together, as shewn at
Figure 2, or preferably, by weaving ribs A on the under side of the fabric at the-
spaces between the ribs A' on the upper side, as at Figure 3.
The cover A may be secured on the wheel rim in any known manner, such as by
wires, or by means of auxiliary pneumatic tubes fitted in corresponding channels.
formed in the wheel rim, or by other known means.
The ribbed fabric A A¹ can of course also be employed as the backing of pneumatic
tyres themselves, when these are used without a cover.
Although, as above stated, I prefer to employ rhea fibre in the manufacture of the
ribbed fabric forming the foundation for the tyres and tyre covers, on account of its.
great strength, hardness, and great durability, yet I do not limit myself to the use of
this fibre as the ribbed fabric may also be made of cotton, flax, hemp, jute, or other
strong fibre.
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 use for the foundation or backing of pneumatic tyres or tyre covers, of a
woven fabric of rhea or other suitable fibre, on which longitudiual ribs are formed in
the weaving, such ribs being formed either on one side only or on both sides of the
fabric, substantially as and for the purposes described.
2. A pneumatic tyre or tyre cover consisting of a woven fabric having ribs formed

page_text: by weaving either on one side or on both sides thereof, and coated with caoutchouc,
substantially as described.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.