IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEEL TYRES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN NEEDHAM of the firm of John Needham and Sons, of Market Street,
Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEEL TYRES" to be as follows:-
.
My Invention relates to the metal tyres which are shrunk upon the peripheries
of the wheels of road vehicles and whilst generally applicable is particularly
suitable in the cases of wheels adapted for application to lurries wagons, carts and
vehicles for sustaining heavy loads. It is of importance that the tyre shall have
a firm hold upon the wooden rim of the wheel and one object of my invention is to
increase the said hold. I roll the bar of metal which is to be formed into a tyre
or into tyres with grooves, channels, flutes, cells ridges or cavities on the side
which will form the inner surface of the completed tyre. The said channels either
run in the direction of the length of the bar or extend across the central portion
of the width of the bar leaving a margin at each side free from such channels
grooves or cells. The intention of my invention is that when the tyre is shruuk
upon the wheel the ridges between the channels in the tyre shall by the contraction
of the tyre be embedded to some extent in the timber of the wheel and that the
timber shall project to some extent into the said channels partly by reason of the
elasticity of the timber and partly by reason of the timber being less reduced or
burnt at the places where the channels occur. The tyre is thus more firmly held
in place than when the whole of the periphery of the rim is burnt or reduced by
contact with the hot tyre. A tyre formed in accordance with my invention 18
stronger as compared with an ordinary tyre of equal width and inner diameter and
of equal weight as the total thickness of the tyre is increased. By increasing the
total thickness of the tyre I am enabled when desirable to increase the curvature
or convexity of the outer periphery of the tyre. In some or in all cases the tyre
will be sufficiently secure without the use of the ordinary nails or rivets. I believe
that tyres secured in accordance with my invention will be less liable to leave the
wheel even when broken or cracked.

page_text: "
I JOHN NEEDHAM of the firm of John Needham and Sons, of Market Street
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster Engineers do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEEL TYRES and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and accompanying drawings :–
My Invention relates to the metal tyres which are shrunk upon the peripheries
of the wheels of road vehicles and whilst generally applicable is particularly
suitable in the cases of wheels adapted for application to lurries, wagons, carts and
vehicles for sustaining heavy loads. It is of importance that the tyre shall have
a firm hold upon the wooden rim of the wheel and one object of my Invention is to
increase the said hold. I roll the bar of metal which is to be formed into a tyre
or into tyres with grooves, channels, flutes, cells, ridges, or cavities on the side
which will form the inner surface of the completed tyre. The said channels either
run in the direction of the length of the bar or extend across the central portion
of the width of the bar leaving a margin at each side free from such channels,
grooves or cells. The intention of my Invention is that when the tyre is shrunk
upon the wheel the ridges between the channels in the tyre shall by the contraction
of the tyre be embedded to some extent in the timber of the wheel and that the
timber shall project to some extent into the said channels so as to hold the tyre.in
place. In some or in all cases the tyre will be sufficiently secure without the use
of the ordinary nails or rivets.
In order that my said Invention may be properly understood I will now proceed
to describe the same with reference to the annexed sheet of illustrative drawings,
Fig: 1 of the said drawings is a cross section of a wheel tyre a, having annular
rectangular grooves or recesses b formed in the inner circumference. Six such
grooves or recesses are shewn in the drawing but any greater or less number may
be used. The internal periphery of the tyre a, is slightly coned and the external
circumference of the wheel rim c is tapered to the same angle so as to render the
application of the tyre to the rim more easy. In practice I prefer to adopt a
standard angle of taper for all widths of tyres and rims whereby misfits will be
rendered less likely. In placing the tyre on the wheel rim the tyre may be heated
to a red heat and then shrunk on to the rim or if it is desired to avoid burning the
wooden rim I apply the tyre when at a black heat using hydraulic or other
pressure to force the tyre into position. In the act of contracting, the portions of the
inner circumference of the tyre, which extend between the grooves or depressions,
are forced into the wooden rim, the uncompressed portions of the rim projecting
into or filling the grooves or depressions in the tyre as shewn at Fig: 1 whereby
the tyre is held firmly in position without the use of nails or rivets, although such
may be used if desired as auxilliary means of attachment. Fig: 2 is a section of
a tyre similar to that shown at Fig: 1 the grooves or depressions 6 being of a
curved form instead of rectangular as in Fig: 1. Fig: 3 is a section of a tyre in
which the grooves or depressions b run across the inner circumference of the tyre
instead of entirely around the same as in the foregoing Figures. The grooves are
stopped a short distance from each side of the tyre so as to give an unbroken edge
b

page_text: 1
or margin to the tyre all round. Fig: 4 is a section at right angles to Fig: 3
showing the succession of the grooves b. I might also employ a tyre in which the
grooves or depressions b are arranged alternately at right angles to each other, one
set of the grooves running around the circumference and the other set of grooves
running across. I do not confine myself to the arrangements or shapes of the
grooves or depressions b as shown in the drawings, as it is evident that many
arrangements and forms differing from those illustrated might be adopted such for
example as corrugations running across or around the tyre or a series of depressions
might be arranged in a zigzag form or instead of grooves or depressions projections
or ridges might be employed.
Tyres formed in accordance with my Invention are stronger as compared with
ordinary tyres of equal width and inner diameter and of equal weight as the total
thickness of the tyre is increased by the addition to the other parts of the tyre
of the metal displaced by the formation of the recesses hereinbefore described.
By this increase of the total thickness of the tyre I am enabled to increase when .
desirable the curvature or convexity of the outer periphery thereof.
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
In tyres intended for application to wooden wheel rims, forming the internal
circumference of the tyre with grooves, channels, flutes, cells, ridges or cavities
which embrace or enter the wooden rim when the tyre is shrunk on in position
substantially as described and shown.