Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Wheel Rims.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 25th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 15th Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Wheel Rims.
1, JOHN DRING, of 57 Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :—
This invention relates to the manufacture of wheel rims particularly those
employed with pneumatic tyres; the rims are made of metal drawn through a
succession of dies of varying shapes until the completed rim is produced. The
invention may be carried out in the following manner;-
A strip of metal of the required width and of any convenient length is taken
in the roll or wound upon a drum or axle and this is tinned for soldering purposes
in three lines namely one down the centre and one at each edge.
The die plates are arranged in one or more supporting troughs or racks at
convenient distances apart and the strip may be entered by hand into the die
plates and is then connected with any suitable device for drawing it through the
die plates, say for example a screw clamp or the like, secured to the end of the
strip and connected by a chain with a power-driven winch. The strip is thus
drawn through the die plates coming out as a straight piece of the proper cross
section for the finished rim usually channelled shaped. It is then passed through
rolls to set down the central flap upon the inside of the channelled-shaped rim.
Next it is cut into the lengths each suitable for one rim and each rim length is
taken as a straight piece to a suitable heater preferably a gas heater and heated
until the solder in the strips on the lines already mentioned runs freely. The
heater may consist of a supporting device to hold the rim strip and a gas burner
underneath producing a long flame adapted to heat the whole of the metal.
From the heater it is immediately passed to a press having suitable dies or
equivalent, say a channelled bolster on the bottom and a narrow strip on the top
to fit into the channel of the rim. The press may be operated by screw or other
means and presses the various parts of the rim together, holding them until the
solder is set.
From the press the rim strip is taken to an ordinary or other suitable rim
bender, say for example a table to support the rim and a set of adjustable
horizontal rolls to curve the rim which after passing through the machine assumes
the necessary curve. After leaving the bender the rim is cut to the exact length
required (unless it was originally cut to the precise length which it is not always
desirable to do) the ends meeting and a short length of metal of the requisite
shape is then inserted half of it into each end of the rim and the whole rivetted
and sweated together an outside finishing plate being preferably added and
sweated.
The rim is now practically finished but may be tinned or otherwise dealt with
to preserve it from rust and improve its appearance.
Usually in drawing metal the piece of metal to be operated upon is first drawn
through one die and then through another until it has passed through the whole
series, but as will have appeared from the previous description in carrying out the
present invention the strip is drawn through the whole of the dies at once, thus
saving the successive operations otherwise required. The die trough or rack is
preferably arranged with holding devices so that the distances between the dies
can be varied according to requirement.
Dated this 25th day of February 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Wheel Rims.
J, JOHN DRING of 57 Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
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 relates to the manufacture of wheel rims particularly those
employed with pneumatic tyres; the rims are made of metal drawn through a
succession of dies of varying shapes until the completed rim is produced.
The invention may be carried into practice in the manner hereinafter described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which comprise a series of perspective
views of the various devices employed.
Figure 1 represents the tinning table;
Figure 2 the manner of preliminarily inserting the blank or strip into the dies;
Figures 3 and 34, which are continuations of the same figure, the series of dies,
and drawing apparatus and a strip of metal in course of bending to the desired
section;
Figure 4 a rolling machine through which the strip may be passed after it leaves
the apparatus shown in Figures 3 and 3^;
Figs. 4 and 4B are cross section of one form of the bent strip respectively
before and after it has been passed through the rolling machine.
Figure 5 represents the gas heating or soldering apparatus; and
Figure 6 the press for compressing the rims while the solder sets.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
In carrying the invention into practice a strip A of metal preferably steel of the
required width and of any desired length is taken in the roll or wound upon a drum
or axle as shown at A' Figure 1 and this, when unrolled and extending along the
table B, is tinned, as for example by means of a soldering iron, for soldering
purposes in three lines, namely one down the centre as at C and one C¹ at each
edge, after which it may be again wound into a roll as shown at A 2 Figure 1.
The strip A is then passed through the first of the dies D D D D D D D D7
D D and D, and thereafter through the second and third and so on until all of
the dies occupy the same or approximately the same relative positions on the strip
which they are to do when afterwards placed in the supporting racks. A convenient
way of doing this is as follows ;-
Each die in its turn is secured in a vice E as shown in Figure 2 and the end of
the strip is bent by hand or otherwise so as to allow it to be passed through the
die. A screw clamp or equivalent device F connected say by a band F¹ to a winch
or the like (not shown in the drawing) is then attached to the end of the strip so
that when this winch is operated the strip is drawn through the particular die
which at the time is fixed in the vice E. The winch is stopped as soon as the die
occupies the position on the strip which it is required to do when subsequently
fitted into its supporting rack; for example, assuming that the distance between
the dies D Figure 3 and D 10 Figure 3 is say about nine feet then the winch
should be stopped when somewhat more than uine feet of the strip has been drawn
through the die D the slight excess allowing for the part to which the clamp F
is attached. The clamp F is then detached from the end of the strip A and the
die D removed from the vice E the next die D' of the series being next placed
in the vice and the strip A drawn through it in a similar manner to the foregoing.
Then assuming that the distance between the dies D D Figure 1 is say ten inches
the winch is stopped as soon as the die D, previously threaded on, and, then
travelling with the, strip is ten inches away from the then-stationary die D³, and

page_text: so on throughout the series. In Figure 2 are shown the last four of the dies viz.-
D7 D8 D9 and 110 the last-named of which is the finishing die.
The roll A 2 is then placed in the bearings G at one end of the drawing bench H
and the dies D D' to D1° (inclusive) are placed in the appropriate grooves l' of
the troughs or racks I which are secured firmly to the bench H adjacent to whose
end opposite to that at which the roll A 2 is mounted, is provided a preferably
power-driven winch or equivalent J. The winch-chain J' is theu attached by a
screw clamp or equivalent device J2 to the leading end of the strip A and the
winch put into operation so that the strip will be drawn through all the dies at
once entering the first one D in a flat or approximately flat form and leaving the
last one D in a form substantially that desired to be given to the finished rim.
Each succeeding die turns the strip A a little more than the last and the proper
distance between them varies according to the extent to which the metal is turned
by each, the quality of the metal and other circumstances; the die-supporting
racks are provided with a number of grooves so that the positions of the dies
may be adjusted to suit these requirements.
The strip may be drawn into long lengths of approximately finished section and
afterwards divided up into rim lengths, but as this necessitates great length in the
shop it is more convenient to cut the strip a few inches beyond D10, as soon as a
length sufficient for a rim has left the die Do the clamp J 2 being released and
reconnected each time a length is cut off.
A convenient way of indicating when a rim-length has been drawn and is ready
to be separated from the rest of the strip, is to provide two stops H' on the
bench H and a cross-bar J 3 on the winch-chain J' adapted to strike these stops;
a line H 2 on the bench H if desired serving to indicate the precise part at which
the strip is to be severed.
Each strip length then of approximately say the section shown in Fig. 4 is
next passed between suitably shaped rolls K of a rolling mill or equivalent such as
represented in Figure 4 to set down the two edges of the strip close against the
inside of the strip as shown in Figure 4B. Each strip length when severed is
placed on a suitable heater L such for example as shown in Figure 5. This device
may comprise two suitably supported bearing bars Li with an intervening space or
channel L2 between them, a perforated or slotted burner tube L3 beneath the
channel L2 and connections for supplying a mixture of air and gas to the tube L 3
all as shown in Figure 5. The strip length is laid along the channel L2 and may
be temporarily secured in position by one or more metal bands M (only one is
shown in Figure 5) or other device and heated until the solder on the lines CC-
Figures 1 and 3 runs freely, additional solder being applied at this stage if found
necessary.
From the heater L the strip length is immediately passed to a press N such as shown
in Figure 6 having suitable dies or equivalent say a channelled bolster N¹ on the
botton and a narrow strip N 2 on the top to fit into the channel of the rim length A.
The press may be operated by one or more screws N 3 (or the pressure may be
applied by other means) and presses the folds of the rim together, holding them
until tne solder is set.
From the press the rim strip is taken to an ordinary or any suitable rim beuder
(not shown in the drawing) say for example a table to support the rim and a set of
adjustable horizontal rolls to curve the rin, which after passing through the
machine, assumes the necessary curve.
After leaving the bender the rim is cut to the exact length required (unless it
was originally cut to the precise length which it is not always desirable to do) the
ends meeting, and a short length of metal of the requisite shape is then inserted,
half of it into each end of the rim, and the whole rivetted and sweated together an
outside finishing plate being preferably added and sweated.
The rim is now practically finished but may be tinned or otherwise dealt with
to preserve it from rust and improve its appearance.
Usually, in drawing metal, the piece of metal to be operated upon is first drawn

page_text: through one die and then through another and another until it has passed through the
whole series, but in the present invention the strip is drawn through the whole of
the dies at once, thus saving the successive operations otherwise required.
The before described apparatus may be modified without departing from the
spirit of the invention and rims of either the form shown in Fig. 4B or any other
desired cross section and whether hollow or solid, may be produced.
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. In the manufacture of wheel rims drawing the blank or strip at one pull
through a series of dies so as at one continuous operation to give it approximately
the shape in section of the finished rim.
2. In the manufacture of wheel rims converting a blank or flat strip into a strip
of approximately the shape in section of the finished rim at one pull of the strip
through a series of dies.
3. The manufacture of wheel rims by tinning the blank or strip at its centre
and edges drawing it simultaneously through a series of dies by which it is shaped
to approximately the form in section of the finished rim passing it between rolls
before or after it is cut into rim lengths heating the rim lengths to melt the solder
pressing them while hot and until the solder sets rolling them to circular form and
uniting the ends of each length substantially as described.
4. In the manufacture of wheel rims the employment of a trough or rack such as I
grooved as at I¹ for the reception of one or more dies substantially as and for
the purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. In the manufacture of wheel rims the employment in combination with a
gas heater such as shown in Figure 5 for heating the rim lengths and melting the
solder thereon of a press such as shown in Figure 6 for pressing the rim lengths
after they leave the heater and until the solder sets substantially as described.
f
6. In the manufacture of wheel rims soldering and pressing the rim-lengths in
the straight before bending.
7. The complete apparatus arranged and operating substantially as and for the
purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 25th day of November 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.