An Improved Manufacture of Fly Wheels.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 1st May, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 30th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 1st Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by REINHARD MANNESMANN, of Remscheid, Bleding-
hausen, in the Empire of Germany, Engineer.]
An Improved Manufacture of Fly Wheels.
I, OLIVER IMRAY of No. 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in the County
of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows
-
In fly wheels of ordinary construction, the speed of rotation cannot exceed com-
paratively narrow limits as the centrifugal force would otherwise exceed the cohesive
strength of the metal or the tensional strain to which the connections of the rim and
wheel frame can safely be subjected It has been proposed to overcome this difficulty
to a certain extent by making the rims of fly wheels of metal wire or band wound
upon a supporting frame, the tensile strength of such wire or bands being greater
than the cohesive strength of the particles of a solid rim, and therefore better able
to withstand the action of centrifugal force.
This arrangement however had the disadvantage that the metal of the wheel frame,
and its joints were still subjected to tensional strain by the centrifugal action and
consequently the speed of the fly wheel still had to be confined within comparatively
narrow limits on this account.
According to the present invention the above disadvantage is entirely obviated by
winding on the wire or metal bands with such an initial tensional strain, that all parts
of the supporting wheel frame shall be subject to compression thereby, and that such
compressive action shall be maintained by the wire coiling even at the highest possible
counteracting strain to which the fly wheel rim can be subjected by centrifugal
action at very high speeds.
By this means all joints in the framing calculated to withstand tensional strain are
dispensed with and cast iron can be used without risk in the construction of such
fly wheels, while at the same time they can be run at speeds very greatly exceeding
those at present available.
Such fy wheels can be constructed in various ways for carrying out the object of
this invention; thus according to one arrangement the boss or central part of the
wheel is made of an iron casting of comparatively large diameter and to such boss are
fixed two sheet iron circular cheeks, between which are fixed radial strutts of sheet
metal bent to a V shape, the two ends being made simply to butt against the suitably
shaped periphery of the boss, while the apex serves as the support for the wire coils to
be wound thereon, as on a star shaped reel. The sides of the struts are secured by
angle irons to the side cheeks of the wheel.
Other supports may be provided for the wire coiling between the said struts, by
means of strong transverse bolts with distance pieces passing across from the one side
cheek to the other so as to bring the wire coiling approximately to a circular form,
and after winding a certain number of layers of wire upon these supports, other
transverse supports may be fixed to the cheeks for carrying one or more further layers
of wire coilings
According to another mode of construction the wire is coiled into a circular trough
shaped rim which is connected to the boss by tubular strutts forming spokes, these
being connected to the trough by circular flanges while the boss is made of two or
three separate discs bolted together and embracing the ends of the strutts
The winding on of the wire under the requisite tension is effected by passing the
wire coming from the reels or hanks through a stretching apparatus consisting of
two sets of rolls, the one set being situated between the other set and vertically
adjustable with screws and springs, so that the wire, in passing first over a fixed roll,
11

page_text: then under an adjustable one, and then over the next fixed one, is made to bend at an angle
and thereby to offer a certain resistance to its passage through the rolls, such resistance
increasing in proportion to the angle to which the wire is bent and to the number of
times it is so bent while passing through the machine
On issuing from this stretching machine, the wire passes under a roller which is
subjected to a downward yielding strain either by a weight or by a spring and from
such roller it passes up to the periphery of the fly wheel on which it is to be wound.
Thus if the wire is being wound with a uniform speed on the fly wheel while the
resistance of the wire to its passage through the stretching machine, and consequently
its speed, may vary somewhat from any cause, this will be compensated for more or
less by the rising or talling of the weighted roller, and consequently the strain on the
wire as it passes on to the wheel will remain practically uniform
The winding on of the wire may be conveniently effected by the rotation of the
wheel by the engine itself to which it belongs In order to ensure the winding being
effected in regular layers the wire may pass through a guide to which the required
transverse motion is imparted for guiding the wire into proper position on the fly
wheel rim.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Manufacture of Fly Wheels.
I, OLIVER IMRAY of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the County
of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, 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 :-
In fly wheels of ordinary construction the speed of rotation cannot exceed comparn-
tively narrow limits, as the centrifugal force would otherwise exceed the cohesive
strength of the metal or the tensional strain to which the connections of the rim and
wheel frame can safely be subjected. It has been proposed to overcome this difficulty
to a certain extent by making the rims of fly wheels of metal wire or band wound upon
a supporting frame, the tensile strength of such wire or bands being greater than
the cohesive strength of the particles of a solid rim and therefore better able to with-
stand the action of centrifugal force.
This arrangement however had the disadvantage that the metal parts of the wheel
frame, and its joints were still subjected to tensional strain by the centrifugal action
and consequently the speed of the fly wheel still had to be confined within compara-
tively narrow limits on this account.
According to the present invention the above disadvantage is entirely obviated by
winding on the wire-or metal bands with such an initial tensional strain that all parts
of the supporting wheel frame shall be subject to compression thereby, and that such
compressive action shall be maintained by the wire coiling even at the highest possible
counteracting strain to which the fly wheel rim can be subjected by centrifugal action
at very high speeds
By this means all joints in the framing calculated to withstand tensional strain are
dispensed with and cast iron can be used without risk in the construction of such fly
wheels, while at the same time they can be run at speeds very greatly exceeding those
at present available.
Such fly wheels can be constructed in various ways for carrying out the object of
this invention; thus, according to one arrangement, of which Figs. 1 and 2 are
sections on planes at right angles to one another, the boss B or central part of the
wheel is made of an iron casting of comparatively large diameter and to this boss are
fixed two sheet iron circular cheeks D, between which are fixed radial struts F of sheet
metal bent to a V shape, the two ends a a being made simply to butt against the
suitably shaped periphery of the boss B while the apex b of each serves as the support

page_text: for the wire coils G to be wound thereon, as on a star shaped reel. The sides of the
struts F are secured by angle irons to the side cheeks D.
Other supports f, may be provided for the wire coiling between the said struts by
means of strong transverse bolts with distance pieces passing across from the one side
cheek D to the other so as to bring the wire coiling G approximately to a circular
form, and after winding a certain number of layers of wire upon these supports, other
transverse supports f¹ may be fixed to the cheeks D for carrying one or more further
layers of wire coilings G.
According to another mode of construction shown partly in elevation and partly in
section on planes at right angles to each other by Figs 3 and 4, the wine G is coiled
into a circular trough shaped rim D' which is connected to the boss B by tubular
strutts F forming spokes these being connected to the trough D' by circular flanges
as shewn in detail by big. 5 while the boss is made of two or three separate discs
bolted together and embracing the ends of the strutts F¹.
The winding on of the wire under the requisite tension_ts effected as shewn by
Fig. 6. The wire coming from the reels or hanks L, R, is passed through a
stretching apparatus consisting of two sets of rolls r and s the one sets being situated
between those of the other set and made vertically adjustable with screws and springs,
so that the wire in passing first over a fixed roll, then under an adjustable one, and
then over the next fixed one, is made to bend at an angle and thereby to offer a certain
resistance to its passage through the rolls, such resistance increasing in proportion to
the angle to which the wire is bent and to the number of times it is so bent while
passing through the machine.
On issuing from this stretching machine the wire passes under a roller t which is
subjected to a downward yielding strain either by a weight Q or by a spring and
from such roller it passes up to the periphery N of the fly wheel on which it is to be
wound. Thus if the wire is being wound with a uniform speed on the fly wheel while
the resistance of the wire to its passage through the stretching machine and conse-
quently its speed may vary somewhat from any cause, this will be compensated for
more or less by the rising or falling of the weighted roller t and consequently
the strain on the wire as it passes on to the wheel will remain practically uniform.
The winding on of the wire may be conveniently effected by the rotation of the
wheel by the engine itself to which it belongs. In order to ensure the winding being
effected in regular layers the wire may pass through a guide m to which the required
transverse motion is imparted for guiding the wire into proper position on the fly
wheel rim.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The construction of wire bound fly wheel with side cheeks and triangular strutts
substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.
2. The construction of wire bound fly wheel with tubular spokes substantially as
described with reference to Figs. 3 4 and 5.
Dated this 30th dow Of Ten 1800
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.