Improvements in Armour for Pneumatic Tyres.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Armour for Pneumatic Tyres.
I, EDWIN JAMES PINE, of the City of Mobile, County of Mobile, State of Alabama,
United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to a non-puncturable armour for pneumatic tyres and
pertains more especially to a metallic armour formed of scales, the object. of the
invention being to provide a specially constructed scale and arrangement of scales
which shall when applied to the material of a pneumatic tyre render the same
puncture proof, and at the same time not add materially to the weight or effect
the material elasticity thereof.
My invention consists in a non-puncturable armour for pneumatic tyres, com-
prising a plurality of rows of overlapping scales, each scale being in the form of a
dished rhomb, the scales of the central row overlapping each other upon the end
thereof coincident to the direction of the travel of the tyre, the scales of the said
rows being arranged in arched segments receding from the direction of travel of
the tyre.
Dated thin 15th day of Anonst 1808
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Patent Agents.
Improvements in Armour for Pneumatic Tyres.
I, EDWIN JAMES PINE, of the City of Mobile, County of Mobile, State of Alabama,
United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in armor for pneumatic tires, wherein
scales of impenetrable material as sheet metal are placed in the tread of the tire
in such manner that they will yield with the body of the tire and, at the same time
prevent the soft material from being punctured.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a bicycle tire a part being broken
away to show the armor applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a plan view of a section of the armor;
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section thereof in line, of Figure 2;
Figure 4, an enlarged transverse section through the tire;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the armor;

page_text: Figure 6, a perspective view of a section of the tire core or inner shell covered
completely with the inner wrappings and with scales thereon partly covered with
the outer wrappings which go to form the tire;
Figure 7, a detail view in perspective of one of the scales.
Heretofore armors for pneumatic tires have been made with independent scales
arranged to overlay cach other at their edges, each being completely surrounded
by rubber. This construction has been found faulty and has not come into public
use for the reasons that the scales tend to cut loose from the rubber and do not
havo a direct bearing one upon the other. There has also been provided scales
hinged together to the form of a flexible plate, but by reason of the arched form
of the tread of the tire the plates are held from movement with reference to each
other and the plates act as an arch to withstand the pressure given the tire when
indented by the roadway.
My invention has for its object to overcome these objections first by a novel
method of securing the plates in place within the tread of the tire and second by
arranging the line of joinder of the scales in lines longitudinal to and obliquely
of the tread of the tire. The scales therefore being in the form of a rhomb whereby
the pressure exerted upon the transverse joinder of the scales by the indenture of
the tire is progressively upon the said joinder and not directly longitudinally of
the transverse joinder.
My invention, therefore, consists in the parts shown in the drawings described
in the specifications and more particularly pointed out in the claims.
In carrying out my invention I secure in the material of the tread portion of
the tire, an armor 2, composed of an inflexible non-puncturable material, such as
steel, aluminium, or other light material of a minimum thickness. The armor
is located in the material of the tread portion of the tire and is secured therein
during the process of placing the several layers of rubber and fabric together
before they are vulcanized as will hereinafter appear.
The armor 2 comprises a plurality of scales 5, arranged preferably in rows
extending longitudinally and obliquely to the tread of the tire. A complete armor
preferably comprises five rows of scales-a central row a, central side rows b, and
outer rows -the scales comprising each row being lapped over the adjacent scales
upon the forward end or at the end thereof coincident to the direction of travel
of the wheel upon which the tire is utilized. The side edges of the row a, overlap
the adjacent edges of the row b, and the inner edge of the row c underlaps the
outer edge of the row b, as shown more specifically in Figure 5. Each scale is
in the form of a rhomb or rhomboid, as shewn on Figure. 7, except the row a, the
ends of the scales of which are curved rearwardly from the longitudinal center to
the edges thereof (see Figure 2). By means of the oblique arched joinder of the
scales as described the flexibility of a pneumatic tire using my armor is not
impaired and by the arrangement of lapping the edges of the scales, as described,
the armor is absolutely puncture-proof, as a puncturing article will be caused to
glance from one scale to the other and cannot by any possibility enter between
the scales at the joinders thereof, the armor extending to the side of the tire to a
point above the tread and the arched arrangement of the scales serving to rein-
force the tire in the line of pressure and thus not materially affect the directi
downward elasticity of the tire which would be the effect if the plates were arranged
in radial lines.
!
The scales are arranged and secured within the material of the tread portion of
the tire during the process of laying the strips of which the tire is built up, as
follows: The tubular core or inner wall A is first wrapped with a strip of
fabric B upon the outer rim or tread portion of which is placed a strip of rubber D
secured thereto with "sticky stuff" the outer surface of said strip being also
covered with a coat of "sticky stuff" such as is used by rubber workers to pro-
vide an adhering surface to which the scales may be secured. The scales 5 are
then arranged in regular order preferably as hereinafter described and placed
upon the sticky outer rubber surface of the core by suitable mechanical means

page_text: the adjacent edges of the scales in every case being made to overlap and rest one
upon the other, without leaving a space within which adhering material may be
interposed, or vulcanization produced, thereby leaving the scales free to bend at
their joints, the scales being then first covered as shown in Figures 3, 4 and
with a strip of rubber corresponding with the inner strip of rubber 1) to which
the scales are secured, and then with other strips, first of fabric F and then
of rubber H to completely cover the portion already formed and the material then
placed within moulds and vulcanized in the usual way. Instead of placing the
tread strips of rubber D, E, and scales between them upon the inner tube of the
tire as above described, the said strips D and E may be placed upon a flat surface
the rubber sheets having sticky stuff and the scales laid thereon between them as
shown in Figure 2, the flat strips thus formed being then coated with sticky stuff
and placed upon the inner tube, the outer cover of fabric F and rubber H being
then applied to the tire and the whole vulcanized in the usual way. The scales
will by the process described be securely vulcanized both upon their inner and
their outer surfaces, wherever they do not overlap, to the sheets of rubber between
which they are placed and are each thereby securely held separately both upon
their inner and their outer sides to the rubber placed within the tread portion
of the tire. As each scale is thus held separately to the rubber and is free to
move at the intersection with adjacent scales the scales will not creep or push one
upon the other with a tendency to come loose and leave their respective places
within the tire material. Neither will the tire material be cut or torn by the
movement of the scales as in the case where each scale is suspended independently
within and completely surrounded by rubber.
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;
-
1st. A pneumatic tire comprising an inner layer or core of rubber and canvas,
two opposing layers of rubber, independent scales arranged to overlap and rest
at their edges, upon each other between said opposing layers of rubber and an
outer layer or cover of canvas and rubber enclosing the inner layers, the whole
being vulcanized substantially as described.
2. A non-puncturable armor for pneumatic tires comprising a plurality of rows
of overlapping scales, each scale being in the form of a dished rhomb, the scales
of the central row overlapping each other upon the end thereof coincident to the
direction of travel of the tire; the scales of the said rows being arranged in arched
segments receding from the direction of travel of the tire, substantially as described.
Dated this 15th day of May 1899.
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Patent Agents.