Certain Improvements in Elastic Tyres for the Wheels of Velocipedes, Motor Carriages, and other Road Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Feb., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Nov., 1897-Accepted, 8th Jan., 1898.
Certain Improvements in Elastic Tyres for the Wheels of Velocipedes,
Motor Carriages, and other Road Vehicles.
We, JAMES BUNN and CHARLES WILLIAM BUNN, both of Herbert Street, West
Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Carriage Fittings Manufacturers, and
THOMAS BRETTELL, of Walter Street, West Bromwich, aforesaid, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of the herein described improvements in elastic tyres
for the wheels of velocipedes motor carriages and other road vehicles.
Our Invention has reference firstly to pneumatic tyres of the well known kind
in which a flexible indiarubber or like jacket or band, strengthened with canvas
or other material, encloses an indiarubber air tube the said jacket or band being
secured round the wheel rim in any well known manner. Our Invention has
reference to those pneumatic tyres which are known as "tubeless" as they are
made without a separate inner air tube. Our Invention also refers to those
elastic tyres in which the flexible indiarubber or like jacket is not inflated.
"
Our Invention consists of the herein described improved means for supporting
or assisting in supporting the said flexible outer covering of the tyre so as to
prevent the inner air tube from being punctured (when an inner air tube is used)
and also to prevent or assist in preventing the escape of the air from a "tubeless
tyre. Moreover our Invention will support the said jacket and form an elastic
tyre which, although not inflated, is as resilient or nearly as resilient as a pneu-
matic tyre.
In carrying out this Invention we provide within the indiarubber and canvas
or other like flexible outer covering of the tyre, a thin metal lining of arch
shape in cross section and is by preference made of a strip of hard rolled thin
sheet steel such as is known as pen steel (or it may be aluminium or other suitable
metal or alloy) which by rolls or other means is bent into the arch shape in cross
section corresponding with the internal shape and size of the indiarubber or other
flexible outer covering so as to fit against the interior of same and extend all
round the wheel rim between the said outer covering and the inner air tube when an
air tube is used. This ring like metal lining is by preference not made con-
tinuous but its ends are made to overlap and its edges are turned inwardly all
round forming a small channel all round at each side thereby strengthening the
edges and so that where the ends of the metal lining overlap each other the ends
of the channel parts of the band will fit and slide one within the other so that the
said band will be to a certain extent extensible and will expand in circumference
as the tyre is inflated and thus fit tight against the interior of the outer covering.
Thus this arch section metal lining effectually prevents any sharp article or
instrument passing through the flexible outer covering into the air tube.
Moreover when our Invention is applied to what are known as tubeless "
pneumatic tyres, such for instance as the well known Fleuss tyre, in the event

page_text: of the jacket being punctured any escape of air is prevented by the said metallic
lining fitting tight against the interior of the jacket.
By making the said metallic lining of sufficient thickness and of hard rolled or
tempered sheet steel or aluminium or other suitable metal as stated above, the inner
air tube and the inflation of the said outer covering may be dispensed with, as the
said lining will then be strong enough in itself to support the jacket or outer
covering without the tyre being inflated and will also render the tyre sufficiently
resilient for easy running.
The said indiarubber or other flexible covering with which our said metallic
lining is used may be secured to the wheel rim in any well known manner.
Todd 41: 10+1 L
T1
1007
Certain Improvements in Elastic Tyres for the Wheels of Velocipedes,
Motor Carriages, and other Road Vehicles.
We, JAMES BUNN and CHARLES WILLIAM BUNN, both of Herbert Street, West
Bromwich, in the County. of Stafford, Carriage Fittings Manufacturers, and
THOMAS BRETTELL, of Walter Street, West Bromwich, aforesaid, Engineer, 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 consists of the herein described improvements in elastic tyres
for the wheels of velocipedes motor carriages and other road vehicles.
«
"
Our Invention has reference firstly to pneumatic tyres of the well known kind
in which a flexible indiarubber or like jacket or band, strengthened with canvas
or other material, encloses an indiarubber air tube the said jacket or band being
secured round the wheel rim in any well known manner. Our Invention also has
reference to those pneumatic tyres which are known as tubeless as they are
made without a separate inner air tube. Our Invention also refers to those
elastic tyres in which the flexible indiarubber or like jacket is not inflated.
Our Invention consists of the herein described improved means for supporting
or assisting in supporting the said flexible outer covering of the tyre so as to
prevent the inner air tube from being punctured (when an inner air tube is used)
and also to prevent or assist in preventing the escape of the air from a "tubeless
tyre. Moreover our Invention will support the said jacket and form an elastic
tyre which, although not inflated is as resilient or nearly as resilient as a pneu-
matic tyre.
We will describe our Invention by referring to the accompanying drawing
on which Fig. 1 represents in sectional elevation our Invention applied to a
pneumatic tyre of what is known as the Welch-Dunlop type; Fig. 2 is a
longitudinal section and Fig. 3 is a cross section of a part of our thin metal
lining separate from the tyre represented by Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a side view of the
two overlapping end parts of the said thin metal lining; Fig. 5 shews our Inven-
tion applied to what is known as a tubeless pneumatic tyre; Fig. 6 shews a
slightly modified form of our Invention; Fig. 7 shews our Invention applied to
an elastic tyre which is not inflated and Fig. 8 is a cross section of the thin metal
lining part of the tyre represented by Fig. 7.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all
the Figures.

page_text: Referring firstly more particularly to Figs. 1 to 4 both inclusive A is the
usual flexible indiarubber and canvas or other like annular outer cover or jacket
or band of the tyre and C is the wheel rim to which the jacket or band A is fixed
by any convenient means as by the well known wire rings B1 B2 inserted in the
edges of the outer covering A (Figs. 1 and 7). D is the indiarubber air tube of
the tyre enclosed by the jacket or band A.
In carrying out this Invention we provide within the indiarubber and canvas
or other like flexible outer covering A of the tyre a thin metal lining E of arch
shape in cross section which is by preference made of a strip of hard rolled thin
sheet steel such as is known as pen steel (or it may be aluminium or other suitable
metal or alloy) which by rolls or other means is bent into the arch shape in cross
section corresponding with the internal shape and size of the indiarubber or other
flexible outer covering A so as to fit against the interior of the same and extend
all round the wheel rim C between the outer covering A and the inner air tube E
(when as shewn in Fig. 1 an air tube is used).
The edges ee of the ring like metal lining E are protected and prevented from
cutting or rubbing the inner air tube ]) by each edge being covered by a strip
of indiarubber f f solutioned thereto or by the edges being turned inwardly all
round (as shewn in Fig. 6) forming a small channel all round each side e¹ e
thereby strengthening the edges. The ring like metal lining E is by preference
not made continuous but its ends e³e are made to overlap as shewn in Fig. 2
the edges el e² being cut away from these overlapping parts so that the ends
of the edges e¹ e³ will abutt and almost meet together as shewn in Fig. 2. These
ends of the edges el e² are by preference each covered with a flap of indiarubber
or canvas marked respectively g¹ and g² to overlap the joint and prevent damage
to the air tube. As the ends e³ et the band overlap and fit and slide one within
the other the band E will be to a certain extent resilient and will expand in
circumference as the tyre is inflated and thus fit tight against the interior of the
outer covering A. The arch section metal lining E effectually prevents any
sharp article or instrument puncturing the air tube D.
Moreover when our Invention is applied to what are known as " tubeless"
pneumatic tyres such for instance as the well known Fleuss tyre represented by
Fig. 5, in the event of the jacket A being punctured any escape of air is prevented
by the metal lining E fitting tight against the interior of the jacket A.
By making the metallic lining E of sufficient thickness and of hard rolled or
tempered sheet steel or aluminium or other suitable metal as stated above the
inner air tube and the inflation of the said outer covering A may be dispensed
with as the lining E will then be strong enough in itself to support the jacket
or outer covering A without the tyre being inflated and will also render the tyre
sufficiently resilient for easy running. Fig. 7 represents a tyre in which the
outer covering A is maintained distended by the insertion therein of the thin
metal lining E without the use of an air tube for the inflation of the tyre. Fig. 8
is a cross section of the metal lining E when removed from the tyre. In this
case the metallic lining E is by preference made of such a width that its rolled
over edges e¹e will meet in the trough of the wheel rim when enclosed in the
outer covering A.
The said indiarubber or other flexible outer covering A with which our said
metallic lining E is used may be secured to the wheel rim in any well known
manner. On our drawings we have represented the outer covering A as secured
by the two wire rings B₁ B3 but it will be understood that our Invention is ap-
plicable to tyres in which the outer covering A is secured to the wheel rim C
by other means. In order to facilitate the insertion of the metal band E in the
outer covering A one of the wire rings, say that marked B¹, is by preference not
made endless but is made with its ends overlapping and passed through holes in
the wheel rim and there secured by nuts as in the well known Beeston tyre so
that this edge of the outer covering to which the wire B' is fixed can be secured

page_text: in the trough of the wheel rim after the metal lining E has been placed in position
thereon within the outer covering A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In a pneumatic tyre of that kind which has an indiarubber and canvas or
other like flexible outer covering and a separate indiarubber air tube enclosed
thereby in the wheel rim, the employment of a metal lining consisting of a strip
of thin springy metal arch shape in cross section extending all round the wheel
between the periphery of the inner air tube and the said outer covering to prevent
or minimise the risk of puncture of the said inner air tube, substantially as
described.
2. In what is known as a "tubeless" pneumatic tyre which has an indiarubber
and canvas or other like flexible outer covering forming an air-tight joint in
the wheel rim, the employment of a metal lining consisting of a strip of thin
springy metal arch shape in cross section extending all round the wheel and
bearing against the interior of the outer covering so as to prevent or assist in
preventing the escape of air therefrom in the case of puncture, substantially as
described.
3. An elastic tyre consisting of an arch section indiarubber and canvas or
other like flexible outer covering adapted to be secured to a trough section wheel
rim and a strip of thin springy metal arch shape in cross section forming a metal
lining fitting within and extending all round said outer covering so as to support
the same substantially as described.
4. The combination with a trough section wheel rim of an elastic tyre consisting
of an arch section indiarubber and canvas or other like flexible outer covering
secured thereto and a strip of thin springy metal arch shape in cross section
forming a metal lining fitting within and extending all round said outer covering
so as to support the same substantially as described.
5. In an elastic tyre provided with an arch section indiarubber and canvas or
other like flexible outer covering, the employment of the thin springy metal
lining E made arch shape in cross section with rolled over edges e¹ fitting
within and extending all round said outer covering so as to support the same
substantially as described and illustrated by Figs. 7 and 8 of the accompanying
drawing.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1897.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.