Improvements in and connected with Wheels for Motor Cars, Velocipedes, and other Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in and connected with Wheels for Motor Cars,
Velocipedes, and other Vehicles.
I, FREDERICK RICHARD SIMMS, of Aimberley House, 12, Norfolk Street, Strand, in
the County of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of wheels for motor
ears, velocipedes and other vehicles and has for its object to provide a wheel adapted
to withstand greater pressure than wheels as ordinarily constructed and also to
provide a pneumatic tyre which cannot be so easily punctured as pneumatic tyres of
ordinary construction or which when punctured shall not possess the disadvantages
of such ordinary tyres.
According to my invention I form the rim (to any part of which the spokes may be
attached) preferably approximately semi-circular in cross section and with lateral
flanges or recesses or the rim may be in two parts each forming one of the said
flanges or recesses and to which the spokes may be attached and I form the tyre of a
suitable elastic material and also approximately semi-circular (or circular in two
parts) in cross section the said tyre having lateral flanges adapted to fit into the
flanges on the rim of the wheel and having its tread portion built up of alternate
layers of rubber and canvas so as to be practically non-puncturable.
The tyre is secured to the rim by split pins, rivets or the like or by means of
flexible bands which pass round the rim underneath the lateral flanges and lugs of
the rim and tyre respectively and are secured in position by bolts, screws or the like.
In this latter case means such as a small rim, are provided for preventing the lateral
displacement of the tyre.
Into the annular space formed between the rim and tyre I may introduce an air
tube adapted to be inflated in the ordinary manner, the said tube being preferably
split around its periphery. I, however, make no claim to this split inner tube as it
forms the subject of an application of even date herewith.
In some cases I provide an auxiliary rim in one or more parts having lateral
flanges adapted to be secured, together with the lugs on the tyre, to the lateral
flanges on the main rim of the wheel the said auxiliary rim being so arranged that a
space is left between it and the inner surface of the tread portion of the tyre. The
said rim is formed with a peripheral slit or with a series of openings whereby the air
space of the tyre is put into communication with the space between the auxiliary rim
and the tyre and to prevent the escape of air from the latter space I provide strips of
suitable elastic material such as soft rubber secured along one edge to the outer
surface of the auxiliary rin, which elastic strips form valves to prevent the escape of
the air from the outer space. With this construction it will be obvious that should
the tread of the tyre be punctured the said tyre is supported upon the auxiliary rim

page_text: and is not rendered useless as is the case with pneumatic tyres of ordinary
construction.
Dated this 15th day of March 1897:
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4; South Street; Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in and connected with Wheels for Motor Cars,
Velocipedes, and other Vehicles.
I, FREDERICK RICHARD SIMMS, of Amberley House, 12, Norfolk Street, Strand, in
the County of London, 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 relates to improvements in the construction of wheels. for motor
cars, velocipedes and other vehicles and has for its object to provide a wheel adapted
to withstand greater pressure than wheels as ordinarily constructed and also to pro-
vide a pneumatic tyre which cannot be so easily punctured as pneumatic tyres of
ordinary construction or which when punctured shall not possess the disadvantages
of such ordinary tyres, and further to prevent the tyre creeping circumferentially
round the rim or felloe of the wheel.
According to my invention I form the rim (to any part of which the spokes may
be attached) preferably approximately semi-circular in cross section and with lateral
Hanges or recesses; or the rim may be in two parts each forming one of the said
flanges or recesses and to which the spokes may be attached and I form the tyre of
a suitable elastic material and also approximately semi-circular in cross section, the
said tyre having lateral flanges adapted to fit into the flanges on the rim of the
wheel and having its tread portion built up of alternate layers of rubber and canvas
so as to be practically non-puncturable.
The tyre is secured to the rim by split pins, rivets or the like or by means of
flexible bands which pass round the rim underneath the lateral flanges and lugs of
the rim and tyre respectively and are secured in position by bolts, screws or the like.
Into the annular space formed between the rim and tyre I may introduce an
air tube adapted to be inflated in the ordinary manner, the said tube being preferably
split around its periphery. I, however, make no claim to this split inner tube as it.
forms the subject of an application of even date herewith.
In some cases I provide an auxiliary rim in one or more parts having lateral
flanges adapted to be secured, together with the lugs on the tyre, to the lateral
flanges on the main rim of the wheel, the said auxiliary rim being so arranged that a
space is left between it and the inner surface of the tread portion of the tyre. _ The
said rim is formed with a peripheral slit or with a series of openings whereby the air
space of the tyre is put into communication with the space between the auxiliary rim
and the tyre, and to prevent the escape of air from the latter space I provide strips
of suitable elastic material such as soft rubber secured along one edge to the outer
surface of the auxiliary rim, which elastic strips form valves to prevent the escape of
the air from the outer space. Or the said strips may be joined across the space so
formed by their flanges, thereby forming a second complete outer air chamber which
may be connected with the inner chamber by means of small peripheral slits or by a
series of openings. With this construction it will be obvious that should the tread
of the tyre be punctured the said tyre is supported upon the auxiliary rim and is not
rendered useless as is the case with pneumatic tyres of 'ordinary construction.

page_text: -----
nying drawing,
Figures 1 and 2 are sections of rims and tyres made according to the invention.
Referring to Figure 1 is the wheel rim which is made semi-circular in cross
section and a¹, a¹ are the lateral flanges or recesses formed thereon, b is the tyre
which is approximately semi-circular in cross section and is formed with lateral
flanges 6, 61. The tread of the said tyre bis, as is clearly indicated in the said
figure, formed of alternate layers of rubber and canvas so that it is practically non-
puncturable. The tyre b is shewn secured to the rim by flexible bands c, c which
pass round the rim a underneath the lateral flanges a¹, a¹ of the said rim and b¹, 61 of
the tyre and are designed to be secured in position by bolts, screws or the like.
lieu of the flexible bands c, c I may employ split pins, rivets or the like. d is the
inner or air tube. In the drawing the said air tube is shewn split around its
periphery and this is the construction of inner tube which I preferably employ although
an inner tube of ordinary construction can be used. 1, however, as above mentioned
make no claim to this inner split tube as it forms the subject of an application of
even date herewith.
In
In Figure 2 I have shewn the construction of my tyre wherein an auxiliary rim e
is employed. The said auxiliary rim is provided with lateral flanges e¹, e¹ in which
the lateral flanges 61, 6' of the tyre 6 are inserted, the said flanges e', e¹ being them-
selves secured to the lateral flanges a¹, a¹ of the main rim a. The auxiliary rim e
and the tyre b are so shaped that when the tyre is in position upon the said auxiliary
rim e a space is left between the outer surface of the rim and the inner surface of the
tread portion of the tyre. f indicates one of the peripheral openings (which may
also be in the form of a slit) with which the auxiliary rim e is provided so as to place
the space between the rims a and e in communication with the space between the
rim e and tyre b.
d is the inner or air tube arranged between the two rims a and e the said tube
being split upon its outer periphery as in the above described construction.
9, 9 are
the strips of suitable elastic material, such as soft rubber, which are secured at one
edge to the outer surface of the auxiliary rim e and which form valves (or if made in
one a continuous air tight chamber connected by means of passages suitably arranged
to the main air chamber contained in the air tube d) to prevent the escape of the air
from the space between the auxiliary rim and the tyre.
With this construction a tyre of great resiliency and elasticity is obtained, and
should the tyre be punctured too severely for immediate temporary repair the weight
of the vehicle compresses the tyre b ngainst the rim e so that the wheel is not
rendered useless as would be the case with wheels provided with pneumatic tyres of
ordinary construction.
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:
1. In a pneumatic tyre the combination with a rim having lateral flanges, of an
outer cover the tread of which is formed of alternate layers of rubber and canvas (or
similar materials) and which is provided with lateral flanges adapted to engage in
and be secured to the lateral flanges of the rim and of an inner or air tube,
substantially as herein before described.
2. In a pneumatic tyre the combination with a rim having lateral flanges, of an
auxiliary or supplementary rim perforated or open around its periphery and having
lateral flanges or recesses, of an outer cover (the tread portion of which is preferably
formed of alternate layers of rubber and canvas or other suitable materials)
having lateral flanges which engage in the lateral recesses of the auxiliary rim so as
to leave a space between the outer surface of the said rim and the inner surface
of the tread portion of the outer cover, of strips of suitable material cemented at
one end to the outer surface of the auxiliary rim and of an inner or air tube
arranged between the two rims and connected directly with the main air tube so

page_text: as
to form a continuous air chamber therewith, substantially as herein before
described.
3. The employment with tyres of the kind described in the preceding claiming
clauses of an inner tube split around its outer periphery, substantially as herein before
described.
4. The improved pneumatic tyres and rims for the wheels of motor cars, velocipedes
and other vehicles herein before described and illustrated respectively in Figures
and 2 of the accompanying drawing.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant...