IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS AND TYRES, TO FACILITATE THE FASTENING TOGETHER OF THE TYRES AND CENTRES THEREOF, ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO THE WHEELS OF RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Sharp, of Sheffield, in the County of York, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS AND
TYRES, TO FACILITATE THE FASTENING TOGETHER OF THE TYRES AND CENTRES
THEREOF, ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO THE WHEELS OF RAILWAY ROLLING
STOCK."
Sealed the 27th January 1880, and dated the 11th November 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Sharp at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th November 1879.
JOSEPH SHARP, of Sheffield, in the County of York. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS AND TYRES, TO FACILITATE THE FASTENING TOGETHER
OF THE TYRES AND CENTRES THEREOF, ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO THE WHEELS
OF RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK."
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of tyres and wheels,
to facilitate the fastening and binding together of the tyres, and of the tyres to the
centres of the wheels.
One of the essential features of these improvements is the insertion in one or
both of the sides of the tyre, or in a lip (or lips), or internal flange (or flanges), a
ring (or rings), of iron, steel, or other suitable material, so that in the event of the
breakage of the tyre the said ring (or rings) will maintain or secure the broken
portions thereof in position and prevent them leaving the wheel centre, as is
generally the case when a tyre of ordinary construction breaks.
In combination with the above described improvement I fasten or secure the
wheel centre to the tyre by grooving the inside edge of the tyre and forming the
said centre with a corresponding projection to fit therein, the tyre being formed
with an internal lip or flange against which the centre bears, the tyre and centre
being bolted or rivetted together as is now ordinarily done.
As a modification of the last described improvement, and in combination with
my improved tyre as firstly described, I form on the inside edge of the tyre a
suitably formed projection, and I employ a ring similarly grooved to fit the

page_text: projection as aforesaid, the said ring being of such a width as to extend beyond
the tyre and onto the wheel centre, so that bolt or rivet holes may be made therein
and bolts or rivets passed through the said ring, wheel centre, and internal lip or
flange for the purpose of securing or fastening them together.
As a further modification and in combination with my improved construction of
tyre as firstly described, I groove the inside edge of the tyre and also the edge of the
wheel centre, and I employ therewith an annular grooved ring, so that the projec-
tions thereon will fit into the recesses in the tyre and wheel centre as aforesaid;
through the wheel centre internal lip or flange, and through the said annular ring,
I pass bolts or rivets to secure them together.
Further modifications in fastening my improved tyre to the wheel centre may be
employed, and my said improved tyre may be used with wheels of ordinary con-
struction and adapted to wheels already in use.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Joseph Sharp in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th May
1880.
JOSEPH SHARP, of Sheffield, in the County of York. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF WHEELS AND TYRES, TO FACILITATE THE FASTENING TOGETHER
OF THE TYRES AND CENTRES THEREOF, ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO THE WHEELS
OF RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK."
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of wheels and tyres,
to facilitate the fastening together of the tyres and the centres of the wheels.
One of the essential features of these improvements is the insertion in one or
both of the sides of the tyre, or in a lip (or lips), or internal flange (or flanges) a
ring of iron or steel or other suitable material, so that in case of the breakage of
the tyre the said ring (or rings) will maintain or secure the broken portions thereof
in position, and prevent the same from flying off as is generally the case when a
tyre of ordinary construction breaks.
In combination with the above describe improvements I fasten or secure the
wheel centre to the tyre by grooving the inside edge of the tyre and forming the
said centre with a corresponding projection to fit therein, the tyre being formed
with an internal lip or flange against which the wheel centre bears, the tyre and
wheel centre being bolted together.
As a modification of the last described improvement and in combination with
my improved tyre as firstly described I form on the inside edge of the tyre a
suitably formed projection, and I employ a ring similarly grooved to fit the pro-
jection as aforesaid, the said ring being of such a width as to extend beyond the
tyre and onto the wheel centre so that bolt or rivet holes may be made therein,
and bolts or rivets be passed through the said ring, wheel centre, and internal lip
or flange for the purpose of securing or fastening them together.
As a further modification and in combination with my improved construction of
tyre as firstly described I groove the inside edge of the tyre, and also the edge of
the wheel centre, and I employ therewith an annular grooved ring, so that the
projection thereon will fit into the recesses in the tyre and wheel centre as afore-
said, through the wheel centre, internal lip or flange, and through the said annular
ring I pass bolts or rivets to secure them together.
In the accompanying four Sheets of Drawings various methods of carrying into
effect the principles of my Invention are shown. Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 show one of
my improved tyres having double internal flanges K, K, with the retaining
rings B, B, let into the sides of the tyre. This tyre is shown applied to a wheel
with a wood centre, to which it is secured by bolts D, or by bolts D and bolts N if
preferred. With the double flanged tyre wheels with wood centres and of the
following general description can be employed, that is to say, the wood centres are
made partly of wood segments of ordinary form and partly of wedge or key
seginents, which are forced in between the ordinary wood segments by a taper
boss or cover, the said wedge segments only and not the ordinary segments bearing
against the taper boss and cover. The taper boss and cover are brought together
by bolts, by which the wedge segments are forced between the ordinary wood
segments, thereby tightening them.
Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate the wheel above described; X,X, are the segments of ordinary
form; and V, V, are the wedge or taper segments; the boss C (Fig. 3) and cover D¹
are each made taper, and bear only against the segments V, V, so that when the
said boss and cover are drawn together by the bolts E the wedge segments V, V,
are forced towards the periphery of the wheel, and the segments X, X, and V, V,

page_text: are thereby secured. Fig. 2 shows a modification of my improved tyre, the
retaining rings B, B, being let into the sides of the flanges K, K, and not being
continued up the wheel, as shown in Fig. 1.
Figs. 5, 6, and 7 show my improved tyre with a single internal flange K applied
to a wheel with a wood centre. The retaining ring B is let into the side of the
tyre A, and is made to envelop the flange K, the said ring B having a projection Q
which fits into a recess in the tyre A; the tyre A has projections P, O, which fit
into recesses in the rings B and E. The tyre A is secured to the wheel centre C
by bolts D passing through the retaining ring B, flange K, and retaining ring E.
Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11 (Sheet 2) illustrate a further method of carrying into effect
my improvements, the tyre A having two internal flanges K, K, and the retaining
rings B, B, being extended, and forming part of or being connected to the plates of
a metallic disc wheel. The tyre A is secured to the metallic disc wheel by the
bolts D passing through the rings B, B, and the internal flanges K, K.
Figs. 12, 13, 14, and 15 illustrate my improvements as applied to a wrought iron
engine wheel. The tyre A has one internal flange K, to which is fitted the retaining
ring B. The rim of the wheel C has a projection L, which enters a recess in the
tyre A.
The tyre A is secured to the wheel centre C by rivets D passing through
it, and through the retaining ring B and internal flange K.
Fig. 15 is a front view of the wheel, showing the arrangement of the rivets or
bolts D above described, as employed to secure the tyre A to the wheel C. The
bolts D can be inserted through the arms, as shown at Y, Y, or inserted through
the rim of the wheel, as shown at X, X.
Fig. 16 illustrates a simple mode of carrying into effect my Invention, in which
the retaining ring B is let into the internal flange K of the tyre A, the wheel rim C
has a projection L which enters a recess in the side of the tyre A, and the tyre is
secured to the wheel rim C by rivets D passing through the retaining ring B,
flange K, and wheel rim C.
Fig. 17 shows a modification of the above described tyre fastening specially
applicable in adapting my improvements to existing wheels; the rim C has a small
projection L upon which is fitted a ring M which fits into a similar shaped recess
in the tyre A; the tyre is secured to the rim C of the wheel by rivets D passing
through the retaining ring B, flange K, and rim C.
Fig. 18 shows a tyre with an internal projection K so placed that the retaining
ring B is within the face of the tyre A; the retaining ring B has a projecting lip
which covers the projection K of the tyre; the wheel C has a projection L which
fits into a recess in the tyre; the internal flange K has a projection Y, and the
face of the rim of the wheel is recessed to fit it. The tyre A is secured to the
rim C of the wheel by rivets D passing through the retaining ring B, flange K, and
rim C.
Fig. 19 to Fig. 29 inclusive illustrate the methods of applying my improvements
to various descriptions of wheels, in all of which the retaining rings B, B, are
employed in conjunction with single or double internal flanges, the tyres being
secured to the wheel centres by bolts or rivets passing through the retaining rings
and through the internal flange or flanges, and through the rims of the wheels or
through the wheel centres.
Figs. 30 and 31 show a further modification in applying my improvements to
wheels with wood centres, as hereinafter described in reference to Fig. 40.
Fig. 32 (Sheet 4) shows the tyre A with the projection K similar to Fig. 17; the
retaining ring B has a projection N which fits into a recess in the tyre A; to the
inside face of the tyre A and wheel C is fitted a retaining ring E, which has pro-
jections fitting in recesses in the tyre A and wheel C, the retaining ring E is screwed
or chased to receive the screwed or chased bolt D. The tyre A is secured to the
wheel C by the bolt D passing through the retaining ring B, internal flange K,
wheel centre C, and ring E.
Fig. 33 shows a further modification, in which the wheel rim C has an external

page_text: projection L which is grooved to receive a projection on the face of the tyre A; the
projection K of the tyre is placed a little distance from the face of the tyre, so that
the outside of the retaining ring B is level with the outside face of the tyre. The
tyre A is secured to the rim C of the wheel by the set screw D which passes
through the retaining ring B, flange K, and is screwed into the rim C of the wheel.
Fig. 34 shows a further modification in the method illustrated by Fig. 32, the
tyre A has a projection K and retaining ring B similar to Fig. 17, the inside face
of the tyre A is recessed to receive a retaining ring E, the tyre A is secured to the
rim C of the wheel by rivets D passing through the retaining ring B, flange or
projection K, wheel rim C, and retaining ring E. This is specially applicable in
adapting my improvements to existing wheels.
Fig. 35 shows a tyre fastening which is a modification of that shown in
Fig. 18. The retaining ring B and tyre A are so formed that the outer part of the
ring B is even with the outside face of the tyre A, and the inner part of it is set
back so that the head of the rivet D is also even with the outside face of the tyre A,
the retaining ring B has two grooves or recesses into which projections on the
tyre A and internal flange K fit.
Fig. 36 shows a tyre fastening chiefly applicable in applying my improvements
to existing wheels in which the internal flange K is T shaped, the retaining ring B
is of the same form as that in Fig. 35, the tyre A has a projection O on its inside
face, over which is fitted a retaining ring E which projects beyond the rim of the
wheel between the internal flange K and the retaining_ring E, and through the
spoke of the wheel C is a tube F which incloses the rivet D, the said tube F acting
as a stay for the retaining ring E.
Fig. 37 is a modification of the tyre fastening shown in Fig. 34, in which a bolt D
is employed instead of a rivet as shown in Fig. 34. This method is specially
applicable in adapting my improvements to existing wheels.
Fig. 38 is a modification of the method illustrated in Fig. 16.
Fig. 39 shows a tyre fastening specially applicable to wheels with wood centres,
the tyre A has an internal flange K, on the outer face of which is a projection P,
the inner face of the tyre A. has a projection O beyond which is a groove, the retaining
ring B overlaps the flange K, and it has a projection Q which fits into a recess in
the tyre A, the retaining ring E is grooved to receive the projection O on the
tyre A and it extends over the wheel centre C, the tyre is secured to the wheel by
the bolt D which passes through the retaining ring B, flange K, wheel centre C,
and ring E.
Fig. 40 shows a tyre fastening chiefly applicable to wheels with wood centres,
the shaped projection K of the tyre A is in the centre. The wood centre C
and C is made in two equal parts which come together in the centre of the
T shaped projection of the tyre, the tyre A has a projection O on each face thereof
and two retaining rings B and E are employed to secure the tyre A on the wheel C,
the tyre and wheel being held together by the bolts D; two rings G and H are
fitted into the recesses in the flange K for the purpose of preventing the tyre
leaving the wheel in case of breakage, the projections O, O, on the tyre A fitting
into recesses in the retaining rings B and E having also the same effect.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, I
would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
Improvements in the construction of wheels and tyres, to facilitate the fastening
together of the tyres and wheel centres by (firstly) inserting in or upon the tyre, or
in or upon one or more internal flanges of the tyre a ring or rings of iron (or other
suitable material) which will have the effect of holding together the parts of the
tyre in the event of its being broken, and (secondly) securing the tyre to the wheel
centre by forming one or more internal lips or flanges in the tyre, and inserting

page_text: therein or fitting thereon one or more rings as above (firstly) described, through
which said rings and flanges of the tyre, and through the wheel centre, are passed
bolts or rivets for the purpose of fastening the tyre to the wheel centre, substan-
tially as herein before described in reference to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Sharp, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty.