Cushioned Car-wheel.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 16th Apr., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Cushioned Car-wheel.
I, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HAUGH, residing at 670 North Pennsylvania Street,
Indianapolis, in the County of Marion, and State of Indiana, and "United States
of America, Car-wheel Manufacturer, 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 :-
My invention relates to that class of car-wheels having annular elastic cushions
interposed between the tires and the peripheries of their centres and consists in a
tire having an inwardly extending flange centrally disposed relatively to the tread
thereof, and in an improved double plate disc or centre.
The object of my invention is to provide a means of strengthening or re-enforcing
the tire at the part subjected to the greatest amount of wear; also,
To provide means whereby the end thrust of the tire will be directly applied to
the main or back plate of the wheel centre and thereby relieve the securing bolts
of the tire and centre from excessive or undue stress; also,
To provide continuous annular safety strips disposed toward the outer edges of
the periphery of the bearing face of the centre, whereby the cushion of the tire
is relieved of any excessive compression that may be brought to bear on it and thus
insuring an equal distribution of pressure over the surface of said cushion thereby
materially adding to the life of the latter.
I attain these objects by means of the construction of wheel illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, in which :-
Fig. 1. is a part elevation of the outer face of the wheel showing a part of the
removable plate or disc removed,
Fig. 2. is a section of the same through the lines A, B, C, (see Figs. 1. & 3.)
and,
Fig. 3. is a part elevation of the inner face of the wheel showing a portion of
the inner or main plate thereof broken off and to exhibit the flange of the tire and
the elastic cushion thereof.
Similar numbers of reference designate like parts throughout the several views.
1. designates the main centre of the wheel (preferably of crucible cast steel)
and having the hub 2. and the peripheral flange 3. formed thereon and integral
therewith.
4. designates the tire having its tread of the usual or any suitable form, and
provided with the inwardly inclined flange 5. formed integral therewith and dis-
posed centrally and between the inner and the outer faces thereof.
6. designates the outer removable plate or disc of the wheel (preferably of
crucible cast steel) and having the peripheral flange 7. the ribs 8. and the central
re-enforcing bearing ring 6' formed thereon and integral therewith, said outer plate
removably secured to the main centre plate 1. at the periphery thereof by the
bolts 9. passing through the bosses 10. & 11. formed on said centre plate 1. and
front plate 6. and also secured near its centre by the bolts 12. passing through the
bosses 13. formed on said plate 6. and the flange 14. formed on the hub 2. and
integral therewith.
15. designates the outer and 16. the inner elastic cushions of the wheel (of
any suitable elastic or resilient material preferably rubber) interposed between the
inner outwardly tapered or flaring surface of the tire 4. and on opposite sides of
the tire flange 5. and the outer peripheral similarly tapered surfaces of the flanges 3.
& 7. and provided with the outer shields 15' & 16¹ for the purpose of protecting
said cushion when forcing the tire on the wheel-centre.
17. designates the outer and 18. the inner annular thrust flanges of the centre

page_text: extending outwardly therefrom and adapted to neatly clamp the inner and the outer
faces of the tire.
19. and 20. are the peripheral safety guards or annular strips, and 21. & 22. are
the flange safety guards formed respectively on the centre piates 1. & 6. and
are of an external diameter slightly less than the internal diameter of the inner
face of the tire and its flange 5. for the purpose of limiting the amount of play
or clearance of the centre in the tire and consequently for resisting any undue
stress that might be brought to bear on the wheel to compress the cushion
thereof excessively, as by a severe blow caused by the wheel striking a frog or
uneven rail joint.
It will be seen that the holes formed at the periphery of the centre plate 1. and
plate 6. neatly fit the securing bolts 9. whereas the holes formed in the flange 5.
are much larger in diameter than the body of the bolt to permit the wheel
centre to freely play within the tire in the direction in which the cushion is
compressed, thereby avoiding any shearing stress to fall on said bolts which would
soon sever them.
To apply the tire to the wheel centre or inner main plate, the cushion 16. with
its exterior shield 161 is first placed around the periphery of the plate 1. and the
tire is pressed thereon. The outer plate 6. being encircled by its elastic cushion 15
and shield 15' is next pressed into the tire from the opposite side thereof its fullest
extent or till contact is obtained with the annular flanges 21. & 22. and the hub
flange 14. after which the securing bolts 9. & 12. are driven home and secured by
their threaded nuts.
It is obvious that a shock or jar caused by any longitudinal blow that may strike
the face of the flange 4 of the tire will be transmitted and distributed equally
between the annular flanges 18. and the flange 5. on and against the side bearing
or face 11 of the wheel centre 1. for this reason I make this member particularly
strong and rigid.
The annular safety shoulders or strips 19. & 20. may be omitted and the cushions
made to extend over the bearing surface of the flanges 3. & 7. that is, entirely
over the peripheries of said flanges, when it is required to increase the elasticity
of the cushion, and consequently the wheel, the amount of compression of said
cushion being limited by the flange 5. contacting with the safety flanges 21.
& 22. This construction I prefer to use particularly for wheels destined for light
service.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
Claim Ist. In a cushioned car-wheel, the combination with the tire and the
centre thereof having an inner rigid plate, a hub formed centrally thereon and
integral therewith, and an outer removable plate, of inner and outer thrust flanges
extending outwardly from the bearing face of said centre, inner and outer peripheral
safety shoulders, and an inwardly projecting flange having its opposite sides parallel,
said flange formed on said tire and interposed between said inner and outer plates
of said wheel-centre, suitable peripheral elastic cushions interposed between the
tire and the bearing peripheries of said centre plates and intercepted by said flange
of tire, and suitable means for securing the tire to the centre whereby the latter
may be removed from said centre while on its axle.
Claim 2nd. In a cushioned car-wheel, the combination with the tire and the
centre thereof having an inner rigid plate, a hub formed centrally thereon and
integral therewith and an outer removable plate, of outer and inner flanges
extending outwardly from the bearing face of said centre, an inwardly projecting
flange, having its opposite sides parallel, said flange formed on said tire and inter-
posed between the inner and the outer plates of said wheel centre, annular safety
flanges formed on the inner faces of said plates and adapted to contact with the
inner peripheries of said tire flange, peripheral or annular cushions interposed

page_text: between the inner peripheries of said tire and the bearing peripheries of said
centre plates and intercepted by said tire flange and suitable means for connecting
and securing said centre plates to the tire and for securing said removable plate to
the hub.
Claim 3. In a cushioned car-wheel, the combination with the tire and the centre
thereof having an annular rigid plate, a hub formed centrally thereon and an outer
removable plate, of inner and outer thrust flanges extending ontwardly from the
bearing faces of said centre, inner and outer peripheral safety shoulders, an inwardly
projecting flange formed on said tire and having its opposite sides parallel, said
flange interposed between the inner and outer plates of said centre, annular safety
flanges formed on the inner faces of the latter plates and adapted to contact with
the inner peripheries of said flange of tire, peripheral or annular elastic cushions
interposed between the bearing peripheries of said tire and centre plates and inter-
cepted by said flanges of said tire and suitable means for securing and connecting
said centre plates to the tire and removable plate to the hub formed on said rigid
plate, whereby said outer plate and tire can be removed without disconnecting said
inner plate from its axle.
Claim 4th. In a cushioned car-wheel, the combination with the tire and the
centre thereof consisting of a fixed plate 1. a hub 2. formed centrally on said plate
and integral therewith, a flange 14. formed on said hub, a removable plate 6. of
the flanges 17. & 18. the safety shoulders 19. & 20. the tire flange 5. between said
plates, the safety flanges 21. & 22. the cushions 15. & 16. having the outer shields 15
& 16 and suitable peripheral and hub connecting bolts for securing said tire and
removable plate to said centre and hub.
Dated this Eighteenth day of January A.D. 1892.
BENJAMIN F. HAUGH.
W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C., Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent..