Improvements in the Manufacture of Bicycles, Tricycles, and other Velocipedes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 29th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 16th Feb., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Bicycles, Tricycles, and other
Velocipedes.
We JOSEPH SAMUEL TAYLOR, of Whitworth Works, Rea Street South,
Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Engineer and CHARLES VERNON PUGH,
Managing Director of The Whitworth Cycle Company Limited, Whitworth
Works aforesaid, Velocipede Manufacturers, and JOHN VERNON PUGH, of
Whitworth Works aforesaid Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
In the steel or iron frames and other parts of bicycles tricycles and other
velocipedes it is necessary to slit the tubing of which the bicycle tricycle or other
velocipede is made at certain parts in order to spread or plate out the metal on each
side of the slit, in order to form a lap joint for the attaching of knuckles or other
pieces by the said lap joint.
In this the ordinary, method of manufacture the spreading or plating out of the
steel or iron at the slit part reduces its thickness and consequently its strength.
The object of our invention is to remedy this defect, that is to obtain a thickness in
the steel or iron at the slit part of the tube equal to or greater than the thickness
of the metal of the unslit part of the tube. This object we effect in the following
nanner. The strengthening of the said tubes is also useful in cases where no slit
has to be made as hereinafter described.
Before slitting the steel or iron tube we heat that part of the tube where the slit
is to be made to bright redness or nearly to a welding heat and we thicken the
heated part of the metal tube preferably by the process commonly called
"jumping." That is by percussion or pressure applied to the ends of the tube we
compress the soft heated metal which readily yields to the applied percussion or
pressure. The tube is thereby shortened and thickened at the heated part, to the
required degree. When the tube so treated is slit and the parts on each side of the
slit are spread or plated out they have a thickness and consequent strength, greater
than they would have had, if the tube before slitting had not been strengthened at
the part to be slit.
Although we prefer to effect the thickening of the steel or iron tube at the slit
part by the process of "jumping" yet we do not limit ourselves thereto as the
thickening may be otherwise effected, for example a ring or short tube closely
fitting on the tube to be strengthened may be welded on that part of the tube
where the slit is to be made.
The thickening described in the steel and iron tubes of the framing and other
parts of bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes is also applicable to parts which
require to be bent at a right or other angle as well as to parts where lap joints are
made. When a tube of uniform strength throughout is bent the convex side of the
bend is weak in consequence of the stretching of the metal at that part.
Where a
bend has to be made in any part of the tubing of bicycles, tricycles and other
velocipedes we strengthen the part by the process of "jumping" or by welding on
the said part a ring or short tube of steel or iron.
Our invention is especially applicable to the stay rods or tubes of the framing of
bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes as well as to the handle bars seat pillars

page_text: and forks and generally to all parts where junction pieces are to be attached or
thickening is desirable for other purposes.
Dated this 7th day of April 1894.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Bicycles, Tricycles, and other
Velocipedes.
We, JOSEPH SAMUEL TAYLOR, of Whitworth Works, Rea Street South,
Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Engineer, and CHARLES VERNON PUGH,
Managing Director of The Whitworth Cycle Company Limited, Whitworth
Works, aforesaid Velocipede Manufacturers and JOHN VERNON PUGH, of
Whitworth Works aforesaid, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of our invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In the steel or iron frames and other parts of bicycles, tricycles and other
velocipedes it is necessary to slit the tubing of which the bicycle, tricycle or other
velocipede is made at certain parts in order to spread or plate out the metal on each
side of the slit for the purpose of forming a lap joint for the attaching of knuckles
or other pieces by the said lap joint.
In this, the ordinary, method of manufacture the spreading or plating out of the
steel or iron at the slit part reduces its thickness and consequently its strength.
The object of our invention is to remedy this defect, that is, to obtain a thickness
in the steel or iron at the slit part of the tube equal to or greater than the thickness
of the metal of the unslit part of the tube. This object we effect in the following
manner. The strengthening of the said tubes is also useful in cases where no slit
has to be made as hereinafter described.
Before slitting the steel or iron tube we heat that part of the tube where the slit
is to be made to bright redness or nearly to a welding heat and we thicken the
heated part of the metal tube preferably by the process commonly called "jumping."
That is, by percussion or pressure applied to the ends of the tube we compress the
soft heated inetal which readily yields to the applied percussion or pressure. The
tube is thereby shortened and thickened at the heated part, to the required degree.
When the tube so treated is slit and the parts on each side of the slit is spread or
plated out they have a thickness, and consequent strength, greater than they
would have had if the tube before slitting had not been strengthened at the part to
be slit.
Although we prefer to effect the thickening of the steel or iron tube at the slit
part by the process of "jumping" yet we do not limit ourselves thereto as the
thickening may be otherwise effected; for example, a ring or short tube closely
fitting on the tube to be strengthened may be welded on that part of the tube where
the slit is to be made.
The thickening described in the steel and iron tubes of the framing and other
parts of bicycles, tricycles and other velocipedes is also applicable to parts which
require to be bent at a right or other angle as well as to parts where lap joints are
made. When a tube of uniform strength throughout is lent the convex side of the
bend is weak in consequence of the stretching of the metal at that part.
Where a
bend has to be made in any part of the tubing of bicycles, tricycles and other
velocipedes we strengthen the part by the process of "jumping" or by welding on
the said part a ring or short tube of steel or iron.

page_text: Our invention is especially applicable to the stay rods or tubes of the framing of
bicycles tricycles and other velocipedes as well as to the handle bars, seat pillars
and forks and generally to all parts where junction pieces are to be attached or
thickening is desirable for other purposes.
Figures 1, 2 and 24 of the accompanying drawing represent sections of
cylindrical tubes thicker at the part marked a' than at the parts marked a, a. The
tube represented in Figure 1 is made by a drawing process and the tube represented
in Figure 2 is made by welding or brazing a short tube on the outside of the tube a
at the part where the thickening is required. In Figure 2 the short tube is
welded or brazed in the inside instead of on the outside of the said tube a. Instead
of effecting the thickening by a drawing process or by brazing or welding a short
tube in or on the tube to be thickened the said thickening may be effected by the
"jumping" process herein before referred to.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 represent our invention applied to the making of the bottom
bracket of a velocipede. A thickened tube is opened or plated out at the thickened
part in the way illustrated in vertical section and plan respectively in Figures 3
and 4 and the short cross or bearing tube 6 having been laid on the flattened
part in the manner indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3 the two parts a, a are
bent up to the desired angle and are brazed or welded ou to the short cross or
bearing tube as illustrated in vertical section in Figure 5. Thus it will be seen
that the part of the tube a, a at the junction with the bottom bracket is of the same
thickness as or of a greater thickness than the other parts.
Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 represent the application of our invention to the making of
the steering handle of a velocipede. In the arrangement Figures 6, 7 and 8 we
take a tube c thick at its end e² and slit the said thick end as represented in the
vertical section Figure 6. We plate out or flatten the parts on either side of the
slit as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 7 and after placing the handle bar d,
which is preferably thickened at its middle as represented, in position the
flattened out parts are bent over and brazed to the handle bar as represented in
Figures 7 and 8.
We also use a vertical tube thick at its end and a horizontal tube thick at its
middle when making handle bars in which a T shaped lug e is used at the junction
of the horizontal crossing part of the handle bar with the middle upright part of the
same as represented in Figure 9.
In making the back stays and back and front forks of the frames of velocipedes,
instead of taking a tube of the same diameter throughout and inserting a separate
bush in the end to be flattened we take a tube thickened at the end to be
flattened as represented in side elevation and vertical section in Figures 10
and 11.
In making framings for velocipedes in which the tubes have to be bent at a right
or other angle, as represented in Figure 12, we take a tube thickened at the part
to be bent so that when bent the part f, that is, the convex part, has a thickness
equal to or greater than the main straight parts of the tube.
We also thicken tubes at their ends as illustrated in Figure 13, when required to
be brazed into lugs so as to counteract the reduction in strength due to heating
and the use of the file in cleaning.
Our invention is also applicable to the formation of "splash "joints as illustrated
in Figures 14 and 15 so as to prevent the weakening of the expanded or flanged
end g of the tube g.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we claim
as our invention ;-
The use in the manufacture of the frames and other parts of bicycles, tricycles
and other velocipedes, where extra strength is necessary or desirable, of tubes
thickened at the said parts to be slit, bent, brazed or welded substantially as

page_text: and for the purpose herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
Dated the 27th day of December 1894.
JOSEPH SAMUEL TAYLOR.
CHARLES VERNON PUGH.
JOHN VERNON PUGH.