Improvements in Vehicle Wheels.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Sept., 1896-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vehicle Wheels.
.
I, CHARLES LOUIS SCHWARZ, of 329 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, in the
County of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, United States of America,
Mechanic, having invented certain new and useful improvements in vehicle
wheels, do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear and exact description of
the same, and 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; reference being had to the accompanying drawings,
and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this
specification:-
This invention relates to the special arrangements, construction and combination
of parts, forming a vehicle wheel. Heretofore there has been great difficulty with
wheels made wholly or partly of wood, owing to the fact that the spokes in time
became loose in the hub, and are rapidly destroyed if said looseness is permitted
to continue.
The objects of my invention are:
To permit a perfect repair of defective wheels, and also to construct the wheels in
the first instance that they shall be far more durable, and the spokes shall be prevented
from coming loose in the hub. In the case of all wood wheels, that is to say, those
in which all of the hub and spokes are of wood, I employ independent metal locking
pieces which are provided with lateral projections adapted to project into the wall of
the hub and wall of the tenon of the spoke, when the latter is driven into the hub.
In those constructions of wheels in which a thin metallic band is placed about the hub
and especially in hubs of very small diameter, I prefer to form the metallic locking
pieces integral with the metallic band, and provide them with projections adapted to
extend into the tenon of the spoke. In another construction of wheels found on the
market, and especially adapted to carts, the wooden hub is surrounded with a deep
cast steel band, into which the tenons of the spokes are driven, and the spoke-tenons
may or may not enter the wooden part of the hub, as desired. In this case I form
the inner walls of the metallic sockets for the tenons of the spokes, with the
inwardly projecting portions adapted to catch upon the tenons, to prevent their
withdrawal.
The projections when employed to act upon the tenon of the spoke, are formed
preferably like inclined teeth, which permit the spoke to be driven in, but lock it
against being drawn out. When the locking piece is provided with projections to
catch upon the wood of the hub, the said projections or teeth are reversed,
so that the locking piece may be easily driven into place but cannot be with-
drawn.
My invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which-
Fig. 1, is a perspective view of one of my locking pieces;
Fig. 2, is a sectional elevation, showing the construction of an all wood wheel, with
my improvement applied thereto;
Figs. 3, and 4, show modifications thereof, when metallic bands are employed about
the wooden hub;
Fig. 5, is a perspective view of a modification of my locking piece; and
Fig. 6, is a sectional elevation of my locking piece showing another way of forming
the teeth or projections.

page_text: A, is the wooden hub. C, is the spoke and D, is the tenon thereof.
Referring to Figs. 1, and 2, the tenon D, of the spoke is driven into the
socket B, formed in the hub. E, are metallic locking pieces, and are formed of
sheet metal, with the lateral projections or teeth F, G, formed upon the faces
thereof, preferably by a construction somewhat familiar to a wood rasp, that is
to say, in which the teeth are driven up, out of the body of the metal by suitable
dies forming teeth, into the pockets and back of the teeth, of which the wood
may catch to take a firm hold. The teeth are preferably practically straight upon
one face and inclined upon the other, so that they are easily driven in but cannot
be withdrawn. The teeth upon the opposite sides of the plate F, are pointed in
opposite directions, so that one set of teeth hold the plates to the hub and the
other set of teeth hold the tenon to the plate. The lower end of the plates may
be bent over, as at e, so as to form a shoulder to fit under the tenon, to more
readily facilitate the driving in of the plates E, when inserting the spoke tenon.
After the tenon of the spoke is driven into the hub, it is practically impossible to
withdraw it without completely destroying it. The spoke under no circumstances
will become loose under ordinary actions of the wheel. It is evident that these
plates E, may be upon opposite faces of the tenon or upon one face only. I
prefer to employ them so as to lie at right angles to the grain of the wood in the
hub, since a better hold is thereby secured without danger of splitting the hub.
If desired, the teeth may be formed all the way across the plate, as at F, and G¹,
in Fig. 5.
In the construction shown in Fig. 3, the hub A, is provided with an annular
band I, of metal, and usually of cast steel or wrought iron. In place of completely
cutting out the apertures as is customary, through which to pass the tenon of the
spokes, the metal may be bent downward and have the inner faces provided with the
inwardly projecting teeth, so as to lock the tenon of the spoke into position when
once driven in. In this construction, i, represents the portion of the metal which is
bent inward and downward into the socket B, of the hub and H, represents the
inwardly projecting teeth, adapted to hold the tenon of the spoke. It is evident that
in this case, the annular band I, acts to hold the metal walls i, in position in the
wooden hub, and hence in this construction, the projections or teeth corresponding
to F, in Fig. 1, may be omitted, if desired.
In the construction shown in Fig. 4, the heavy metal band J, is provided upon the
inner face, with teeth or projections K, which are adapted to move the tenon D, of the
spoke C.
As shown in Fig. 6, the locking plate has the teeth F, and G³, driven up by
suitable dies, and this is the cheapest method of manufacture. It is to be
understood that the teeth or projections may be of any shape desired, but I prefer
them as about set out.
All of these constructions illustrated, embody the broad features of my invention,
consisting of a metallic locking piece, carried by a wooden hub and provided with
inwardly projecting teeth, which prevents the withdrawal of the spoke, but in practice,
I prefer the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6, as being the cheapest and most
easily applied.
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. A wheel hub, having the socket or aperture for the tenon of the spoke formed
with a metallic wall provided with inwardly projecting teeth adapted to lock the spoke
tenon against removal, in combination with a wooden spoke having its tenon driven
into the said socket or aperture and receiving the teeth of the metal wall, to prevent
its withdrawal.
2. The combination of a wheel hub, with a spoke fitted thereto, and a locking plate
interposed between the tenon of the spoke and the wall of the socket in the hub and
in which said plate is provided with projecting teeth upon its two opposite faces

page_text: pointing in opposite directions, so that the plate is locked to the hub and the spoke
tenon is locked to the plate.
3. A locking plate, for securing a spoke tenon to a hub, consisting of a flat plate
having teeth projecting from the faces thereof and pointing in opposite directions,
the said teeth on one face being inclined upward, and on the other face inclined
downward.
4. A locking plate for securing a spoke tenon to a hub, consisting of a flat plate
having teeth projecting from the faces thereof and pointing in opposite directions, the
said teeth on one face being inclined upward, and at the other face inclined downward,
and a shoulder formed at one end of said plate, adapted to receive the end of the
spoke tenon.
5. The combination of the wooden hub A, the spoke C, having a tenon D, and a
locking plate E, provided with upwardly directed teeth F, adapted to fit into the wall
of the sockets in the hub and downwardly directed teeth G, adapted to fit into the face
of the tenon of the spoke.
Dated this 21st day of Santambor 1896
J. P. BAYLY,
18 Fulham Place, London, W., Agent for the Applicant.