IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS FOR RAILWAY PURPOSES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings London for an Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS FOR RAILWAY PURPOSES" Communicated to
him from abroad by Frederick Story Smith of Cleveland, Ohio, United States;
"
of America
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th December 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and C Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS FOR RAILWAY
PURPOSES," communicated to me from Abroad by Frederick Story Smith of
Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
The present invention relates to that class of wheels for railway purposes in
which the tire and the central portion of the wheel are separate and distinct parts
but are firmly united together; and the special objects of the said invention are to
provide a strong and durable wheel which can be cheaply made by reason of the
minimum weight of metal required and the small number and simplicity of its
separate parts, and which will permit, by reason of the manner of securing the tire
to the to the body of the wheel, of the ready substitution of a new tire when the
old one is worn out or broken.
- The said invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,
Figure 1 is a central transverse section of the improved wheel, and
Figure 2. is an elevation of the inner or rear side of the same.
T represents the tire of the wheel provided with an annular web or flange f
projecting inwardly or towards the hub. It is also provided upon its inner edge
with an annular tongue t and an annular groove g. The tire is of wrought steel or
iron, and is preferably made without weld or joint by the operation of rolling or
forging.
P. represents the central plate, and H the hub of the wheel. These two parts
may be made to constitute a single piece or casting; or the central plate and the
hub may be formed separately and be secured together in any desirable manner,
:

page_text: for example, by means of bolts passed through a flange projecting from the hub and
through an overlapping part of the plate P.
The plate P, at its periphery, and upon its outer side or face, is provided with a
recess into which the flange f of the tire is fitted, while upon its inner side or
face is formed an annular tongue t' corresponding with and entered into the
groove g on the edge of the tire, and a groove g' corresponding with the tongue t
on the tire, and constituting, when the parts are brought into position, a tongue-
and-groove lock or fastening.
The tire and the plate P are firmly secured together by means of a series of bolts b
passed through the web or flange f of the tire and the plate P near its periphery ;
and to compensate for the weakening of the plate at this part by the bolt holes, as
well as to give it additional strength to resist the blows communicated through the
tire, a series of bosses B, equal in number to the bolts b are formed upon the inner
face of the plate P through which the bolts pass. Instead of forming separate
bosses as indicated, the metal of the plate may be thickened near the tire and thus
form a continuous projection extending around the plate near its periphery; this
would answer the same purpose of giving the necessary bearing for the bolts and
strengthening this part of the wheel to sustain the shocks from the tire.
I prefer to form the central plate P and the hub H in a single piece by casting
them from steel of good quality; this will give to these parts the requisite strength
and, at the same time, leave them much lighter than if they were made of equal
strength from cast iron. They may, however, be made practically and efficiently
in a single piece from wrought iron by forging.
I sometimes corrugate the central plate between the hub and the tire, substan--
tially as shown in the drawing, although I do not limit the invention in any respect
by reason of this form, inasmuch as a plain central plate would be practical.
In constructing or repairing the wheel, the tire T is forced into place upon the
periphery of the plate P by means of hydraulic or other requisite pressure, the
grooves and tongues of each being shaped to make close joints; or the tongue of
the tire is made slightly smaller than the groove of the plate P and then by
heating and cooling the tire, the parts can be shrunk together.
It will be readily observed that all that is required to substitute a new tire for
a.worn one, is to remove the bolts b, force the old tire off and force a new one into
its place, and then replace the bolts.
The above described wheel is simple in its construction, requiring, when the hub.
and central plate are cast together, only the following pieces viz,-the tire and the
body of the wheel and the bolts. By making the hub and plate P. of steel or
wrought iron the requisite strength with the minimum weight of metal is obtained.
The mode of securing the central plate to the tire is simple and reliable, and affords
means for; the easy and quick removal and replacement of the tire..
1 am aware that there have been patents granted for wheels for railway vehicles
in which the tire has been secured to the central plate, or to a piece interposed
between the central plate and the tire, by hammering or rolling, or otherwise
bending parts of the tire over the adjacent parts of the central plate or interposed
piece; but this construction would wholly defeat one of the important features of
advantage of my wheel, as in such former construction it would be. entirely
impracticable to remove the tire without great expense and labor and substitute
a new one, while in my wheel, as above explained, this can be accomplished by the
simple removal of the bolts and without injuring or changing the form of the
tire or body of the wheel.
Having thus fully described the said invention as communicated to me by my
Foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I Claim
The improved wheel, composed of a tire, a central plate, and a hub, the tire being
provided with an annular inwardly projecting web, or flange fitted into a recess in
one side of the central plate at its periphery while the opposite side of the central
plate is united to the edge of the tire by a tongue-and-groove lock, the tire and

page_text: the central plate being also firmly secured together by means of bolts passed
through the central plate near its periphery and through the web of the tire,
substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Fifth day of December in the year of Our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
W. ROB. LAKE
(L.S.)