Improvements in and relating to Vehicle Wheels.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Dec., 1896-Accepted, 20th Mar., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Vehicle Wheels.
1, EMILE AZE, of 244 Forquer Street, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois,
United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to lessen the thickness of a wheel at its hub or
axis, without diminishing its strength or ability to resist transverse vibrations;
and my invention consists in the features and details of construction. hereinafter
described and claimed.
In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of one of my improved wheels; and
Fig. 2 a vertical section, taken on line 2 of Fig. 1.
In making my improved vehicle wheel, 1 have chosen to represent it as a bicycle
wheel; but I do not mean to limit myself to this class of vehicles, as my invention
is equally applicable to wheels used in connection with other vehicles.
I make a
hub, A, provided with flanges, a, to which the spokes are to be attached; and-
where the wheel is intended for use on a bicycle-I provide it with the usual
sprocket wheel, A. I make a rim, B, of the usual construction, adapted to
receive and retain a tire, C, where the wheel is intended for use on a bicycle, as
represented in the drawings. I arrange the desired number of steel wire or rod
spokes, D, which run from the rim to the flanges on the hub adapted to receive
them. These spokes may be arranged tangential to the center of the wheel, as
shown, and as is usual in such cases. In order, however, to enable the spokes to
be attached to the hub close together-so as to diminish the width of the wheel at
its hub or axis, while at the same time securing the strength and bracing properties
that result from the attachment of the spokes at the hub a wider distance apart-
I employ a ring, E, which is preferably of a size to encircle the hub at a point a
little less than half the distance between the hub and the rim, although I do not
confine myself to any specific distance from the hub at which this ring is to be
arranged. I make this ring preferably of the same width in cross section as the
distance between the flanges on the hub, although I do not confine myself to these
exact dimensions. This ring serves to brace or hold the spokes apart at a point
where it contacts with them the distance of its width, while permitting the inner
ends of the spokes to be drawn in, so that their course from the bracing ring to
the flanges on the hub to which they are attached will be in a vertical direction
when viewed as shown in Fig. 2. The ring, E, is held and supported in place by
short secondary spokes, F, which are attached at their inner ends to the flanges on
the hub of the wheel, and which are connected with and end at the ring, E, at
their outer ends. By looking at Fig. 2, it will be seen that by bringing the spokes
in from the ring, E, in a vertical direction, their inner ends where attached to the
flanges on the bub are much closer together than if the ring, E, were dispensed
with and the spokes continued at the same angle which they occupy from the
rim, B, to the ring, E. This enables me to make a wheel of less width at its hub
or axis, while at the same time retaining and securing the strength and bracing
properties that would be secured were the spokes continued at the same angle
from the rim to the hub and a much greater length employed. In addition to this,
I consider that I get with spokes which extend from the rim to the hub the same
strength and bracing qualities that I would get with spokes no longer than sufficient

page_text: to extend from the rim to the bracing ring, which, of course, makes a wheel with
my improvements much stronger than one without them.
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 :
1. In a vehicle wheel, the combination of a hub, a rim; a bracing ring interposed
between the hub and the rim, and spokes proceeding from the rim to the bracing
ring at one angle and from the bracing ring to the hub at another angle,
substantially as described.
2. In a vehicle wheel, the combination of a hub, a rim, a bracing ring interposed
between the hub and the rim, secondary .spokes extending from the hub to and
ending at the bracing ring, and spokes extending from the hub to the rim and
contacting with the edges of the bracing ring, substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.