Improvements in or connected with Pneumatic Tyres.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Pneumatic Tyres.
We, EDWARD GREATBATCH WOOD, of 298, Upper Parliament Street, Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and Exoci ARMITAGE, of 71, Alderson Road,
Liverpool aforesaid, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention has reference to the construction of the outer casings of detach-
able pneumatic tyres in such-wise that they can be secured to the wheel rim
without the employment of dove-tailed edges or wire retaining hoops, as has
heretofore been usual.
In one construction a sufficiently long strip of canvas is cut on the bias, and its
ends are permanently secured together, so that it will encircle the wheel rim
and, after its edges have been folded or turned over to the desired extent, and
secured in place, form an approximately tubular casing that will nearly surround
the air tube. At some little distance from the edges thereof a specially prepared
strip of webbing is permanently secured by stitching or otherwise; this webbing
is woven or otherwise formed on a curve corresponding approximately to that of
the curvature of the wheel rim; so that the warp threads are of various lengths
and, when the webbing is formed into a ring, by having its ends securely and
firmly connected together, form a series of concentric rings. The webbing may
be of any suitable material, and of such a width, that, its inner edge may take
within the flanges of the wheel rim, and its outer portion project concentrically
beyond the wheel rim, and thus strengthen or stiffen the sides of the casing.
The rings of webbing at each side of the casing are of the same diameter
where they rest against the wheel-rim flanges; on the inflating of the air tube,
the rings of webbing are put in tension, each warp thread taking practically
an equal amount of the strain, and the casing is thus held in position. Further-.
more these rings, being on the sides of the casing, tend to support and stiffen the
tyre, and thus to some extent prevent side slip. The rings of webbing, though
made of strong warp threads or cords, as well as the canvas casing to which they
are secured, although previously stretched, are still capable of being slightly
further extended by the inflation of the air tube, but not sufficiently to allow
of the folded over edges of the casing leaving the wheel rim.
Instead of forming or cutting the canvas on the bias as before described, the
material may be woven either in ribbon form with selvedge edges, or in wide widths
that can be cut into strips, that portion of each strip that is intended to form
the tread part of the tyre casing when made up, having a number or all of the
warp threads omitted, so that the weft threads may partly separate, and the
material more readily conform to the semi-tubular shape required.
In a modification, one of the folded over edges of the canvas casing may extend
somewhat further into the hollow of the wheel-rim than the opposite edge, and
may be permanently secured therein by an encircling tape or cord, the position
f the casing and the attached semi-flexible webbing rings being thus fixed. This
ame edge may extend still further. across the rim, or a flat-like piece may be ·
D
017

page_text: permanently attached to its edge of sufficient width to take on to, and rest against
the inside of the other opposite edge, the surfaces which come together are rubber-
faced, and so shaped that when in position on the wheel-rim, they will rest against
each other, thus forming a tubular air-tight casing entirely encircling the air tube.
In this and the previous modification one side of the casing is detachable from
the wheel rim for removing the air tube.
After the canvas has been formed as described a suitable strip of material
cut on the bias and coated with rubber is solutioned inside it, so as to cover or
partly cover the webbing rings, and when the canvas casing is without warp
thread on the tread portion, a suitable strip of canvas may be solutioned either
inside or outside so as to retain the weft threads in position when inflated. In
some cases, the canvas casing formed as described may be lined throughout with
thin canvas cut on the bias and solutioned to it. To the canvas casing is solutioned
an outer rubber casing of the usual form, the edges of which project the requisite
distance into the wheel rim.
We prefer to employ an air tube even when the two edges of the casing overlap
each other, two air valves being then provided, one opening into the air tube,
and the other opening into the casing.
We would have it understood that the curved webbing may be made of any
suitable material and of various widths to suit the class of tyre required, and in
some cases may be made in one with the canvas body part, for instance when the
latter is not cut on the bias.
Improvements in or connected with Pneumatic Tyres.
We, EDWARD GREATBATCH WOOD, of 298, Upper Parliament Street, Liverpool,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and ENOCH ARMITAGE, of 71, Alderson Road,
Liverpool aforesaid, Machinist, 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: --
This invention has reference to the construction of the outer casings of detach-
able pneumatic tyres so that they can be secured to a wheel rim without the
employment of dovetailed edges or wire retaining hoops, as has heretofore been
usual.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying illustrative drawings is a sectional perspective
view of a pneumatic tyre inflated on a wheel-rim and provided with an outer
casing constructed according to this invention; Fig. 2 shows a portion of one
of the strips of webbing thereof; and Figs. 3 & 4 are respectively a partial diagram-
matic plan and cross section of the developed casing.
In the case of the example shown in Figs. 1 to 4 a single and sufficiently long
strip of canvas 1 is cut on the bias, and its ends are permanently secured together
so that it will encircle the wheel-rim 2 with which it is to be employed, and, after
its edges 1ª have been folded over to the desired extent and secured in place by
cementing or stitching or otherwise, will form an approximately tubular casing
that will nearly surround the air-tube 3. Along each of the edges of the casing
thus formed there is suitably attached to the latter, as by stitching, a strip of

page_text: webbing 4, which is woven or otherwise suitably formed on a curve of a radius
approximately equal to that of the wheel-rim, so that the warp-threads are of
various lengths and, when the strip of webbing is formed into a ring (as it is,
before being attached to the canvas casing) by having its ends securely connected
together, form a series of concentric rings. The webbing 4 may be of any suitable
material, such as hemp or silk, and is of such a width that its inner edge may,
as shown in Fig. 1, be within and near the roots of the flanges of the wheel-rim 2,
and its outer edge project concentrically beyond the wheel-rim so as to strengthen
and to some extent stiffen the sides of the casing 1 outside the wheel-rim. The
rings of webbing 4 of the two sides of the casing are of the same diameter; and
on the inflation of the air-tube 3 they are put into tension to the same extent,
and each warp-thread, or each main warp-thread when there are two sets of warp-
threads as hereinafter described, take practically an equal amount of the strain,
whereby the casing is firmly held in position. The stiffening of the sides of the
tyre produced by the rings of webbing tends to some extent to prevent side-slip.
The rings of webbing 4 have warps consisting either solely of string or of a com-
bination of string with finer intermediate threads; yet both they and the canvas
to which they are secured, although previously severely stretched, are still capable
of being stretched slightly further by the full inflation of the air-tube, but not
sufficiently to allow the folded-over edges of the casing and the webbing rings
to leave the wheel-rim.
Instead of forming or cutting the canvas on the bias as before described the
material may, as we find preferable, be woven either in ribbon form with selvedged
edges, or in widths that can be cut into strips, that portion of each ribbon or strip
that is intended to form the tread-part of the tyre-casing when made up, having
a number or all of the warp-threads omitted, so that the weft-threads may partly
separate and the material more readily conform to the semi-tubular shape required,
bridging over the outer surface of the air-tube without unduly straining some
of the threads and leaving others practically taking no strain.
Figs. 5, 6, & 7 illustrate this modified construction, Fig. 5 being a section of a
tyre having an outer casing made of canvas whose tread-portion is devoid of warp-
threads and Figs. 6 & 7 respectively a diagrammatic plan and a cross section of
the casing. As in Figs. 1 to 4, 1 is the canvas, 1ª are its turned-over edges, 2 is
the wheel-rim, 3 the air-tube, and 4 the rings of webbing; 5 is the portion of the
outer casing that is devoid of warp-threads. Figs. 8 & 9 are cross sections of
casings formed of canvas of this kind and will be hereinafter referred to.
After the canvas casing has been formed as described with reference to
Figs. 3 & 4 a strip 6 represented by the dotted line in Fig. 4 of material cut on
the bias, or a strip of pure rubber, is solutioned inside it so as to partly pass beneath
the webbing rings. When, however, the canvas casing is formed, as described
with reference to Figs. 5, 6, & 7, without warp-threads on the tread-portion, instead
of doing so we find that a much better result is obtained by employing a second
strip 7 (Figs. 6 & 7) of canvas having a portion 7 devoid of warp-threads and
solutioning between it and the canvas 1 a strip of pure rubber 8 slightly wider
than the portions 5 & 7ª devoid of warp-threads: the effect of this is to retain
the loose weft-threads sufficiently in position and counteract puncture when the
tyre is inflated. Fig. 8 shows the same purpose effected by a single strip of canvas
having selvedged edges and doubled over a piece of pure rubber 8 solutioned to
it. Fig. 9 shows two separate strips of canvas 1 and 7 with an intervening strip of
pure rubber 8 solutioned between them; to the outer canvas covering is solutioned
an outer rubber casing 9 of the usual form the edges of which project the requisite
distance into the wheel-rim.
It is obvious that hose-pipe tyres may be provided with canvas casings with open
treads and rings of webbing as hereinbefore described. Fig. 10 is a sectional
perspective view of a hose-pipe tyre so provided, the several reference-numerals
indicating parts corresponding to those similarly marked in Figs. 5 to 9. The

page_text: outer layer of canvas 1 in this case extends entirely around the tyre and its edges
are stitched or otherwise secured together on the inside of the tyre (i.e., the
portion of least diameter), where a strip of canvas may be cemented over the joint
to prevent moisture from passing into the tyre. The canvas casings 1 & 7 and
intermediate strip of rubber 8 are all firmly cemented together and to the air-tube.
Fig. 11 shows a slightly modified form of hose-pipe tyre; in this case the casing
is formed of two thicknesses of canvas manufactured in a single width and so
folded that one edge projects some little past the other or inner edge, that when
in tubular form the projecting edge will overlap on the folded part of the canvas
and leave three thicknesses of canvas, an outer strip may also be solutioned near
the joining for additional strength, as shewn by the dotted lines in Fig. 11. Fig. 12
shows an inflatable air-tube covered on the outer surface of largest diameter, with
a strip of canvas 1 with the warp-threads on the tread omitted, a single strip of
canvas may also be solutioned on the inner or smallest diameter, so that their
combined action will to some extent control the expansion of the air tube and to
some extent self-sealing in case of puncture on the tread portion.
Fig. 13 is a cross sectional perspective view of a tyre illustrating another modified
construction of canvas casing according to this invention. Figs. 14 & 15 are
respectively a diagrammatic plan and a section of the canvas casing developed.
In this modification one of the edges of the canvas casing extends, as shewn in
Fig. 13, somewhat further into the hollow of the wheel-rim 2 than the opposite
edge and may if desired be permanently secured therein by an encircling tape or
cord (not shown). A flap-like piece 10 is permanently attached to this same
edge of the casing or formed in one with the canvas 1 as shown. This flap-like
piece is of sufficient width to reach and rest against the inside of the opposite edge
of the cover. If it be desired that the tubular casing should be air-tight, the
adjacent surfaces of the flap and the casing are rubber faced. If the casing be
formed, as shown, of two layers of canvas with an intervening piece 8 of rubber,
this may be extended, as shown in cross section in Fig. 16, and secured to the
outside of the piece of webbing 4 remote from the flap, which is also covered on the
outside with a thin sheet of rubber 12. If desired the casing may be entirely
lined with rubber. To prevent the outer or free edge of the flap 10 from kinking
whilst inserting the removable edge 13 of the casing between it and the flange
of the wheel-rim 2, there is inserted in the said free edge an elastic wire 14 whose
ends are not connected together and which has a tendency to expand outwardly
and keep the free edge of the flap-like piece taut. The casing may, if desired,
be provided with an air-valve, so that should the ordinary air-tube become damaged
the outer casing might be inflated; we prefer, however, to employ an air-tube 3
even when the flap-like piece is intended to make an air-tight joint with the opposite
side of the casing.
Although we have described the strips of webbing as separate and stitched or
otherwise secured to the canvas, it might in some case be formed with the body
part of the canvas when the latter is not cut on the bias.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim
19:-
1. Securing a pneumatic tyre to a flanged wheel-rim by means of strips of
webbing made on a curve corresponding to the wheel-rim and formed into rings
which are secured to a canvas casing, substantially as herein before described.
2. In a pneumatic tyre the combination of a canvas casing made of canvas from
which warp-threads are omitted from the tread-portion so that the weft-threads
may separate at the tread and the casing may readily conform to the semi-tubular
shape required, and a strip of material solutioned to the canvas to retain the posi-
tion of the weft-threads uncrossed by warp-threads sufficiently in position when
the tyre is inflated.

page_text: 3. A tyre-casing comprising a strip of canvas from which warp-threads are
omitted from the part thereof to form the tread-portion, a strip of material solu-
tioned to the tread-portion of the canvas, and strips of webbing made on a curve
corresponding to the wheel-rim to which the tyre-casing is to be secured and
formed into rings which are secured to the edge portions of the strips of canvas
substantially as herein described for the purpose specified.
4. Tyre casings constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference respectively to and shown in Figs. 1 to 4, in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, in
Fig. 10, in Fig. 11, and in Figs. 13, 14, & 15, or as modified according to
Fig. 8, 9, or 16, of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th day of February 1898.
For the Applicants,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.