Certain Improvements in and relating to Wheel Rims for the Wheels of Velocipedes, Motor Cars, and other Road Vehicles
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Jan., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 11th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 18th Dec., 1897
"Certain Improvements in and relating to Wheel Rims for the
Wheels of Velocipedes, Motor Cars, and other Road Vehicles."
We, FRANK IORNS GIBBS and WILLIAM WRIGHT, trading together as Gibbs &
Wright, 70, Lower Hurst Street, in the City of Birmingham, Tinplate Workers
and Metal Workers, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows
This Invention consists of the herein described improvements in and relating
to wheel rims for the wheels of velocipedes motor cars and other road vehicles.
When an elastic tyre is not made of sufficient elasticity as to stretch over the
larger diameter of the trough section wheel rim and spring into the trough of
the same the wheel rim has to be made in halves like two rings which can be
separated for the insertion of the elastic tyre and then be fixed together again
so as to grip the tyre or the base of the same between the two rings and thus
secure the same to the wheel rim.
A wheel rim constructed according to this part of this Invention consists of
two rings which together form a wheel rim with turned in edges or a trough
section wheel rim of other suitable cross section. The said two rings forming
the wheel rim are made to slide one within the other and thus form a joint of
two thicknesses of metal where the spoke nipples pass through; one of the
rings at this part being slightly larger in diameter than the corresponding part
of the other ring. Both of the rings are, where they overlap, made with holes for the
spoke nipples to pass through, these holes being just the proper size for the enlarged
neck of the nipple to fit in. In the ring of smaller diameter there are slots extending
from the edge of the ring to the holes for the spoke nipples these slots being slightly
narrower than the diameter of the said holes but of the proper size to admit the
shank parts of the nipples. In placing the two ring like parts of the wheel rim and
tyre and the spoke nipples together, the spoke nipples are first inserted in position in
the holes in the larger of the two rings and this ring is placed in position on the
tyre. The other ring, or half of the rim, is now placed in position inside the first
ring and so as to grip the tyre the spoke nipples being pressed outwardly so as to
allow of their shank parts sliding along the slots into the holes in the second ring
when the elasticity of the tyre will force the spoke nipples towards the centre of the
wheel so that the enlarged necks of the spoke nipples will now engage with the holes
in both of the rings of the rim thus holding the two halves of the rim together as the
enlarged necks of the nipples will not pass through the slots. The two ring like parts
of the rim are by preference made from tinned steel or other metal so that after they
have been placed together as aforesaid the said two ring like parts may be sweated
together to secure them together and to the tyre.
Within and between the two halves or rings of the said wheel rim we may employ
a sheet metal ring which rests on shoulders raised on the two rings and is inserted
in place before the two rings are fixed together. The said ring is by preference made
of tinned sheet metal and is soldered in position.

page_text: The wheel rim above described may be made independently of the tyre and the
spoke nipples and be used with a pneumatic or other elastic tyre and the holes for
the spoke nipples may be drilled in the rim as usual after the parts of the same have
been sweated together.
Dated this 8th day of January 1897.
"Certain Improvements in and relating to Wheel Rims for the
Wheels of Velocipedes, Motor Cars and other Road Vehicles."
We, FRANK LORNS GIBBS and WILLIAM WRIGHT, trading together as Gibbs &
Wright, of 70, Lower Hurst Street, in the City of Birmingham, Tinplate Workers and
Metal Workers, 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 consists of the herein described improvements in and relating to
wheel rims for the wheels of velocipedes motor cars and other road vehicles.
When an elastic tyre is not made of sufficient elasticity as to stretch over the
largest diameter of the trough section wheel rim with which the tyre is to be used
and spring into the trough of the same, the wheel rim has to be made in halves like
two rings which can be separated for the insertion of the elastic tyre and then be
fixed together again so as to grip the tyre or the base of the same between the two
rings and thus secure the tyre to the wheel rim.
A wheel rim constructed according to this Invention consists of two rings which
together form a wheel rim with turned in edges or a trough section wheel rim of
other suitable cross section. The said two rings forming the wheel rim are made
with annular flanges to slide one within the other and thus form a joint of two
thicknesses of metal where the spoke nipples pass through; one of the rings at this
part being slightly smaller in diameter than the corresponding part of the other ring.
Both rings are by preference raised from tinned or other sheet metal blanks so that
after they have been placed together as aforesaid they can be sweated together.
On the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a cross section of a tyre and wheel rim, the
latter being constructed in accordance with this Invention; Fig. 2 is a cross section and
plan of one of the rings forming the said wheel rim and Fig. 3 is a cross section and
plan of a portion of the other ring part of the said wheel rim; Fig. 4 shews a trough
section wheel rim made in accordance with this invention suitable for use with a
Welch-Dunlop or other like pneumatic tyre and Figs 5 and 6 are cross sections of
other forms of wheel rims constructed in accordance with this Invention.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
Figures of the drawing.
We make the said wheel rim as aforesaid of two rings marked respectively A
and B raised from sheet metal the ring B being made with the annular flange b¹ of
such a diameter as to slide within the corresponding annular flange a² of the ring A
and thus form a joint of two thicknesses of metal where the spoke nipples C pass
through, the part a' of the ring A being slightly larger in diameter than the
corresponding part b' of the other ring B. When the two rings A and B are placed
together so that the part 61 of the ring B has been slided into the part a¹ of the
ring A as far as will go the two rings A B will together then have the shape of the
required rim as represented by Fig. 1. The part a¹ of the ring A is made with
holes a' of the proper size for the enlarged neck c¹ of the spoke nipples C to fit in.
The part of the ring B is similarly made with holes 62 of the proper size for the
enlarged neck c¹ of the spoke nipples C to fit in but these holes 62 are slotted at 6ª as

page_text: shewn in Fig. 3 these slots extending to the edge of the ring B and being made
slightly narrower than the diameter of the hole 62 but of the proper size to admit the
shank part 2 of the spoke nipples C.
In placing the two ring like parts A and B of the wheel rim and the
tyre D and spoke nipples C together, the spoke nipples C are first inserted
in position in the hole a² in the ring A and this ring is placed in position
on the tyre D. The ring like part 61 of the other ring B is now placed in
position inside the first ring A and the two parts are slided together so as to grip
the tyre between them the spoke nipples C being pressed outwardly so as to allow
of their shank part c² sliding along the slotted parts 63 into the holes 62 when
the elasticity of the tyre D pressing on the heads of the spoke nipples C will press
the spoke nipples towards the centre of the wheel so that their enlarged necks c¹ will
now engage with the holes 62 in the ring B as well as with the holes a² of the ring A
and thus hold the two halves of the rings together as the enlarged necks c¹ of the
spoke nipples C will not pass through the holes 63. The meeting services a¹ 6¹ of the
two parts A. B are then sweated together so as to properly secure them together and
to the tyre D.
The wheel rim above described may be made independently of the tyre D and the
spoke nipples C and be used with a pneumatic or other elastic tyre and the necessary
holes for the spoke nipples C may be drilled in the double thickness of the rim after
the two parts A and B of the rim have been sweated together for instance as shewn
by Fig. 4 where the part 1 of the rim B fits inside the part a¹ of the ring A and the
two parts are secured together by being sweated together thus forming a complete
wheel rim.
Within and between the two rings or half rims A and B we may employ a sheet
metal ring E which rests on or in shoulders a³ 64 raised on the two rings A and B
(see Figs 5 and 6) and which is by preference made endless and inserted in place
before the two rings A and B are fixed together. This ring E is by preference made
of tinned sheet metal and soldered in position.
We wish it to be understood that we are well aware that prior to our Invention
sheet metal wheel rims have been made of two rings or half rims fixed together and
that we do not claim broadly this construction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion and in what manner, the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. The combinatiom with a practically non-extensible tyre of a trough section wheel
rim formed of two sheet metal rings or half rims A B and the spoke nipples C said
wheel rin being constructed and combined with the spoke nipples substantially as and
and 3 of the accompanying
for the purposes set forth and illustrated by Figs. 1,
drawing.
2. A trough section wheel rim made of two sheet metal rings or half rims formed
respectively with the annular flanges a¹ 6' which fit one within the other and are
secured together by soldering or like means so as to form a trough section wheel rim
of double thickness at the bottom of the trough where the spoke nipples pass
through, substantially as herein before set forth.
3. A trough section wheel rim made of two sheet metal rings or half rims formed
respectively with the annular flanges a¹ b' which fit one within the other and the ring E
surrounding the wheel rim within the trough the said parts being secured together
by soldering or like means and forming a trough section wheel rim substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 5 and 6 of the accompanying
drawing.