Improvements in Wheels and Pulleys Suitable for Traction Engines, Road Locomotives, and Ordinary Vehicles, and for Driving Shafting and Machinery.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Wheels and Pulleys Suitable for Traction
Engines, Road Locomotives, and Ordinary Vehicles, and for
Driving Shafting and Machinery.
We ALFRED GREIG of the Steam Plough Works Leeds in the County of York
Engineer and GUSTAV ACHILLES of the Steam Plough Works Leeds aforesaid
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in wheels and pulleys suitable
for traction engines, road locomotives and ordinary vehicles and for driving shafting
and machinery.
The tyre of the wheel which for a traction engine may consist of two Tiron
rings and cross strips giving a better bite on the land, is connected by spokes to a
boss in which there is a large central opening. The end of the axle with a boss
which it has upon it is received into the opening of the outer boss in which it is
free to move in all directions in a plan to which the axle is perpendicular but two
flanges projecting outwards from the inner boss and embracing the outer boss
between them, prevent the motion of the one boss relatively to the other in an
horizontal direction.
The flanges of the boss upon the axle are provided with five (or it might be other
number) of eyes and these carry an equal number of bolts or pins these are parallel
to the axle and symmetrically arranged around it.
Each of these bolts or pins serves to connect the axle with the tyre by means of
an intermediate spring gear The gear consists of a spring like a carriage spring
composed of blades laid one on the other and hooped together in the middle The
spring is confined in a spring holder consisting of an outer member which is con-
nected with the tyre by a joint pin passing transversely through it midway of its
length and an inner member which is connected with the outer by two eye bolts
one at either end.
The two members can be drawn together by nuts screwed on to the eye bolts
and abutting upon the ends of the inner member of the spring frame. The hoop
which embraces the spring blades is received into guides in the outer member of
the frame and it also bas a stem passing through the centre of the inner member
of the spring frame and is so guided. The stem is provided with a nut at each

page_text: side of the spring the one for adjusting the axle to the centre of the Tyre and the
other for adjusting the Elasticity of the Spring. The stem has an eye at its upper
end and through this eye one of the bolts or pins carried by the axle boss passes.
The axle boss it will thus be seen is suspended from the tyre by these spring
gear. The outer and the inner bosses are connected together by a pair of links so
that the one cannot rotate without carrying the other with it.
In another arrangement the boss on the axle is enlarged into a wheel or disc
extending to the tyre and there its edges are received between two flanges within
the tyre.
The connection between the boss & tyre is formed by means of spring gear as
already described. The spring gear in this case is arranged in pairs on either side
of the centre.
Or the tyre may have a single interior flange (or it may be a pair of flanges)
embraced between two flanges upon the disc on the axle Apertures may be cut in
the disc to admit of the spring gear being centrally placed.
For the blade springs india rubber block springs may be substituted or coiled
metal springs.

page_text: provements In w neeis and Pulleys Suitable for Traction
Engines, Road Locomotives, and Ordinary Vehicles, and for
Driving Shafting and Machinery.
We ALFRED GREIG of the Steam Plough Works Leeds in the County of York
Engineer and GUSTAV ACHILLES of the Steam Plough Works Leeds aforesaid
Engineer 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 for its object improvements in wheels and pulleys suitable
for traction engines, road locomotives and ordinary vehicles and for driving shafting
and machinery.
The tyre of the wheel which for a traction may consist of two T iron rings and
cross strips giving a better bite on the land, is connected by spokes to a boss in
which there is a large central opening. The end of the axle with a boss which it
has upon it is received into the opening of the outer boss in which it is free to
move in all directions in a plane to which the axle is perpendicular but two flanges
projecting outwards from the inner boss and embracing the outer boss between
them prevent the motion of the one boss relatively to the other in an horizontal
direction.
The flanges of the boss upon the axle are provided with five (or it might be
other number) of eyes and these carry an equal number of bolts or pins; these are
parallel to the axle and symmetrically arranged around it.
Each of these bolts or pins serves to connect the axle with the tyre by means of
an intermediate spring gear. This gear consists of a spring like a carriage spring
composed of blades laid one on the other and hooped together in the middle. The
spring is confined in a spring holder consisting of an outer member which is
connected with the tyre by a joint pin passing transversely through it midway of
its length and an inner member which is connected with the outer by two eye bolts
one at either end.
4
The two members can be drawn together by nuts screwed on to the eye bolts
and abutting upon the ends of the inner member of the spring frame. The hoop
which embraces the spring blades is received into guides in the outer member of
the frame and it also has a stem passing through the centre of the inner member
of the spring frame and is so guided. The stem is provided with a nut at each
side of the spring; the one for adjusting the axle to the centre of the tyre and the
other for adjusting the elasticity of the spring. The stem has an eye at its upper
end and through this eye one of the bolts or pins carried by the axle boss passes.
The axle boss it will thus be seen is suspended from the tyre by these spring
gears. The outer and the inner bosses are connected together by a pair of links so
that the one cannot rotate without carrying the other with it.
In another arrangement the boss on the axle is enlarged into a wheel or disc.
extending to the tyre and there its edges are received between two flanges within
the tyre.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation with parts omitted of a wheel constructed in
accordance with our invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same.
Figure 3 is a side elevation partly in section of a wheel showing various
modifications.
Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on the line D. C. E. in Figure 3 and shows
one modification.
Figure 5 shows another modification and is a transverse section taken on the
line F. C. Q. in Figure 3.
Figure 6 again shows another modification and is a section taken on the line BCA
in Figure 3.
.
Although these several modifications are shown in Figure 3 as if applied in the
same wheel they will not in practice be so employed, but the springs throughout
each wheel will be similar the one to the other.
In Figures 1 and 2 A is the tyre of the wheel composed of two T iron rings
connected together by the cross straps A¹ A¹ which are rivetted to them-B B are
spokes connecting this tyre with a boss C which, as will be seen, has a large central
aperture. D is the axle it has fixed upon it an inner boss E which passes through
the central aperture of the outer boss C and is able to move freely within it over a
considerable range, but movement in the direction of the length of the axle is
prevented by flanges E¹ E¹ upon the inner boss which fit closely to the sides of the
outer boss C. F F F are bolts passing through the flanges E¹ and each bolt also
passes through the eye of an eye bolt G. H H H are blade springs bound together
by a hoop H¹. This compound spring is confined in a spring holder consisting of
an outer member I, and an inner member K; these are connected together at their
ends by eye bolts L with nuts L'-The stem of the eye bolt G passes centrally
through the inner member of the spring holder and also through the spring blades
and the hoop around them. At its outer end beyond the spring the stem of the
eye bolt receives a nut M. It also has upon it another nut M which abuts upon
the inner member K of the spring holder. By means of these nuts the spring can
be adjusted and a suitable amount of initial compression put upon it, and the wheel
also can be adjusted, so that whilst travelling under the normal load the inner boss
upon the axle shall occupy approximately a central position in the aperture in the
outer boss C. The hoop H¹ which surrounds the spring blades is received in a
socket like recess in the outer member of the spring holder, and it is guided by it
during the play of the spring. O is a bevelled wheel with which a pinion in
connection with the driving gear of the engine engages, and this bevelled wheel
may be made fast with the boss E by inserting a driving pin when desired in the
manner usual in connecting the driving wheel of a traction engine with the driving
gear. P P are links connecting the bosses C and E as shown, so that when the
boss C is driven the driving strain is imparted to the boss E and through it to the
tyre of the wheel.
In Figures 3 and 4 Q is a wheel mounted fast on the axle and extending out to
the tyre R where its edges enter between a pair of flanges upon the tyre. Springs

page_text: contained in spring holders, as already described, are arranged on either side of this
wheel to form the connection between its boss or central part and the tyre.
In Figure 5 india rubber springs are substituted for the steel blades and a
corresponding alteration is made in the form of the spring holder.
This Figure also illustrates a modification in the form of the wheel and tyre.
The tyre in this case is of a single T section and the wheel is made with two
projecting flanges embracing the single flange of the tyre between them.
In this
case the spring gear is placed centrally, the body of the wheel being cut away to
admit it.
In Figure 6 the tyre of the wheel is of substantially the same form as in
Figure 4, the distance between the flanges however is somewhat increased. The
spring gear also in this wheel is centrally arranged and is similar to that shown in
Figure 5 except that the india rubber spring is here replaced by a coiled steel
spring. In each of the arrangements it will be seen that the springs are confined
in a spring holder and can be subjected to any desired amount of initial com-
pression and also that the axle of the wheel can be adjusted to occupy a central
position within the tyre when a normal load is upon it.
Spring wheels of similar construction may be employed for driving machinery.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
-
(1.) The combination in a spring wheel of two bosses C and E, the one rigidly
connected with the tyre and the other with the axle and adjustable springs
contained in spring holders and forming radial connections between the inner
boss E upon the axle and the tyre substantially as described.
(2.) The modification of this arrangement in which a wheel fixed upon the axle
is held loosely within a tyre and is connected therewith by radial connections
consisting of adjustable springs contained in spring holders substantially as
described.
(3.) Our improved wheels substantially as herein described and represented by
the annexed drawings.