Improvements in Elastic Tyres for Wheels of Cycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 8th Sept., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Elastic Tyres for Wheels of Cycles and other
Vehicles.
We ALOIS FENDT, Mechanician, of VI Bürgerspitalgasse 28 Vienna, in the
Empire of Austria, and ANTON UZEL, Junior, Court Tailor, of I Mayseder-
gasse 1, Vienna, aforesaid, 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 :-
66
Hitherto, in order to impart elasticity to the wheels of cycles or other vehicles,
the rims of the wheels have been encircled by a rubber tyre or a so called
pneumatic" tyre, or the spokes themselves have been made elastic in order to
absorb and neutralise or diminish the shocks consequent on the unevenness of
the road.
These appliances are not, however, altogether satisfactory, or are attended with
disadvantages or inconveniences, especially in the case of the otherwise most
advantageous of these appliances, viz., the "pueumatic" tyre, which is costly and
very liable to receive such injury as to render it temporarily or even permanently
unserviceable.
This invention relates to an elastic tyre of a new kind whereby all the
disadvantages and inconveniences of the devices hitherto proposed or put into
practice are entirely avoided, and which, moreover, possesses the additional
advantage of being very easily applied to or removed from the wheel rim.
This tyre consists essentially of an endless spiral spring made of round wire
or of a flat steel ribbon which after being spirally coiled is bent into the shape
of a hoop and joined up at the ends and sprung into the groove of the wheel
rim, the tension of the spring when thus put in position causing it to embrace
strongly and uniformly the whole circumference of the wheel, to which it is
thereby firmly connected whilst capable of being easily removed if required.
The shocks produced in riding are first received by those of the spires of the
spring that are immediately in contact with the ground and are then transmitted
to the adjoining spires, and therefore altogether absorbed, because the spires, on
being lifted from the ground by the rotation of the wheel, are at once distended
in consequence of their elasticity, and caused to resume their normal form and
position.
The accompanying sheet of drawings shows two different constructions of one
of these elastic tyres.
In Figure the tyre is formed of a steel wire a of circular section, wound
helically and the ends united by being soldered together.
In Figure 2 the tyre is formed of a flat steel ribbon a' wound helically and the
ends also united to each other.
In both cases an elastic, strongly reacting hoop or tyre is thus formed which is
of smaller diameter than the rim 6, and which, therefore, after being stretched to
place it round the rim, contracts owing to its elasticity and is thus firmly bedded
between the sides of the groove.
We are aware that for the wheels of cycles, it has been proposed to use endless
rubber tubes made in the shape of "pneumatic" tyres, but distended by a spiral
spring.
In that case, however, the spiral spring has quite a different purpose, since its
object is to dispense with the inflation of the rubber tube with air by pumping,
the spires of the spring bearing continuously against the sides of the tube and
so keeping it in its circular form, as if it were pneumatically inflated.

page_text: But this arrangement has not proved successful because the spires of the spring
cut into the rubber and very soon destroy the protecting tube.
Our spiral spring, set directly on the rim without any protecting tube or
covering, entirely avoids this inconvenience, and, moreover, considerably facilitates
the construction.
If desired, the spires of the spring may be fastened to the rim at intervals in
order to prevent any loosening or creeping of the tyre.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
In wheels of cycles or other vehicles, an elastic tyre formed of a helical spring
made of wire a or of flat metallic ribbon a¹ wound helically, and having its ends
united so as to form an endless hoop which is sprung directly into the groove of
the rim of the wheel.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, Loudon, Chartered Patent Agents.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, Loudon, Chartered Patent Agents.