Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 20th Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 24th Feb., 1888
I, HIPPOLYTE DEVIEN, of No. 29, Rue de Chabrol, Paris, in the republic of France,
Wheelwright, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in metal wheels, the special characteristic
of which is a screw nut or spring tension arrangement which allows of the tension of the
spokes being regulated. The spokes are connected at one end to the hub or nave by
being held between two bosses or plates connected together by bolts and at the other
end to the rim of the wheel by rivets or by nuts screwed on the screw-threaded ends
of the spokes.
One of the essential features of the improved wheel consists in interposing between
the rim and the tyre a band of leather in order to completely do away with the
sonorousness which hitherto has formed the principal objection to the general use of
wheels made entirely of metal.
In carrying out the invention the spokes of iron or steel are held between bosses or
plates on the bub of the wheel. These bosses can be of wrought iron, cast iron, or of
steel, and the spokes are held between them by means of bolts which connect the
bosses in pairs.
The inner ends of the spokes of one of the bosses bear against a flange on the hub
which flange forms a fixed point of support for the whole of the spokes and the rim
and can be moved by means of a screw nut or internally screwed sleeve acting on the
spokes by the bosses. Thus one pair of bosses is fixed and only serves to hold one
set of spokes while the other pair of bosses is moveable and can slide on the hub to
regulate the tension of the spokes.
The screw nut is partly let into one of the bosses and on turning it by a suitable key
it can be made to advance in order to slide the moveable bosses outwards. The hub
is screw-threaded to receive a cap for the purpose of preventing the escape of the
lubricating oil and the entrance of dust. The hub is grooved and one of the bosses is
also grooved in order to lighten the wheel as much as possible.
The spokes are formed in pairs from one piece.

page_text: The iron rim is provided on its periphery with a number of notches or slots through
which pass the spokes where they are held in position by nuts screwed on their ends.
Immediately over the rim is a leather band or tyre on which is placed the outer
tyre of iron or steel which is formed of a number of lengths placed end to end and
connected to the rim by means of rivets, bolts having countersunk heads, or
otherwise.
This method of regulating the tension of the spokes by means of a screw nut effects
a tension which is extremely rigid which is not desirable for wheels which have to
travel over bad roads. For this rigid tension an elastic tension can be substituted
which will allow of the wheels giving to the joltings of the vehicle. This result can
be obtained by employing a strong spiral spring placed between the two pairs of bosses
to which are fixed the bases of the spokes.
In a modification of the arrangement the outer boss or plate instead of engaging
with a flange on the hub is fixed thereto by means of a screw-thread the boss being
itself screw-threaded on its interior. A tube of india rubber is placed between tho
outer boss and the hub.

page_text: I, HIPPOLYTE DEVIEN, of No. 29,.Rue de Chabrol, Paris, in the Republic of France,
Wheelwright, 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 relates to improvements in metal wheels, the special characteristic of
which is a screw nut or spring tension arrangement which allows of the tension of the
spokes being regulated. The spokes are connected to the hub or nave by being held
between two bosses or plates connected together by bolts, and to the rim of the
wheel by rivets or by nuts screwed on the screw-threaded ends of the spokes.
One of the essential features of the improved wheel consists in interposing between
the rim and the tyre a band of leather in order to completely deaden the sound which
hitherto has formed the principal objection to the general use of wheels made entirely
of metal.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing are respectively a face view and a
vertical transverse section of the hub or nave and part of the rim and spokes of a
metal wheel constructed according to my invention.
The spokes A A¹ of iron or steel are held between bosses or plates B B B¹ B¹ on
the hub C of the wheel. These bosses can be of wrought iron, of cast iron, or of
steel, and the spokes A A' are clamped between them by means of bolts D D which
connect the bosses B B B¹ B' in pairs.
The inner ends of the spokes A bear against a flange a on the hub C which flange a
forms a fixed support for the whole of the spokes and the rim which can be moved by
means of a screw nut E or internally screwed sleeve acting on the spokes A through
the bosses B B. The bosses B' B' are fixed and only serve to hold the spokes A'
while the other pair of bosses B B is moveable and can slide on the hub C to regulate
the tension of the spokes A A¹.
The screw nut E is partly let into one of the bosses B₁ and on turning it by a
suitable key it can be made to advance in order to slide the moveable bosses B B
outwards. The hub is screw-threaded at F to receive a cap for the purpose of
preventing the escape of the lubricating oil and the entrance of dust. The hub C
is grooved at G and one of the bosses B is grooved at H in order to lighten the
wheel as much as possible.
The spokes A and A' are formed in pairs made out of a single piece of metal as
shown in figure 1 of the drawing.
The iron rim I is provided on its periphery with a number of slots M through
which pass the spokes A A' and in which they are held in position by nuts J screwed
on the ends of the spokes.
Immediately over the rim is a leather band K on which is placed the outer tyre
or band L of iron or steel which is formed of a number of lengths placed end to

page_text: =
end and connected to the rim by means of rivets, bolts having countersunk heads, or
otherwise.
This method of regulating the tension of the spokes by means of a screw nut
gives a very rigid tension which is not desirable for wheels which have to travel over
bad roads. For this rigid tension of the spokes an elastic tension can be substituted
which will allow of the wheels yielding to the joltings of the vehicle. This result can
be obtained by employing a strong spiral spring placed between the two pairs of
bosses holding the inner portions of the spokes.
Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing are similar views to figures 1 and 2 but showing my
improved wheel provided with such elastic tension.
In this arrangement El is the spring placed between the bosses B and B₁ so as to
act upon the spokes A A through the bosses B B. The bosses B B and B¹ B' are
clamped together by means of screws D D. The spokes A A A A¹ are connected or
rivetted to the rim by passing the same through a conical hole M' provided with an
internal countersink; the rim I is made of one piece of metal. The spiral spring E¹
which produces the elastic tension on the spoks A A A' A' by maintaining the rim I
always in the centre of the space which separates the bosses BB from the bosses B¹ B¹
is surrounded by a sheath N made of sheet steel the edges of which are superposed
without rivetting by the natural clasticity of the materials. This sheath is held by two
circular flanges b', b' cast on the inner bosses B B¹.
In a modification of the arrangement illustrated in figures 5 and 6 which are also
similar views to figures 1 and 2, the outer boss or plato B instead of engaging with
a flange on the hub C is fixed thereto by means of a serew-thread the boss being itself
screw-threaded on its interior. A tube of india-rubber Q is placed between the outer
boss Band the hub as shown in figure 6.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
1. The combination with metal wheels of a nut or a tension spring so arranged as
to allow of regulating the tension of the whole of the spokes on the hub, the said
spokes being clamped between two bosses, this tension being rigid or elastic according
to the requirements of the wheel and according to whether the means of producing
the tension is a screw nut as shown in figures 1 and 2 or a spring as shown in
figures 3 to 6 a leather band being besides advantageously placed between the rim and
the tyre in order to deaden sound.
the various figures
2. The improved wheels hereinbefore described with reference
of the accompanying drawings.
Data than an of Tony 1888